Potential Future Restrictions on the Self-Hosted Version of Plane

[KairuDeibisu]

Hey all,

Open-source projects are about working together, sharing ideas, and making things that everyone can use. But lately, some projects on GitHub, including ones that you host yourself, are adding restrictions or extra paid features to keep the project going.

When we discuss self-hosted projects, we mean those that you manage on your own, rather than using a ready-made solution from the project creators. This can sometimes feel like a free trial with extra steps.

The Apache License 2.0 is a mixed bag. It also opens up the chance for folks to make their own versions of the project, which can lead to confusion and make it harder to keep everyone on the same page.

I believe we should think about what restrictions might be put on certain features and what the changes might mean. How might they affect who can use the project, who gets involved, and how we all work together? And how do we keep the project going while making sure it stays true to the open-source spirit?

I'd like to start a chat about the future of Plane. It's important to talk about what's going on, even if it might seem like bad news. Keeping big plans secret until the last minute can make it look like there's something sneaky going on, and that's not what open-source is about.

I'm not trying to pick a fight with the developers, but I do want to stress how crucial it is to be honest about any changes, rules, or restrictions, that might be added to the self-hosted version of Plane. Sharing these plans, even if they're not popular, can help build trust and keep things friendly with the community.

I'm asking the folks who make Plane to talk openly with us about what they're planning, even if it might not be what we want to hear. This way, we can all work together to shape the future of Plane and make sure it stays a project that values openness, teamwork, and respect.

I encourage you all to share your thoughts, worries, and ideas about this. Let's talk it out.

[jmanhype]

amazing post hopefully more people contribute below.

[hakan-77]

This is scary since SaaS is not an option for many organizations due to data governance issues. The moment you start placing features behind a paywall / managed service, many will start looking for alternatives. I hope you guys find an alternative monetization strategy.

[lukasMega]

I recently switched from Plane to something better that is self-hosted and free for small teams with full features, no restrictions. No paywalls.

spoiler (click to reveal)

• it's YouTrack (from JetBrains)

• it has such pricing - free and without restrictions for up to 10 users probably 10+ years
• However it's not open source. But it exceeded expectations in terms of feature set, UX, ease of setup and docs.

[nyxb]

I completely agree. The term "Openpaywall" is likely to become established as more and more so-called open-source projects introduce restrictions or paid features. This undermines the core principles of open source and can drive users and developers away from these projects. It's essential that we advocate for true openness and collaboration.

[fraenki]

The decision to move essential features behind a paywall lead me to drop plane from my list of Jira alternatives. I've just imported a Jira into YouTrack and it seems to just work perfectly fine. (Thanks @lukasMega for the suggestion!)

[gururise]

Was considering plane for my team, but not willing to support a company that does a bait & switch.

[Omikorin]

Indeed, I have a team consisting of 14–20 students who have been engaged in FOSS-related tasks for more than 25 years (through generations). I was amazed to migrate from Trello to Plane because Linear is too expensive, as anything in $ when you live in Poland. I'm still not sure where to move everything.

[steveepreston]

Agree. it sounds like a open-source abuse to get community help then going to sell it.
They should aim on cloud hosting monetization, not the self-host.

[dojoca]

The freemium model is the reason I didn't deploy the plane.so software. Very disappointing - why on earth would you make OAuth a "premium" feature?

[steveepreston]

Painful Strategy.
Still no change

[dojoca]

Yeah it's pathetic actually. As if us self hosters (who are probably the ones that would be a gateway for this product to be used and paid for in enterprise environments) would ever pay $800 for a lifetime licence. I'm not even sure this dodgy bunch have still go that as an option.

And if then - why would I pay $6 a month, AND self host it?

[steveepreston]

@dojoca

Completely agree with you
Also there is Jira as the main original option for paying.

for now i'm trying to look about Huly platform