Asana Alternatives EU: MeisterTask vs OpenProject vs Zenkit vs Taiga
GDPR-compliant project management with European data hosting. Compare the best EU alternatives to Asana, Monday, and Trello.
Read time: 10 min | Last updated: January 2026
TL;DR: MeisterTask for beautiful Kanban with MindMeister integration. OpenProject for enterprise-grade open source with Gantt charts. Zenkit for flexible databases and custom workflows. Taiga for agile teams wanting free open source. All keep project data in Europe.
Your project management tool sees everything. Tasks, deadlines, who’s working on what, internal discussions, client information, strategic plans.
With Asana, Monday, or Trello, that data lives on US servers. Your competitive intelligence, your roadmap, your team’s communication—all accessible under US jurisdiction.
European alternatives exist, and they’re good.
The Quick Comparison
| MeisterTask | OpenProject | Zenkit | Taiga | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | Germany | Germany | Spain |
| Type | Kanban-first | Full PM suite | Flexible workspace | Agile/Scrum |
| Open Source | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Free Tier | Yes (3 projects) | Community edition | Yes (limited) | Yes (unlimited) |
| Best For | Creative teams | Enterprises | Flexible workflows | Dev teams |
| Starting Price | €7/user/mo | Free / €7.25/user | €9/user/mo | Free / €5/user |
Why This Matters for Teams
Project management data is sensitive:
- Strategic roadmaps competitors would love to see
- Client information and communications
- Employee performance and assignments
- Internal discussions and decisions
GDPR applies. But beyond compliance, it’s about control. European providers, European servers, European jurisdiction.
MeisterTask: Beautiful Kanban from Munich
German company (Munich), founded 2015. Part of Meister (also makes MindMeister mind mapping). Over 4 million users.
What Makes It Different
MeisterTask focuses on making project management visually beautiful and intuitive. It’s what Trello would be if Trello cared about design.
What’s Good
Gorgeous interface. Actually pleasant to look at. Custom backgrounds, clean design. Your team will want to use it.
MindMeister integration. Brainstorm in mind maps, convert to tasks with one click. Unique workflow.
Automation built-in. Section actions automate repetitive work. Move cards, assign people, set due dates automatically.
Timeline view. See tasks over time. Not full Gantt, but enough for most teams.
German engineering. Munich-based. ISO 27001 certified. Data stays in EU.
What’s Not
Kanban-focused. If you need complex Gantt charts or resource planning, look elsewhere.
MindMeister separate. The mind mapping integration is great, but it’s a separate subscription.
Limited free tier. 3 projects only. You’ll need paid for real use.
Best For
- Creative teams and agencies
- Teams who value beautiful tools
- MindMeister users wanting task management
- Small to medium teams (5-50 people)
OpenProject: Enterprise Open Source
German company (Berlin), founded 2012. The leading open source project management software. Used by Siemens, Audi, and the German government.
What Makes It Different
OpenProject is the only serious open source alternative to MS Project. Full project management with Gantt charts, budgeting, time tracking—all self-hostable.
What’s Good
True open source. Community edition is free forever. Self-host for complete control.
Full PM suite. Gantt charts, work packages, time tracking, cost reporting, meetings, wikis. Everything.
Enterprise features. Agile boards, budgets, baselines, resource management. Competes with MS Project.
German government approved. Used by public sector. Meets strict German IT security requirements.
Self-hosting option. Install on your servers. Complete data sovereignty.
What’s Not
Learning curve. Full-featured means complex. Training needed for larger teams.
Interface dated. Functional, not beautiful. Improving, but not MeisterTask pretty.
Setup effort. Self-hosting requires IT resources. Cloud version is easier.
Best For
- Enterprises needing full project management
- Organizations requiring self-hosting
- Public sector and regulated industries
- Teams doing complex project planning
- MS Project replacement seekers
Zenkit: The Flexible Workspace
German company (Karlsruhe), founded 2016. Built as a flexible database that can be viewed multiple ways.
What Makes It Different
Zenkit starts as a database. You can view the same data as Kanban, table, calendar, mind map, or list. One data source, many views.
What’s Good
View flexibility. Same tasks as Kanban, table, calendar, or hierarchy. Switch instantly.
Custom fields. Build exactly the workflow you need. Not locked into predefined structures.
Suite of products. Zenkit Base, To Do, Projects, Hypernotes, Zenchat. Growing ecosystem.
Fair pricing. €9/user/month for Plus. No per-feature upselling.
German data protection. Karlsruhe-based. Data centers in Germany.
What’s Not
Learning curve. Flexibility means decisions. Less opinionated than competitors.
