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Redmineflux vs Redmine
For teams of 10–300 deciding whether plugins are worth it on top of Redmine.
Who this comparison is for
If your team is already on Redmine and is evaluating whether to extend it rather than replace it, this comparison is for you. We document exactly what Redmineflux adds on top of the open-source Redmine base — plugins, themes, Managed Cloud, MCP/AI — using only published Redmine facts. Skip this page if you have no existing Redmine investment and are choosing a project tool from scratch — the Redmineflux vs Jira or vs ClickUp comparisons are likely a better starting point.
Quick verdict
Scan this in 30 seconds. The full feature matrix is below.
| Decision point | Redmine (core) | Redmineflux (Redmine + plugins + Cloud) |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams comfortable assembling, customizing, and operating their own Redmine environment | Redmine teams that want planning, delivery, QA, and governance in a fully integrated platform |
| Deployment | Self-hosted only with self-managed installation and maintenance | Available as self-hosted or fully managed Redmineflux Cloud with the same plugins and features |
| Pricing model | Free and open source (GPL v2); infrastructure, maintenance, and support costs are your responsibility | Per-plugin licensing for self-hosted deployments or per user/month for Cloud plans with all included plugins |
| Support & SLA | Community documentation, forums, and mailing lists | Vendor-backed support with SLA-backed uptime on Redmineflux Cloud |
| AI / MCP support | No built-in AI or MCP capabilities | MCP Server for Claude, Cursor, and custom AI agents; available with the Cloud Pro plan |
| Update cadence | Core updates are released periodically; upgrades are managed by your team | Continuous plugin improvements with automated upgrades on Redmineflux Cloud |
Pricing
Know what you’re investing in
| Feature | Redmine (Core) | Redmineflux |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Core (Open Source) | Cloud Pro |
| Billing model | Open-Source Base | Cloud — Per User |
| Price (25 users, monthly billing) | $0 + Your Operational Cost | $1,197/year$3.99/user/month × 25 × 12 |
| Price (25 users, annual billing) | $0 + Your Operational Cost | $981/year$3.27/user/month × 25 × 12 |
| Issue tracking & projects | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Gantt chart | ✓ YesBasic (No Drag Scheduling) | ✓ YesFull Gantt with Drag & Dependencies |
| Agile / Kanban board | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Workload management | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Time tracking | ✓ YesBasic Entries Only | ✓ YesTimesheet + Time Tracker + Approval Workflow |
| Knowledge base | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Helpdesk | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| CRM | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Invoice / billing | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Test case management | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Custom dashboard | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Issue templates | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Checklists | ✗ No | ✓ YesIncluded |
| Themes | ● Default only | ✓ YesScarlet, Daisy & Lotus |
| MCP / AI agent access | ✗ No | ✓ YesMCP Server — Claude, Cursor & Custom AI Agents |
| Vendor support & SLA | ✗ NoCommunity Forums Only | ✓ YesVendor-Backed Support + 99.9% Uptime SLA |
| Infrastructure | Your Server, Your Operations Team | ✓ YesFully Managed — No Infrastructure to Manage |
How they differ in practice
Redmineflux and Redmine answer different questions for the same team.
Scope
Core Redmine gives you issues, projects, time entries, a wiki, and a static Gantt view. Redmineflux adds 18 production plugins for Gantt drag-scheduling, capacity-aware workload, agile boards, structured QA, helpdesk, knowledge base, CRM, invoicing, and more — all installed into the same Redmine, no fork.
Hosting
Redmine is downloaded from redmine.org and run on your own infrastructure. Redmineflux runs the same plugin set on either self-hosted Redmine or fully Managed Cloud — every plugin in Cloud also runs on self-hosted Redmine.
Support
Redmine help comes from redmine.org forums and the open-source community. Redmineflux includes vendor-backed support, documented per-version compatibility, and SLA-backed uptime on Managed Cloud. Self-hosted teams keep community support and add Redmineflux support for the plugins they license.
