Float vs Plane: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Float
8.5(1,450 reviews)
Clean, visual resource scheduling tool for teams that need to see who's working on what and when.
Plane
8.0(320 reviews)
Open-source project management tool designed as a self-hostable alternative to Jira with issues, cycles, and modules.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Float | Plane |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Agencies needing visual resource scheduling across client projects | Teams that want self-hosted project management |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Open Source |
| Starting Price | $6/mo | Free |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud, self hosted |
| Platforms | WEB, IOS, ANDROID | WEB |
| Rating | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 |
Pros & Cons
Float
Pros
- Incredibly clean interface — zero learning curve for visual scheduling
- Shows team capacity at a glance without digging through menus
- Affordable at $6-15/person compared to full PM suites
- Time tracking closes the loop between planned and actual hours
- Handles part-timers, contractors, and different time zones naturally
- Fast — the app is snappy even with 100+ team members
Cons
- Not a project management tool — you'll need a separate PM app alongside it
- No task-level management, dependencies, or subtasks
- Reporting is basic compared to dedicated analytics tools
- Limited customization — what you see is largely what you get
Plane
Pros
- Fully open-source with 25,000+ GitHub stars and active development
- Self-hosting option gives you complete data control
- Clean, modern UI that feels closer to Linear than Jira
- Free self-hosted plan has no user limits
- Docker deployment takes about 15 minutes
Cons
- Very young product — launched in 2022, still maturing
- Advanced reporting and analytics are minimal
- Workflow automation is basic compared to Jira
- Plugin ecosystem is practically nonexistent
- Self-hosting means you handle all maintenance and backups
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Float | subscription | $6/mo |
| Plane | open source | Free0 |
Our Verdict
Choose Float if...
Agencies needing visual resource scheduling across client projects
Choose Plane if...
Teams that want self-hosted project management
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.