Smaller ecosystem. Fewer integrations than Asana/Monday.
Split products. Different apps for different use cases. Not always seamless.
Best For
- Teams needing custom workflows
- Data-driven project managers
- Users who want to view tasks multiple ways
- Organizations with unique processes
Taiga: Open Source Agile
Spanish company (Madrid), founded 2014 by Kaleidos. Fully open source. Community-driven development.
What Makes It Different
Taiga is built for agile teams. Scrum and Kanban out of the box, with proper sprint planning, backlogs, and burndown charts.
What’s Good
Truly free. Self-hosted is completely free. No user limits. No feature restrictions.
Agile-native. Real Scrum support. Sprints, backlogs, story points, velocity tracking.
Modern design. Clean interface. Doesn’t look like enterprise software from 2005.
Active community. Open source with real development momentum.
Kanban option. Not just Scrum. Kanban boards for teams that prefer them.
What’s Not
Agile assumption. Built for Scrum/Kanban teams. Less flexible for other methodologies.
Self-hosting effort. Free version needs your own server. Cloud is paid.
Smaller company. Less resources than OpenProject. Development pace varies.
Best For
- Software development teams
- Agile/Scrum practitioners
- Budget-conscious teams wanting free
- Open source enthusiasts
- Teams that will self-host
Feature Comparison
Views & Visualization
| Feature | MeisterTask | OpenProject | Zenkit | Taiga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanban | Excellent | Good | Good | Good |
| Gantt | Timeline only | Full Gantt | Limited | No |
| Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| List | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Table | No | Yes | Yes | Limited |
Collaboration
| Feature | MeisterTask | OpenProject | Zenkit | Taiga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mentions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File attachments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
Advanced Features
| Feature | MeisterTask | OpenProject | Zenkit | Taiga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Add-on | Built-in | Add-on | No |
| Resource planning | No | Yes | No | No |
| Budgeting | No | Yes | No | No |
| Reporting | Basic | Advanced | Basic | Burndown |
| API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The GDPR Question
| MeisterTask | OpenProject | Zenkit | Taiga | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Location | Germany/EU | Self-host or EU | Germany | Self-host or EU |
| Certifications | ISO 27001 | ISO 27001 | GDPR | GDPR |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| DPA Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OpenProject and Taiga offer complete data sovereignty through self-hosting.
Pricing Reality
For 20 Users
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MeisterTask | €140/mo (Pro) | Unlimited projects |
| OpenProject | €145/mo (Cloud) | Or free self-hosted |
| Zenkit | €180/mo (Plus) | All views included |
| Taiga | €100/mo (Cloud) | Or free self-hosted |
| Asana | €220/mo | For comparison |
| Monday | €180/mo | For comparison |
Self-hosting OpenProject or Taiga is completely free.
My Recommendation
Choose MeisterTask if:
- Visual design matters to your team
- You use or want MindMeister
- Kanban is your primary methodology
- You want simple, beautiful task management
- Team size is under 50
Choose OpenProject if:
- You need full project management (Gantt, budgets, resources)
- Self-hosting is required or preferred
- You’re replacing MS Project
- Enterprise features are necessary
- You’re in public sector or regulated industry
Choose Zenkit if:
- You need flexible, customizable workflows
- Viewing data multiple ways is valuable
- You have unique processes
- You want German data hosting
- Standard tools don’t fit your needs
Choose Taiga if:
- You’re a software development team
- Agile/Scrum is your methodology
- Budget is a primary concern
- You can self-host
- Open source matters to you
Migration Tips
Moving from Asana, Monday, or Trello:
- Export your data. All major tools offer CSV or JSON export.
- Map your workflow. Understand how columns/stages translate.
- Start fresh or import. Sometimes rebuilding beats importing messy data.
- Train incrementally. Don’t switch everyone at once.
FAQ
Is Asana actually problematic for GDPR?
Not illegal, but data goes to US servers. If you handle sensitive EU data, consider the implications.
Which is closest to Trello?
MeisterTask for beautiful Kanban. Zenkit for flexibility.
Which is closest to Asana?
OpenProject for features. MeisterTask for usability.
Can I self-host any of these?
OpenProject and Taiga are fully self-hostable. Both are open source.
What about Notion?
Great tool, US-based. Consider Zenkit or CryptPad for European workspace alternatives.
Try Them
- MeisterTask: Start free - 3 projects free
- OpenProject: Start free - Community edition free
- Zenkit: Start free - Limited free tier
- Taiga: Start free - Unlimited free (self-hosted)
See also:
- EU Alternatives to Asana
- EU Alternatives to Monday
- EU Alternatives to Trello
- Why EU Software Matters
Last updated: January 2026
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