Looking for Jira alternatives? We're here to help.
Jira is well-known for bug tracking and project management, but it isn’t the right fit for every team. Just because it’s a favorite among software developers doesn’t mean it’s the best work management tool for everyone. Many teams find themselves frustrated with its high costs, steep learning curve, and cluttered interface—and start searching for something better.
The good news? You’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the top Jira alternatives so you can find a tool that actually works for your team.
Why you should consider Jira alternatives
While Jira gives you a variety of tools, there are limitations:
Complicated to learn and use
Jira is packed with powerful features, but that power comes with complexity. The interface can feel cluttered and overwhelming for new users, and getting the most out of it often means investing time in training, customizing workflows, or relying on technical expertise and third-party add-ons.Expensive to maintain
While the base plan might look reasonable at first, the real costs show up quickly. Many important features—like advanced reporting, time tracking, or dependency management—require paid add-ons, and upgrading to premium tiers adds even more to the bill, which can be a dealbreaker for smaller teams or startups.Not always the right fit
Jira was designed with large, complex projects in mind, which makes it feel like overkill for simpler tasks or smaller teams. It can also be resource-intensive, slowing down under heavy workloads or complex integrations, and its limited default templates mean you’ll often need extra customization to adapt it to your needs.
What to look for in Jira alternatives
When exploring alternatives to Jira, it helps to focus on the areas where Jira often falls short. Keep these factors in mind:
Ease of use: Choose a tool with a clean, intuitive interface and a short learning curve, so your team can get started quickly without heavy training.
All-in-one functionality: Instead of relying on costly add-ons, look for tools that offer core features—like task management, reporting, and integrations—right out of the box.
Affordable pricing: Make sure the pricing is transparent and fair, especially if you’re a small team or startup that needs to keep costs under control.
Flexibility and scalability: Pick a solution that works well for both small projects and larger, more complex workflows, so it can grow with your team.
Customization without complexity: Seek out tools that let you tailor workflows and templates to your needs, but without requiring deep technical expertise.
Ultimately, the best Jira alternative will be the one that matches your team’s size, budget, and way of working—without adding unnecessary complexity.
How we evaluate and test Jira alternatives
We use a hands-on process to make sure our recommendations are practical and reliable.
Hands-on testing: Each tool is installed, configured, and used in real project scenarios across desktop and mobile to assess consistency and user experience.
Core criteria: We evaluate performance, usability, features, customization, security, and customer support.
Real-world use cases: Tools are tested for sprint planning, bug tracking, collaboration, and reporting across agile, scrum, kanban, and hybrid workflows.
Comparisons and value: We compare pricing, features, flexibility, and scalability to judge cost-effectiveness for startups, small teams, and enterprises.
User insights: We review feedback from platforms like G2, Capterra, and app stores to capture real-world strengths and pain points.
This process helps us identify which tools truly work as practical alternatives to Jira.
Best Jira alternatives at a glance
Here's a quick comparison of the top alternatives to Jira based on their highlights and pricing.
11 best Jira alternatives
We’ve handpicked the top 11 Jira alternatives. Let’s dive into the details so you can find the best software to suit your team’s needs.
1. Lark - Best overall alternative
Lark is a powerful project management tool that helps teams plan, track, and manage work with ease. With flexible workflows, customizable dashboards, and smart automations, project managers can track everything from deliverables to budgets while keeping tasks and milestones on schedule.
But that’s not all—Lark goes beyond project management to become a complete collaboration platform. Team chats, video calls, docs, calendars, and tasks are all seamlessly connected, so your team can communicate, document, and execute projects in one place. Designed for both desktop and mobile, Lark also lets teams build custom business systems without coding or IT support, making it a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to Jira.
Key features
Flexible project views: Kanban, Gantt, grids, calendars, galleries, and forms—all from the same data set, so everyone works the way that suits them best.
Smart workflow automations: Easily set up reminders, status updates, and approvals to eliminate repetitive manual work.
Agile methodologies: Supports agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, giving teams flexible boards, customizable workflows, and real-time updates to stay aligned, adapt quickly, and deliver results
Integrated collaboration: Share updates in chat, embed live project data in Docs, trigger notifications from tasks, and sync milestones with Calendar—all without switching apps.
Custom dashboards: Monitor budgets, resource allocation, support requests, and key metrics in real-time with a variety of charts, graphs, and different widgets.
Designed for mobile: Manage projects, tasks, and approvals from anywhere, making it the best project management app for mobile use.
