If you want an open-source ClickUp alternative that you can run on your own servers, AlianHub is built for exactly that. It covers the everyday project work, from tasks and sprints to Gantt charts, docs, automations and time tracking, and it is free under the AGPL-3.0 licence. This guide explains why teams switch, how ClickUp concepts map onto AlianHub, and how the import works step by step.
Why teams look for an open-source ClickUp alternative
ClickUp is a capable tool. The reasons teams leave it are usually less about features and more about control.
- Where the data lives. With a hosted tool, your tasks, comments and files sit on someone else's infrastructure. Some teams need them on hardware they choose, for policy, client or regulatory reasons.
- Per-seat pricing. Costs grow with every person you add. AlianHub has no per-seat pricing when you self-host it.
- Licence and lock-in. An open-source licence means you can read the code, modify it and keep running it on your own terms.
- AI on your terms. Many teams want AI features without sending work to a provider they did not pick.
AlianHub answers each of these directly. It is designed to be self-hosted, its source is public on GitHub, and AI features use your own LLM API key or the AI assistant each person already uses.
What the AGPL-3.0 licence means in practice
You can use, modify and self-host AlianHub freely. The one obligation to know about: if you run a modified version as a public network service, you must publish your changes. For a team running it internally, that rarely changes anything.
How ClickUp features map to AlianHub
Most of what a team does every day in ClickUp has a direct counterpart. The table below is a practical mapping rather than a feature-for-feature claim.
| In ClickUp | In AlianHub |
|---|---|
| Lists | Projects, each holding one or more lists |
| Spaces and folders | Not recreated; lists become projects |
| Tasks and subtasks | Tasks with subtasks, three levels deep |
| Statuses | Project statuses, matched or added on import |
| Board, List, Calendar, Gantt views | Board, List, Calendar, Gantt and Workload views |
| Custom fields | Custom fields per project (text, number, date, drop down, people, rating and more) |
| Checklists and comments | Checklists and comments, with authors kept |
| Time tracking | Timers, manual entries and weekly timesheets with approval |
| Automations | Automations, including starter automations |
| Built-in AI | AI Assist with your own key, plus Claude, ChatGPT or Claude Code over MCP |
You can see the full list of capabilities on the features page, or click through a live instance at demo.alianhub.com before you commit to anything.
AI that stays under your control
AI Assist generates tasks, subtasks, checklists, descriptions and sprint plans from plain language. It runs on the LLM provider you configure, such as OpenAI, Anthropic or DeepSeek. Nothing in the product requires AI; without a key, the AI pages simply stay empty.
Each person can also connect their own AI, such as Claude, ChatGPT or Claude Code, over MCP. Risky writes from an outside app can be held for a person to approve. The AI overview covers both approaches.
Integrations
AlianHub connects with the tools teams already use. GitHub connects in one click, and you pick repositories per project, so a pull request can be linked to a task. The integrations page lists the rest.
How to move from ClickUp to AlianHub
The importer is built for a team lead who wants the team's tasks out of ClickUp. You export a file, upload it, check a preview and confirm. Nothing is written before you confirm, and the import can be undone.
Before you start
- Invite your team first, using the email addresses they use in ClickUp. People are matched by email only, and the import invites nobody.
- Have an owner or admin run the import. That way each comment stays under the name of the person who wrote it.
- Keep each file under 2,000 rows. Larger files are refused, so export list by list or folder by folder.
Treat your first import as a trial. It can be undone if the result is not what you expected.
Step 1: Export from ClickUp
ClickUp offers two exports, and they carry different columns. The view export includes tasks, subtasks, statuses, assignees, dates, priorities, tags and custom fields. The workspace export adds comments, checklists and attachments.
To get everything, import the workspace export first, then the view export of the same lists into the same project, choosing to update existing tasks. AlianHub recognises each task by its ClickUp id and adds the custom fields. Doing it in the other order loses checklists and attachment links.
Step 2: Import into AlianHub
- Open Settings, then Import & export, and press Start an import.
- Choose ClickUp and pick your CSV or Excel file.
- Decide where the tasks go: a new project for each ClickUp list, or one existing project.
- Read the preview. It shows tasks per list, new statuses and tags, custom fields, who will be assigned and who is not in the workspace.
- Press Import and read the summary before pressing Done.
What comes across and what changes
Task names, subtasks, statuses, assignees, due and start dates, time estimates, priorities, tags, checklists, comments, descriptions and custom fields come across. Spaces and folders are not created, and subtasks deeper than three levels move up to the third level. Importing the same file into the same project again creates no duplicates. The full details are in the moving from ClickUp guide.
Who AlianHub is for
AlianHub suits teams that want ClickUp-style project work with full ownership of the stack. It fits especially well if you are:
- A software or product team that wants sprints, Gantt and GitHub links on its own servers.
- An agency or services company that needs time tracking and approved timesheets.
- An organisation with data-residency or compliance rules that rule out hosted tools.
- A team that wants AI features using its own API key, or none at all.
It is less suited to a team that wants zero infrastructure responsibility and has no one to run a server. Even then, paid help with hosting, customisation and support is available from Alian Software. For team structures and roles, see the teams page.
What self-hosting involves
Running AlianHub yourself is straightforward. The recommended route is Docker Compose: download the compose file, write a secret into .env, and start it. Images are published on GHCR for amd64 and arm64, and a bare-metal install with Node.js 20 and MongoDB is also supported.
Once it runs, the owner account manages mail, storage, AI and sign-in from Settings in the app. Upgrades, backups and health checks also live there. The admin guide walks through every step.
FAQ
Is AlianHub really free?
Yes. AlianHub is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no per-seat pricing when you self-host. Paid hosting, customisation and support are optional.
Will my ClickUp comments keep their authors?
Yes, if an owner or admin runs the import and the authors are already members, matched by email. If someone else imports, comments are stored under the importing person with the author's name in front.
Can I undo a ClickUp import?
Yes. The summary screen offers Undo this import, so you can treat the first run as a trial and try again.
Does AlianHub have Gantt charts and time tracking like ClickUp?
Yes. It includes Board, List, Calendar, Gantt and Workload views, plus timers, manual time entries and weekly timesheets with approval.
Try it before you switch
The quickest way to judge an open-source ClickUp alternative is to use it. Open demo.alianhub.com, take the product tour, and when you are ready, export one ClickUp list and run a trial import. If you would like help planning the move, contact the team.