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Comparison · PM

Upbase vs Leantime

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

Shared themes:project-management

Upbase vs Leantime: at a glance

FeatureUpbaseLeantime
SectorPMPM
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesproject-management, agency-operations, profit-tracking, productivityproject-management, self-hosted, permissions, plugins
Last editorial update5mo ago2d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Upbase?

Upbase grinds out workflow speed-ups while building toward an agency profit-tracking suite.

Upbase is shipping a consistent stream of usability improvements — right-click task menus, keyboard-driven Bookmarks/Notes/Recents, renamable modules, a workspace timeline and daily review. Underneath the UX polish, the more strategic thread is profitability: retainer billing and a Profitability Report extend its earlier Profit Tracking, pushing Upbase toward serving client-services agencies, not just task management.

Read the full Upbase 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 →

Upbase vs Leantime: editorial side-by-side

U5.0

Upbase grinds out workflow speed-ups while building toward an agency profit-tracking suite.

◆ Current state

Upbase is shipping a consistent stream of usability improvements — right-click task menus, keyboard-driven Bookmarks/Notes/Recents, renamable modules, a workspace timeline and daily review. Underneath the UX polish, the more strategic thread is profitability: retainer billing and a Profitability Report extend its earlier Profit Tracking, pushing Upbase toward serving client-services agencies, not just task management.

◆ Where it's heading

Two arcs run in parallel: reducing friction for power users handling many tasks, and building a financial layer (billing types, profit reporting) that positions Upbase as an agency operations hub. The agency angle is reinforced by its blog content on scope creep and client management.

◆ Prediction

Expect the profitability suite to deepen — more billing models, reporting, and agency-specific views — alongside continued keyboard-and-speed refinements.

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 Upbase 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 Upbase or Leantime.

See all Upbase alternatives → · See all Leantime alternatives →

Recent activity from Upbase 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. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.2: digest changes, OIDC PKCE, marketplace install reporting
  3. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.1: clearer plugin install errors
  4. 14d agoLeantimev3.13.0: mobile push, per-project modules, Laravel 12
  5. 29d agoLeantimev3.12.0: self-updating plugins and a shared interface library
  6. 1mo agoLeantimev3.11.0: global search across the workspace
  7. 5mo agoUpbase7 updates to make working with tasks faster
  8. 5mo agoUpbase🎉 New in Upbase: Bookmarks, Notes, and Recents — now one keystroke away from anywhere
  9. 5mo agoUpbase🎉 New in Upbase: Rename and reorder modules, resizable sidebar, and description templates
  10. 6mo agoUpbase🎉 New in Upbase: Workspace timeline and Daily review
  11. 6mo agoUpbase🎉 New in Upbase: Retainer billing and the Profitability Report
  12. 7mo agoUpbaseHow to Manage Client Expectations (Without Scope Creep)

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Upbase and Leantime?

Both compete on the same themes — project-management — within PM. Upbase 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 Upbase better than Leantime?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Upbase 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 Upbase?

Top Upbase alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Upbase alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/upbase 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.