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Comparison · PM
Planka vs ZenTao
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Planka and ZenTao — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:project-management
Planka vs ZenTao: at a glance
What is Planka?
Planka's Helm chart wakes up with 2.3.0 and 2.3.1 a day apart, still without notes.
The entries tracked for Planka, the self-hosted Kanban board, are Helm chart releases for deploying it on Kubernetes. After three months of quiet, chart 2.3.0 landed on November 4 and 2.3.1 the next day, each with the same one-line description and no change notes.
What is ZenTao?
ZenTao posts a 22.0 beta with no notes in the feed.
The only tracked ZenTao entry is the 22.0 beta tag from October 21. It links to a changelog file in the repository and contains no description of what changed.
Planka vs ZenTao: editorial side-by-side
Planka
5.0PM
Planka's Helm chart wakes up with 2.3.0 and 2.3.1 a day apart, still without notes.
◆ Current state
The entries tracked for Planka, the self-hosted Kanban board, are Helm chart releases for deploying it on Kubernetes. After three months of quiet, chart 2.3.0 landed on November 4 and 2.3.1 the next day, each with the same one-line description and no change notes.
◆ Where it's heading
The chart moves in bursts: a minor version followed quickly by a patch, as with 2.0.2 and 2.0.3 in February. Without notes, the feed shows deployment upkeep, not the app's feature direction.
◆ Prediction
A quick patch after a minor suggests 2.3.0 had a deployment bug; whether 2.3 tracks a new Planka app release is not visible here.
ZenTao
2.5PM
ZenTao posts a 22.0 beta with no notes in the feed.
◆ Current state
The only tracked ZenTao entry is the 22.0 beta tag from October 21. It links to a changelog file in the repository and contains no description of what changed.
◆ Where it's heading
A beta of a new major version suggests a larger release is in progress, but nothing in the feed says what it contains.
◆ Prediction
Unclear: the entry does not show what 22.0 changes or when a stable version will follow.
Alternatives to Planka and ZenTao
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 Planka or ZenTao.
NocoBase
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
Productboard
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
Hive
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
Tracecat
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
SmartSuite
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
See all Planka alternatives → · See all ZenTao alternatives →
Recent activity from Planka and ZenTao
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8d agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.3.1
- 9d agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.3.0
- 24d agoZenTaoZenTao 22.0 beta posted without release notes
- 3mo agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.2.0
- 8mo agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.1.0
- 8mo agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.0.3
- 8mo agoPlankaPlanka Helm chart 2.0.2
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Planka and ZenTao?
Both compete on the same themes — project-management — within PM. Planka is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Planka better than ZenTao?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Planka is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Planka?
Top Planka alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Planka alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/planka for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ZenTao?
Top ZenTao alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ZenTao alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zentao for the full list with editorial commentary on each.