AI-powered projects: Use AI to summarize project activity, track bugs and progress, auto-generate action items from discussions in meetings, and prepare status updates or reports.
Ready-to-use templates: Quickly launch projects using free templates for multi-project tracking, campaigns, or task organization.
Pros
Consolidates multiple tools into a single subscription, cutting costs and simplifying management.
Build workflows, dashboards, and automations without IT support.
Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid workflows are all supported across all your devices.
Flexible solutions for teams in IT, construction, real estate, Web3, manufacturing, retail, F&B, and more.
A generous free plan for up to 20 users gives you 11 features plus 100GB.
Cons
There are a lot of features and functions, and learning how to use some may require reading the help center resources.
Integrations
Lark includes all business tools natively, reducing the need for third-party apps, while robust APIs let you integrate seamlessly with Jira, Trello, Asana, and Linear.
Pricing
Starter plan: Free forever plan that includes 11 powerful tools for up to 20 users. It also comes with 100GB of storage, 1000 automation runs, AI translations, and more.
Pro plan: $12/user/month (billed annually) for up to 500 users. It includes everything in Starter plus group calling for up to 500 attendees, 15TB of storage, 50,000 automation runs, and more.
Enterprise plan: Contact sales for custom pricing. Supports unlimited users and includes even more automation runs and advanced security, compliance, and management features.
2. ClickUp - Best for customization
ClickUp is a flexible platform with customizable views, workflows, and tasks. This means you can easily tailor the software to your project management needs. With its robust features and ability to organize projects, ClickUp could easily be your team's Jira replacement.
Image source: clickup.com
Key features
ClickUp provides multiple task management tools like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, and timelines.
Shared tasks, real-time editing, comments, and other tools improve team communication and collaboration.
Automates tasks, such as providing status updates and assigning tasks.
It provides extensive reporting tools and time tracking, which give you detailed performance analysis and insights into your team's productivity.
ClickUp includes team and project management features, with security options like two-factor authentication.
It's available as a desktop and mobile application across various operating systems.
Pros
ClickUp offers a free plan with a variety of tools.
ClickUp provides a variety of task management tools suited to different situations and preferences.
It provides robust collaboration tools, including real-time document editing and chat.
Cons
Users sometimes complain of minor bugs and general slowness.
Lacks essential languages such as Mandarin or Japanese, making it difficult to recommend for global teams.
Integrations
ClickUp integrates with multiple third-party apps, including Slack, Google Drive, HubSpot, Dropbox, and Zoom.
Pricing
ClickUp has a free plan, but it's designed for personal use. ClickUp pricing plans start at $7 per month.
3. ProofHub - Best for integrated project management and collaboration
ProofHub is a comprehensive project management and team collaboration tool that combines task management, file sharing, and real-time communication tools. Its ability to streamline processes and its collection of tools, like Jira, make it an agile project management tool worth considering.
Image source: ProofHub
Key features
ProofHub can be used for tasks and agile project management.
It provides various views, including a Gantt chart, board view, table view, activity logs, and calendar view.
You can create discussion topics to share ideas and have one-to-one chats with teams and clients.
It allows you to upload, organize, and share files with your team.
You can track time and create time reports.
There are robust reporting and analytics features.
You can create custom admin roles and permissions.
Pros
Provides a suite of tools for task management, document sharing, time tracking, discussions, and more.
It's easy to use with an intuitive interface.
ProofHub provides strong collaboration features, including discussion boards, chat, and real-time document editing.
Cons
There's no free version, although there is a free trial.
It provides limited integrations compared to other project management tools.
Integrations
ProofHub integrates with Slack, Box, Dropbox, Google Calendar, Google Drive, OneDrive, FreshBooks, and QuickBooks.
Pricing
ProofHub doesn't include a free plan. Paid plans start at $45 a month, billed annually.
4. Hive - Best for data-focused companies
Hive is an agile project management platform with strong analytics and reporting capabilities. Ideal for project managers handling multiple projects, Hive has a user-friendly interface and could be a great Jira alternative for your team.
Image source: Hive
Key features
Hive provides multiple features, such as task, project, and Agile project management.
It provides Kanban, Gantt, table, portfolio, and calendar views.
It lets you connect with your teammates in real-time chat, share files, and collaborate on notes.
You can automatically track team time or individual time on any action or project.
Hive automates repetitive tasks and workflows.
Hive is particularly strong for analytics and reporting. For instance, you can build up to three dashboards to track KPIs.
