Company Overview
Redmine was created by Jean-Philippe Lang in 2006. It is an open-source, web-based project management and issue tracking tool built with Ruby on Rails, released under the GPLv2 license. Originally forked from an existing Rails project, Redmine has grown into one of the world's most popular open-source project management platforms.
Redmine is renowned for its flexibility, lightweight design, and high customizability. It supports multi-project management, Gantt charts, time tracking, Wiki documentation, forums, custom fields, and workflows. With a vast plugin ecosystem of 1000+ community-developed plugins, it can be extended to suit virtually any project management scenario.
Key Milestones
- 2006: Created by Jean-Philippe Lang, built on Ruby on Rails
- 2007: Released Redmine 0.7 with multi-project support
- 2008: Redmine 0.8 added Gantt charts and calendar features
- 2010: Redmine 1.0 released, mature plugin API, community ecosystem boomed
- 2014: Redmine 2.x series, significant performance and security improvements
- 2017: Redmine 3.x with REST API, agile plugin support
- 2023: Redmine 5.x series with enhanced security and UI improvements
- 2026: Continued community maintenance and development, serving millions of users worldwide
Product Portfolio
| Product | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Redmine | Project Management | Core project management and issue tracking platform |
| Redmine Plugins | Plugin Ecosystem | 1000+ community plugins extending any functionality |
| Redmine Themes | Theme Customization | Customizable UI themes and styles |
| Redmine REST API | API Interface | Comprehensive REST API for third-party integrations |
| Redmine Gantt | Gantt Charts | Project timeline and progress management charts |
| Redmine Time Tracking | Time Tracking | Work hour logging and reporting |
| Redmine Wiki | Wiki Documentation | Built-in project documentation and knowledge base |
Related: Redmine Project Collaboration
Core Strengths
Fully Open Source: GPLv2 licensed, free to use, modify, and distribute, no licensing fees
Highly Customizable: Custom fields, workflows, role permissions, adaptable to any team's needs
Rich Plugin Ecosystem: 1000+ community plugins covering CRM, finance, agile development, and more
Multi-Project Support: Manage multiple projects in a single instance, cross-project collaboration
Mature & Stable: Nearly 20 years of continuous development, active community, comprehensive documentation
Lightweight & Efficient: Built on Ruby on Rails, easy to deploy, low server resource requirements
Market Position
Redmine competes with the following providers in the open-source project management market:
| Competitor | Segment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jira (Atlassian) | Project Management | Commercial leader, feature-rich but costly |
| Trac | Open Source PM | Early open-source PM tool, simpler feature set |
| GitLab Issues | DevOps Integrated | Issue tracker integrated within GitLab |
| MantisBT | Issue Tracking | Lightweight open-source bug tracking system |
| Bugzilla | Bug Tracking | Mozilla's long-standing bug tracking system |
| Taiga | Agile PM | Open-source agile PM platform with modern UI |
| OpenProject | Open Source PM | Feature-rich open-source PM alternative |
