ZenTao

An all-in-one project management suite from China covering products, projects, testing and documentation, with Scrum, Waterfall and Kanban models.

1.7k stars, 414 forks PHP On GitHub since January 2011

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is ZenTao?

ZenTao, first released in 2009, covers the whole delivery process: product management with requirements and roadmaps, project management, quality assurance with test cases and bugs, documentation, and organization and office management. It supports Scrum, Waterfall and Kanban, so teams can pick a model per project. It is a PHP application widely used in China, with English and other languages available.

Good fit if

  • You want product, project and QA management in one integrated tool.
  • You run both agile and Waterfall projects.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a lighter, modern tracker: Plane.
  • You prefer an international community and documentation in English: OpenProject.

Before you adopt it

ZenTao is AGPL-3.0 since 2015, when it moved from GPL-3.0. A Lite edition uses ZenTao's own Z Public License, and paid editions with more features are sold separately by its developer.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

ZenTao health: is it still maintained?

81 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    1,620 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 16 September 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    13 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 30% of them.
    15 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, zentaopms_22.6_20260917, on 21 October 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 41% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 31 hours.
    13 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 3.8 of 10.
    4 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

ZenTao license: is it open source?

ZenTao uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Some features sit under a separate paid license inside the same repository.

  1. January 2011First published on GitHub under GPL-3.0.
  2. 28 January 2015Changed to AGPL-3.0. Commit: + replace LGPL to ZPL.
  3. TodayAGPL-3.0, with paid parts: separate license doc/LICENSE.LITE.EN.

How to run ZenTao yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
91 languages

Install instructions: zentao.net or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to ZenTao

  • LeantimeLeantime is a goals focused project management system for non-project managers. Building with ADHD, Autism,… 65 health · AGPL-3.0 · 11.9k stars
  • OpenProjectOpenProject is the leading open source project management software for product, project and portfolio… 82 health · GPL-3.0 · 16.9k stars
  • KanboardKanban project management software 59 health · MIT · 9.9k stars
  • PlaneOpen-source Jira, Linear, Monday, and ClickUp alternative. Plane is a modern project management platform to… 79 health · AGPL-3.0 · 61.8k stars
  • KaneoProject management that doesn't become the project. Boards, Gantt charts, and GitHub integration. Self-host… 78 health · MIT · 9.7k stars

All 26 projects in Project & task management

Questions about ZenTao

Is ZenTao open source?

Yes. ZenTao is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license. Some features are kept under a separate paid license in the same repository.

Is ZenTao still maintained?

Its health score is 81 of 100 (actively developed). It had 1,620 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 16 September 2026, and its latest release came out on 21 October 2026.

Did ZenTao change its license?

Yes. It moved from GPL-3.0 to AGPL-3.0 on 28 January 2015.

How do I run ZenTao?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to ZenTao?

Close alternatives in the Project & task management category include Leantime, OpenProject, Kanboard.