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Comparison · PM

Papertrail vs Leantime

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Papertrail and Leantime — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Papertrail vs Leantime: at a glance

FeaturePapertrailLeantime
SectorPMPM
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesasset-management, inspection, compliance, navigationproject-management, self-hosted, permissions, plugins
Last editorial update5d ago2d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Papertrail?

Papertrail makes its new navigation the default, with classic view as a fallback.

Papertrail is an asset inspection and compliance tool for field teams. Its last substantive product change was the September rebuild of checklists with sections, typed responses and conditional logic. On November 5 the navigation it began rolling out in April went live for everyone: one Menu, folders and filters in a side panel, one-click site switching and search and scan fixed in the header.

Read the full Papertrail trajectory →

What is Leantime?

Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.

Leantime moved from 3.10 to 3.14 between October and 10 November. v3.14.0 replaces role-rank checks with specific permission checks across projects, timesheets, users, API keys, to-dos, milestones and sprints, and opens the calendar to plugins; a new CalDAV plugin syncs both ways with Nextcloud, Radicale and Apple Calendar. Earlier releases added mobile push, per-project modules, global search and self-updating plugins.

Read the full Leantime trajectory →

Papertrail vs Leantime: editorial side-by-side

P5.0

Papertrail makes its new navigation the default, with classic view as a fallback.

◆ Current state

Papertrail is an asset inspection and compliance tool for field teams. Its last substantive product change was the September rebuild of checklists with sections, typed responses and conditional logic. On November 5 the navigation it began rolling out in April went live for everyone: one Menu, folders and filters in a side panel, one-click site switching and search and scan fixed in the header.

◆ Where it's heading

The changelog alternates between product education webinars and long-running UX projects that move from opt-in to default. Classic view remains available for now, which suggests a retirement date will follow once customers have moved.

◆ Prediction

A notice removing the classic view is the likely next post, given the November release calls it available 'for now'.

L5.0

Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.

◆ Current state

Leantime moved from 3.10 to 3.14 between October and 10 November. v3.14.0 replaces role-rank checks with specific permission checks across projects, timesheets, users, API keys, to-dos, milestones and sprints, and opens the calendar to plugins; a new CalDAV plugin syncs both ways with Nextcloud, Radicale and Apple Calendar. Earlier releases added mobile push, per-project modules, global search and self-updating plugins.

◆ Where it's heading

The release cadence is roughly one feature version every two weeks, split between finer access control and a plugin marketplace that carries more functionality. Core changes increasingly exist to give plugins stable hooks, as the calendar rework shows.

◆ Prediction

Expect more marketplace plugins built on the new calendar and permission hooks, and further permission work extending to the remaining modules.

Alternatives to Papertrail and Leantime

Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Papertrail or Leantime.

See all Papertrail alternatives → · See all Leantime alternatives →

Recent activity from Papertrail and Leantime

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 3d agoLeantimev3.14.0: per-permission access checks and a CalDAV sync plugin
  2. 8d agoPapertrailPapertrail's new navigation goes live for everyone
  3. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.2: digest changes, OIDC PKCE, marketplace install reporting
  4. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.1: clearer plugin install errors
  5. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.0: mobile push, per-project modules, Laravel 12
  6. 29d agoLeantimev3.12.0: self-updating plugins and a shared interface library
  7. 1mo agoPapertrail🎤 Location Inspections Webinar
  8. 1mo agoLeantimev3.11.0: global search across the workspace
  9. 2mo agoPapertrailPapertrail launches conditional checklist logic — rebuilt from scratch ⚡
  10. 2mo agoPapertrailWatch the Latest Webinar: Papertrail Power User
  11. 3mo agoPapertrail🎤 Become a Papertrail Power User
  12. 3mo agoPapertrailScheduled Update — Tuesday 21 July, 5am BST

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Papertrail and Leantime?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Papertrail and Leantime are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Papertrail better than Leantime?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Papertrail and Leantime are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Papertrail?

Top Papertrail alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Papertrail alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/papertrail for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Leantime?

Top Leantime alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Leantime alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/leantime for the full list with editorial commentary on each.