Everything you need to know about Redmine, the free, self-hosted, Ruby on Rails project management and issue tracker, including features and setup.
Category
Project Management
Pricing
Free and open source (self-hosted); paid hosting and support available from third-party providers, from Free (open source, GPLv2 license)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2006
Free PlanWeb AppAPIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
Redmine has been developed since 2006 by creator Jean-Philippe Lang and an open-source community, growing into one of the most widely used self-hosted project management and issue-tracking platforms, especially among software teams comfortable running their own infrastructure.
As a GPLv2-licensed project rather than a company product, Redmine has no official pricing, sales team, or vendor lock-in; its ongoing development, plugin ecosystem, and documentation are maintained collaboratively by contributors and third-party hosting providers.
Key Features
Redmine supports multiple simultaneous projects and subprojects, role-based access control, Gantt charts, calendars, and time tracking, giving teams the scheduling and reporting tools common to larger commercial PM tools.
It also integrates directly with version control systems like Git and Subversion, includes per-project wikis and forums, and offers a highly configurable issue tracker with customizable fields, statuses, and workflows, extendable further through a large community plugin ecosystem.
Pricing
Redmine itself is entirely free under the GPLv2 open-source license, with no tiers, seats, or subscription fees for the core software.
Costs, if any, come from self-hosting infrastructure (servers, storage, maintenance) or from optional third-party managed hosting, support, or premium plugin providers, none of which are operated by a central Redmine company.
Key Features
Multi-project and subproject management — Organize related work across parent and child projects with independent configuration.
Role-based access control — Granular permissions let administrators control what each role can view or edit per project.
Gantt charts and calendars — Visual scheduling tools help teams track deadlines and dependencies.
Time tracking — Built-in time logging supports effort tracking and reporting against issues and projects.
Per-project wikis and forums — Native documentation and discussion spaces live alongside each project's issues.
Version control integration — Built-in repository browser and diff viewer connect to Git, Subversion, Mercurial, CVS, and Bazaar.
Customizable issue tracker — Configurable fields, statuses, and workflows adapt Redmine to varied team processes.
Plugin ecosystem — A large library of community plugins extends Redmine with agile boards, reporting, and automation.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source with no per-user licensing fees
Highly customizable issue trackers, workflows, and fields
Built-in Gantt charts, calendars, and time tracking
Native integration with major version control systems
Large plugin ecosystem for extending functionality
Self-hosting gives organizations full control over their data
Cons
Requires self-hosting and server maintenance, or a paid third-party host
Interface feels dated compared to modern SaaS project management tools
No official vendor support; relies on community and third parties
Steeper setup and configuration learning curve than turnkey SaaS tools
Fewer native integrations with modern SaaS apps than commercial competitors
Mobile experience is limited compared to native mobile-first tools
Pricing
Community/Open Source Free n/a
Third-party managed hosting Varies by provider varies
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Redmine free?
Yes, Redmine is free and open source under the GNU General Public License v2, with no licensing fees for the core software.
Who created Redmine?
Redmine was created by Jean-Philippe Lang and first released in 2006.
What is Redmine built with?
Redmine is built on the Ruby on Rails framework and supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite databases.
Can Redmine integrate with Git?
Yes, Redmine includes native integration with Git, Subversion, Mercurial, CVS, and Bazaar, plus a built-in repository browser.
Does Redmine offer official cloud hosting?
Redmine itself does not offer official managed hosting; several third-party providers offer paid Redmine hosting and support.
What databases does Redmine support?
Redmine supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, among other databases, due to its cross-database Rails architecture.
Is Redmine similar to Jira?
Yes, Redmine is often used as a free, self-hosted, open-source alternative to commercial issue trackers like Jira.
Does Redmine support plugins?
Yes, Redmine has a large community plugin ecosystem that extends its core functionality significantly.