Leantime is an open-source project management platform built specifically for individuals and teams who struggle with traditional tools due to ADHD, autism, or dyslexia. It simplifies complex workflows by reducing clutter, offering visual task views, and integrating behavioral science to enhance focus and dopamine-driven motivation. Unlike generic tools, Leantime prioritizes cognitive accessibility without sacrificing depth.
Built with PHP and MySQL, Leantime supports deployment via Docker or direct server installation, and integrates with LDAP, OIDC, S3, Slack, Discord, and Mattermost. Its plugin architecture and API allow extensibility, while multilingual support and dark mode cater to diverse user needs across 20+ languages.
What You Get
- Multi-view Task Management - View tasks as Kanban boards, Gantt timelines, tables, or calendars with subtasks and dependencies to suit different cognitive styles.
- My Work Dashboard - Personalized hub showing tasks across all projects, time blocks, notes, AI prioritization, and emoji-based task ratings to boost motivation.
- Goal & Metric Tracking - Link tasks to strategic goals and visualize progress with dashboards and progress donuts to maintain focus on outcomes.
- Built-in Wikis & Docs - Create, edit, and embed project documentation with support for external files from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
- Time Tracking & Timesheets - Log hours directly from the dashboard or project views with exportable timesheets for billing and reporting.
- Retrospectives & Idea Boards - Capture feedback after sprints and store ideas with context, keeping continuous improvement and innovation connected to active work.
- Whiteboards for Visual Thinking - Create mind maps, wireframes, and diagrams directly within the app to externalize thoughts without switching tools.
- AI-Powered Task Prioritization - Tasks are ranked based on user emoji ratings (e.g., angry face to unicorn) to surface high-motivation work and reduce procrastination.
- Multi-Project Timeline (Gantt) - Visualize milestones and task durations across projects with color-coded bars and dependency arrows for strategic planning.
- LDAP & OIDC Authentication - Enterprise-grade SSO integration for secure team onboarding without manual account creation.
- S3 & Local File Storage - Store project files securely via AWS S3 or local filesystem with full access control per project.
- 20+ Language Support - Fully translated interface via Crowdin, making it accessible to global teams regardless of native language.
Common Use Cases
- Running a small creative agency - A team uses Leantime to manage client projects with Kanban boards, time tracking, and retrospectives, while avoiding the complexity of Jira or Asana.
- Neurodivergent freelancers managing multiple clients - An individual uses the My Work Dashboard to consolidate tasks, schedule time blocks, and rate tasks by emotional energy to stay motivated.
- Educational institutions managing research projects - Professors and students use Leantime’s wikis, idea boards, and Gantt timelines to track long-term research milestones without overwhelming interfaces.
- Self-hosted tech teams avoiding SaaS lock-in - A startup deploys Leantime via Docker to retain full data control while replacing Notion, ClickUp, and Trello with one unified system.
Under The Hood
Architecture
- Modular domain-driven design with clearly separated namespaces for business domains like Projects, Cpcanvas, and Obmcanvas, each encapsulating controllers, services, and repositories
- Dependency injection via constructor-based injection ensures loose coupling and testability across core components
- Plugin system extends functionality through centralized classmap registration, adhering to the Open/Closed Principle without modifying core code
- Layered structure separates infrastructure (Core), business logic (Domain), and extensibility (Plugins), enabling scalable growth
Tech Stack
- PHP 8.2+ backend powered by Laravel 11.44, utilizing Sanctum for API auth and Doctrine DBAL for complex data operations
- Full-stack JavaScript with Tailwind CSS, Tiptap, and HTMX for dynamic, responsive UIs without full page reloads
- MySQL database accessed via mysqli, PDO, and a hybrid of Eloquent ORM with custom repository patterns
- Webpack 5 and Laravel Mix manage frontend asset bundling, with Less and Tailwind CSS in the styling pipeline
- Codeception provides comprehensive testing coverage, while SocialiteProviders enable seamless multi-provider OAuth2 authentication
Code Quality
- Codebase exhibits consistent patterns and clear separation of concerns, though documentation and comment depth vary across modules
- Naming conventions and structure are largely uniform, but some areas lack comprehensive unit test coverage
- Refactoring opportunities exist in legacy utility functions, though overall maintainability remains high
What Makes It Unique
- Native event dispatch system integrated into templates and controllers allows deep, non-invasive customization through plugins
- Accessibility-first CSS components natively support OS-level preferences like high contrast and reduced motion without external dependencies
- Session-based onboarding modals auto-trigger based on route context and hide after first view, reducing user configuration friction
- Unified casting system automatically converts primitives to typed domain objects, minimizing boilerplate and enhancing type safety
- ICal integration with server-side secret URLs and hash management enables calendar sync without exposing tokens to users
- Print-optimized CSS dynamically adapts layouts for paper output while preserving semantic structure for documentation workflows