Pros
Its analytics feature tracks KPIs like workspace productivity.
Hive provides many useful features on one platform.
Cons
Not all features are included in the subscription price, but are purchased as add-ons.
There's a steep learning curve for new users.
Integrations
Hive has built-in apps for work management, task management, collaboration, organization, reporting, and control. Its native integrations include Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and Zoom, and integration with Zapier facilitates integration with over 1,000 more.
Pricing
Hive has a free plan. Paid plans start at $5 per month per user, but with limited features.
5. Aha! - Best for product and tech startups
Aha! is a product roadmap software that offers a range of tools for product strategy, roadmapping, and idea management to help businesses plan and execute their product. While Jira might be a more robust platform with extensive features, if you're a tech startup with an agile team, you may find Aha! has more than enough for your needs.
Image source: aha.io
Key features
Aha! provides product road mapping to plan product strategy and progress over time.
It offers idea management tools to collect, organize, and prioritize ideas from team members or customers.
The features board tracks and manages product features.
Aha! allows for detailed planning of product releases, including setting timelines and phases.
It includes robust analytics and reporting tools for tracking product performance.
It offers flexible workflow customization to match the specific processes of different teams.
Aha! improves team collaboration with features like shared workspaces, comments, and real-time updates.
Pros
It provides flexible tools for creating detailed product roadmaps and strategy plans.
There are multiple features, and Aha! is highly configurable.
There's good customer support and documentation.
Cons
Its complexity could be overwhelming for new users.
Some important features only come with higher-priced plans, which could be expensive for small businesses.
Integrations
Aha! integrates with over 30 popular apps, including GitHub, Slack, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, and Zendesk.
Pricing
Aha! has no free plan. Paid plans start at $9 per user per month.
6. Trello - Best for small businesses
Trello is a task management tool with a simple, intuitive interface and visual task management system, which makes it easy for smaller teams to collaborate and stay organized. One look at review sites and you'll notice a lot of positive user stories for those who have tried Trello. While not a direct Jira competitor, its focus on task management makes it a worthy contender on our list of software like Jira.
Image source: trello.com
Key features
Trello is primarily a Kanban board app, but various view options include Board, Timeline, Table, Calendar, Dashboard, Map, and Workspace.
The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive and easy to use.
Trello's “Power Ups” let you add many more features and functions.
You can automate your workflow with “Butler,” Trello's built-in automation.
Templates give you a blueprint you can customize for your own needs.
Trello makes it easy to collaborate with internal and external teams.
Pros
The interface is intuitive and easy to use.
It offers plenty of flexibility and customization.
Trello has strong collaboration features.
Cons
There are limited reporting tools.
Task management features are basic, and many features, such as time-tracking and billing, require add-ons.
Integrations
Trello integrates with multiple third-party apps such as Slack, Miro, Dropbox, Gmail, Freshdesk, and Mailchimp.
Pricing
Trello has a free plan. Paid plans start from $6 per user per month.
7. Smartsheet - Best for teams using spreadsheets
Smartsheet is a project management tool with a spreadsheet-like interface. It blends the familiarity of traditional spreadsheets with advanced project management and collaboration features. Considering it has some similar tools like Jira's platform, we think it would be a smart decision to test out Smartsheet to see whether it can be your Jira alternative.
Image source: smartsheet.com
Key features
Smartsheet is a project and task management tool.
You can choose between Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views.
Collaboration tools allow you to share and collaborate both internally and externally.
No-code automated workflows help you save time and eliminate repetitive, manual tasks.
Dashboards allow you to organize and present information on a customizable canvas.
Smartsheet helps you manage resources by allowing you to track the availability and workload of team members and allocate tasks.
Pros
Smartsheet is a versatile and highly customizable project management tool.
It offers advanced reporting capabilities.
There are multiple integration options.
Cons
It's a complex tool with a steep learning curve.
Time-tracking and resource management require add-ons.
Integrations
Smartsheet integrates with numerous built-in and third-party apps such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Tableau, Brandfolder, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Pricing
Smartsheet offers a free plan. Smartsheet pricing plans start at $9 per user per month.
8. Asana - Best for creative and marketing agencies
Asana is a project management platform that provides flexible task management, robust collaboration features, and the ability to streamline workflows. When considering Jira vs Asana, it's useful to look at who the platform is aimed at. While Jira is traditionally for IT and dev teams, Asana would be better suited to creative and marketing agencies needing to collaborate with each other.