AI & updates
Redmine updates ship as numbered releases on the open-source cadence. Redmineflux plugins update continuously, with automated upgrades on Managed Cloud. The Redmineflux MCP Server connects Claude, Cursor, and custom agents to your Redmine data — a capability Redmine core does not have.
Adding Redmineflux to your Redmine
Redmineflux installs into the Redmine you already run — this is an extension, not a switch. There’s no source-system to export from, because Redmineflux is on top of Redmine.
Check your Redmine version and Ruby version against the plugin’s Requirements section. Redmineflux supports all Redmine versions on Ruby 3.x.
Typical time: 30 minutes.
Drop the plugin folder into Redmine’s plugins/ directory, run bundle install and rake redmine:plugins:migrate, then restart. Standard Redmine plugin install path.
Typical time: 10–15 minutes per plugin.
Enable the new modules per-project from the project Settings page, just as you would for any Redmine plugin. Existing projects, users, custom fields, and trackers stay exactly as they are.
Typical time: 1–2 hours for a 25-person setup.
Train teams on the new capabilities — Gantt drag-scheduling, agile boards, structured KB. Run a 30-day “with vs without” check, then make plugins part of the standard workflow.
Typical time: 30–60 days for full team adoption.
Honest fit
Redmineflux is built on top of Redmine. The honest answer is: it depends on what your team actually needs.
When core Redmine is enough
When Redmineflux is the right add-on
Try Redmineflux on your Redmine
Get a free demo link with every plugin included, or buy the ones you need for your Redmine.
Self-hosted or Managed Cloud · Every plugin in Cloud also runs on self-hosted Redmine.
Frequently asked
If your team is already on Redmine, these are the questions that come up before the install. Ask anything else — check pricing or contact support.
Redmineflux runs on top of Redmine. Every Redmineflux plugin installs into a standard Redmine instance using Redmine’s documented plugin system. Your Redmine database, your Redmine users, your Redmine projects all stay where they are — Redmineflux adds capability, it does not replace anything.
Redmineflux plugins support all Redmine versions on Ruby 3.x. We test every release against stock Redmine, Bitnami, and common Dockerised builds. Per-plugin compatibility is published on each plugin page.
Yes. Redmineflux is additive — it does not patch Redmine core or override your existing custom fields, trackers, or workflows. Existing community plugins continue to work alongside Redmineflux plugins. Conflicts are rare and documented per plugin.
Yes. Redmine is open-source under the GNU GPL v2 — free to download, install, and run on your own infrastructure. Redmineflux licences cover the Redmineflux plugins, themes, and (optionally) Managed Cloud hosting. The Redmine base remains free and self-hosted forever.
Eighteen production plugins shipping today (including Gantt Chart, Workload, Timesheet, Agile Board, Knowledge Base, CRM, Invoice, Test Case Management, and more), two themes (Daisy and Scarlet), an MCP server for AI/agent integration, and a fully Managed Cloud tier with SLA-backed uptime and automated upgrades. None of these capabilities ship with the Redmine core distribution.
Self-hosted Redmine is free but requires the team to provision servers, perform Redmine upgrades, manage backups, monitor uptime, and handle plugin compatibility on every upgrade. Redmineflux Managed Cloud transfers that operational responsibility to Redmineflux — all plugins pre-installed, automated updates, daily backups, and SLA-backed uptime. Same plugins run on either deployment.
Yes. Every plugin in Cloud also runs on self-hosted Redmine. Managed Cloud customers can request a full Redmine database export at any time and run that database on their own Redmine instance with Redmineflux plugins installed. No vendor lock-in.
Yes. The Redmineflux MCP Server is a paid Premium+ plugin that connects Claude, Cursor, and custom agents directly to Redmine data via the Model Context Protocol. It is available in the Premium+ plan or bundled in Cloud Pro and above. Core Redmine has no MCP or built-in AI features.