Quick answer: Codecks is a card-based planner with a playful, fast workflow and a built-in player feedback inlet (User Reports, with plugins for Unity, Unreal and Godot); it is free for up to 5 users and 3 projects. HacknPlan pairs kanban boards with a Game Design Model, a structured design document linked to tasks; its Personal plan is free and Studio is €7.5 per seat per month. Pick Codecks if you want quick planning and player feedback cards, HacknPlan if your design doc is the centre of production. Neither captures crashes, so add a crash reporter either way.
Most project management tools were designed for software teams and bent to fit games. Codecks and HacknPlan were designed for games from the start, which is why indie teams so often end up choosing between them. They are both good. They are also very different in how they want you to work. Prices below are from each pricing page at the time of writing (October 2026).
At a glance
| Codecks | HacknPlan | |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Cards in decks, with a personal “hand” of work | Kanban boards plus a Game Design Model (a living GDD) |
| Design documentation | Cards and decks; docs live alongside | Built in: design elements linked to tasks |
| Player feedback | User Reports: plugins for Unity, Unreal and Godot, plus an API | Not built in |
| Time tracking and estimates | Effort on cards | Estimates and time logs |
| Free plan | Up to 5 users, 3 projects, 1 GB | Personal plan with core planning and the Game Design Model |
| Paid plans | From €6 per user per month, billed yearly | Personal Plus €5.8/mo (one user); Studio €7.5 per seat/mo, billed yearly |
Codecks
Codecks turns tasks into trading cards. Work lives in decks, each person pulls cards into their hand, and milestones and journeys give the project shape. Teams that dislike heavyweight process tend to love it, because it feels closer to playing a game than filling in tickets.
It also has something rare for a planning tool: User Reports. Players submit feedback from inside your game through plugins for Unity, Unreal and Godot (or a simple HTTP endpoint), each report becomes a card in the deck you choose, and players who leave an email get a daily digest when their cards are done.
HacknPlan
HacknPlan's centrepiece is the Game Design Model: a structured, hierarchical design document where each mechanic, level or system can link directly to the tasks that build it. Around it sit kanban boards with game-dev categories (programming, art, design, audio), estimates, time logs and, on Studio, Gantt timelines and sprint burndowns.
Teams that treat the GDD as the source of truth like how HacknPlan keeps design and production in the same place. It does not include a player feedback inlet.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Codecks if you want a fast, lightweight planner your whole team will actually open, and like player feedback landing as cards.
- Choose HacknPlan if your design document drives production and you want tasks linked to design elements, plus time tracking.
- Price is similar per seat; Codecks' free plan covers a five-person team, and HacknPlan's free Personal plan covers core planning.
The gap both leave: crashes and bug intake
Both are planning tools. Neither captures crashes and errors automatically, groups a crash hit by thousands of players into one item, tracks crash-free sessions per build, or syncs your Steam reviews. Codecks' User Reports collect what players write; nothing in either tool sees the crash a player never reports.
That is the layer Bugnet adds. Its SDKs for Unity, Unreal, Godot, GameMaker, Construct 3, Pygame and the web capture errors and crashes with the last log lines, a screenshot and hardware details, give players an in-game report widget, and keep a public known-issues page and changelog. You triage there, and only the bugs worth scheduling go into your planner. Bugnet does not file into Codecks or HacknPlan directly today; its signed webhooks let you build a small relay into either, and it files natively into GitHub, Linear, ClickUp, Trello, Notion and more.
See the best bug tracking software for game studios for the wider field, or try Bugnet free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Codecks or HacknPlan better for indie games?
Codecks suits teams that want a fast, card-based planner and a built-in player feedback inlet. HacknPlan suits teams whose design document drives production, thanks to its Game Design Model linking design elements to tasks.
Is Codecks free?
Codecks has a free plan for up to 5 users and 3 projects with 1 GB of storage. Paid plans start at €6 per user per month billed yearly.
How much does HacknPlan cost?
HacknPlan has a free Personal plan, a Personal Plus plan at €5.8 a month for a single user, and a Studio plan at €7.5 per seat per month, billed yearly.
Can players report bugs into Codecks?
Yes. Codecks User Reports lets players send feedback from inside the game through plugins for Unity, Unreal and Godot, or through an API, and each report becomes a card.
Do Codecks or HacknPlan capture crashes?
No. Both are planning tools. Pair either with a crash and bug intake tool such as Bugnet, which captures errors automatically and adds an in-game report widget.
Plan in the tool your team enjoys opening. Capture bugs with one that never needs anyone to open it.