Image source: asana.com
Key features
Asana is a feature-rich project and task management tool.
It provides Kanban board, list, timeline, calendar, and Gantt chart views.
It enables resource and workload management and tracks resourcing over time.
You can create dashboards to visualize your data.
It's easy to build workflows with Asana's AI tool, Asana Intelligence, to improve team productivity.
Asana allows you to track time and keep a record of your time-tracking data.
You can use Asana to automate repetitive tasks.
Pros
Offers a variety of popular project management tools.
The interface is intuitive and easy to use.
It provides robust collaboration features and full agile support.
Cons
Some useful features, like time tracking, aren't available in the basic plan.
It could be unnecessarily complex for small teams.
Integrations
Asana integrates with multiple apps such as Microsoft Teams, Splunk, Adobe Creative Cloud, Okta, Tableau, Google Drive, and Looker.
Pricing
Asana has a free plan. Asana pricing plans start at $10.99 per user per month.
9. ProductPlan - Best for product management
ProductPlan is a cloud-based roadmap planning tool designed to help teams collaborate on their product strategy. Its basic project tracking and custom workflow tools make it an ideal Jira alternative for teams focused on products. Also, with its simple interface, your team doesn't need to worry about a steep learning curve.
Image source: saasworthy.com
Key features
ProductPlan lets you easily build and share product roadmaps.
It has a simple drag-and-drop interface.
You can customize your roadmaps with legends, timeframes, milestones, tags, and filters to help visualize and track the project.
You can set up notifications for when updates are made.
You can choose between timeline, list, or table layouts.
There's a wide range of templates for different needs and preferences.
Collaboration and sharing are easy, with flexible permission options available.
Its advanced security features are robust enough to support large, security-sensitive organizations.
Pros
Creating a roadmap is intuitive and straightforward.
ProductPlan is highly customizable.
Its sharing features make collaboration easy.
Cons
The project management features are limited compared to some Jira alternatives.
It's more expensive than some other project management platforms.
No free plan available, although there is a free trial.
Integrations
ProductPlan integrates with Vimeo, Zapier, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, GitHub, Trello, Azure DevOps, Slack, and others.
Pricing
ProductPlan doesn't offer a free plan. Paid plans start at $39 per user per month.
10. Confluence - Best for large teams with documentation needs
Confluence is a project management and team workspace software designed to help teams organize, share knowledge, brainstorm, and manage projects. If you can't decide if Confluence is the best Jira alternative, but you would like to use both platforms, then fear not. Confluence and Jira are both Atlassian products, which means you can get both products as part of Atlassian's Team Collection plan.
Image source: atlassian.com
Key features
Pages, whiteboards, and spaces let you create and edit documents and visualize and organize software development projects.
You can edit together in real time and collaborate with comments, likes, images, GIFs, and emojis.
You can tag teammates and assign tasks.
There's a wide range of templates for different situations and preferences.
Page versioning lets you track and view the history of changes to each page.
The advanced search function makes it easy to find any document.
Pros
Integration with the Atlassian Marketplace.
The advanced search and content tree make it easy to keep documents well-organized.
The interface is simple and user-friendly, making creating and sharing content easy.
Cons
Some useful features are only available at an extra cost.
If you need a lot of extra features, it can get expensive.
Integrations
Confluence integrates seamlessly with other apps in the Atlassian Marketplace. It also integrates with third-party apps such as Google Drive, Draw.io, Presenter, Miro, and Slack.
Pricing
Confluence has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6.40 per user per month.
11. Wrike - Best for teams with complex projects
Wrike is a project management and collaboration tool with advanced project planning features, customizable workflows, and detailed reporting capabilities. This makes it well-suited for managing complex and large projects. With Wrike, project timelines, task assignments, and Kanban boards make it one of the best alternatives to Jira available on the market.
Image source: wrike.com
Key features
Wrike has comprehensive project management, task management, and collaboration features.
View options include List, Kanban board, Table, and interactive Gantt Chart.
Time tracking is available for higher-tier paid plans.
It provides custom fields and dashboards.
Real-time collaboration and communication are straightforward.
You can set up automation to automatically assign a task to a team member when certain conditions are met.
Pros
It's a powerful and flexible tool with many useful features.
It provides advanced reporting capabilities.
There are comprehensive options for integration.
Cons
It's a complex tool, which means your team may require training and support.
You have to pay higher prices for advanced features.
Integrations
Wrike integrates with over 400 popular apps, including Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Gmail, HubSpot, and Mailchimp.
