What is the difference between Plane and Height?

Plane is best for Teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management, while Height is best for Teams wanting an AI-native project management tool. Plane starts at Free and Height starts at Free.

Is Plane or Height cheaper?

Plane starts at Free and is free. Height starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Height?

Both Plane and Height offer free tiers.

Plane vs Height

Plane is open-source project management tool for software teams. Self-hostable alternative to Jira and Linear, while Height is AI-first project management with autonomous task management and smart prioritization. Plane is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Plane is built for teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management, whereas Height targets teams wanting an ai-native project management tool.

At a glance

	Plane	Height
Best for	Teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management	Teams wanting an AI-native project management tool
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
AI Tasks	—	✓
Cycles	✓	—
Forms	—	✓
Modules	✓	—
Open Source	✓	—
Real-Time Collab	—	✓
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Spreadsheet View	—	✓
Views	✓	—

Plane

Strengths

Open source and self-hostable
Clean, modern interface inspired by Linear
Free for unlimited users (self-hosted)
Active development and growing community

Weaknesses

Less mature than established alternatives
Fewer integrations
Self-hosting requires infrastructure management
Some features still in development

Try Plane → Full review

Height

Strengths

Includes AI Tasks as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
Includes Spreadsheet View as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
Free for small teams — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes forms alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Height → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Plane and Height are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Plane offers Cycles, Modules and Open Source that Height lacks. Height brings AI Tasks, Forms and Real-Time Collab that Plane does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Plane is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Height is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Plane's biggest strengths are: open source and self-hostable. clean, modern interface inspired by linear. Height's biggest strengths are: includes ai tasks as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows. includes spreadsheet view as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows.

Watch out for: With Plane, users commonly note that less mature than established alternatives. With Height, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Plane if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Cycles and Modules
You care about clean, modern interface inspired by linear

Choose Height if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting an ai-native project management tool
You specifically need AI Tasks and Forms
You care about includes spreadsheet view as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
The free tier works for you: free for small teams