Pricing
Wrike has a free plan. Paid plans start at $10 per user per month.
Honorable mentions
Here are 5 more Jira alternatives that, while strong in their own right, just missed our top 11.
Azure DevOps – A robust project management tool for software teams, offering version control, pipelines, and agile project management tools.
Monday.com – A visual project management platform that helps teams organize tasks, track progress, and manage deadlines with customizable boards and color-coded workflows.
Airtable – A flexible, spreadsheet-style database that doubles as a project tracker, ideal for teams that want custom workflows without coding.
GitLab – An open-source platform that combines source code management with built-in project planning and CI/CD. Paid editions add features for developers working on advanced projects.
Zoho Sprints – An agile project management tool with Kanban boards, backlog tracking, and time tracking, suited for teams following Scrum or Kanban.
How to choose a Jira alternative for your team
Finding the right Jira alternative can feel daunting, especially with so many project management and collaboration tools available. By focusing on a few key considerations, you can narrow down your options and select a solution that truly fits your team’s needs.
Evaluate your team’s size, workflow, and budget
Start by looking at the unique characteristics of your team. How many people will use the tool? What’s your budget? Do you need a straightforward task tracker or a more comprehensive platform that combines project management, collaboration, and reporting? Understanding these factors helps you rule out tools that don’t match your requirements.
Choose tools that integrate with your existing systems
To minimize disruptions, choose tools that integrate smoothly with the software your team already uses.
For example:
If your team relies heavily on Atlassian products, you might find Trello or Confluence to be the most compatible options.
If your workflow depends on automation platforms like Zapier, then solutions such as Lark or Asana could be a better fit.
Alternatively, an all-in-one collaboration platform can help you consolidate multiple tools into a single solution, reducing costs and streamlining workflows without the need to constantly switch between apps.
Take advantage of free trials and plans
Many project management tools offer free trials or freemium versions. Use these to explore the platform’s features, interface, and suitability for your workflow. Involve team members during the trial period to gather feedback and identify potential pain points early.
Final thoughts on Jira alternatives
Jira is a powerhouse for bug tracking, issue management, and overall project planning—but it’s not always the right fit, especially if you’re not on a software development team.
If you’re searching for a Jira alternative that covers all the project management essentials, Lark stands out. More than just project management software, Lark is an all-in-one collaboration platform, giving cross-functional teams messaging, video calls, shared calendars, cloud storage, and collaborative documents—all in one seamless workspace.
Don’t just settle for less than the best—choose a platform that empowers your team to reach its full potential.
FAQs about Jira alternatives
Are there any free Jira alternatives?
Yes, some of the top 11 Jira alternatives listed above offer free plans, including Lark, ClickUp, and Hive. Among these, Lark offers the widest range of advanced features for up to 20 users in its free plan, ideal for teams that need to boost efficiency without the price tag.
What is the best alternative to Jira?
The best alternative depends on the needs of your team. If you want to simplify your workflows and get everything done on one app, Lark and ClickUp are good options. If you want something simple and intuitive, Trello may be the way to go.
What is an open source Jira alternative?
Some popular open source Jira alternatives include OpenProject, Redmine, Taiga, Tuleap, and Focalboard.
What is Jira Software Server, and how is it different from Jira Cloud?
Jira Software Server is the self-hosted version of Jira, installed on your own servers. It gives full control over data, security, and customizations, but your team is responsible for updates, maintenance, and server management.
Who is Jira's biggest competitor?
Jira’s biggest competitors include Lark, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and GitLab, depending on the team’s focus. For software development and agile teams specifically, Azure DevOps and GitLab are often seen as the closest competitors.
What Microsoft tool replaces Jira?
The Microsoft tool that could replace Jira is Azure DevOps. It's a project management solution that provides issue tracking, agile boards, and CI/CD pipelines, making it a strong alternative for development-focused teams.
Which Google tool replaces Jira?
Google doesn’t offer a direct equivalent to Jira. Teams sometimes use Google Workspace tools (like Google Sheets, Docs, and Chat) for lightweight project tracking and collaboration, but they lack Jira’s advanced agile project management features.
What are the most popular Jira alternatives for agile and scrum teams?
Top alternatives include Lark, an all-in-one platform with project management, collaboration, and no-code workflow automation; Azure DevOps for software lifecycle management; Trello for visual Kanban boards; Asana for task management and automation; GitLab with source control and agile planning; and Zoho Sprints for Scrum and Kanban tracking.
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