In KeyedIn’s 2023 PMO Outlook Report, some respondents included getting relevant visibility and generating accurate reports among their biggest challenges in project management. This was attributed to using older tech like simple spreadsheets or disconnected programs to track different information. That’s why teams look to project and task management platforms like Jira to centralize their project data and get real-time updates.
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But with Jira’s potentially steep learning curve and limited collaboration tools, your team may benefit from investigating Jira alternatives. Here are a few of our favorite Jira competitors that provide project and task management functionality you can start using today.
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $10/user
On ClickUp’s website
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $12/user
On monday.com’s website
Jira’s offerings
Jira is a well-known project management platform that users lean on for task management, planning and project tracking. With tools designed for software, marketing, design, product and operations teams, Jira offers a robust dashboard with features like Agile Scrum and Kanban boards, timeline views, intra-team coordination, custom forms and more.
Its Free plan for up to 10 users provides unlimited projects, tasks and forms; basic reports and dashboards; and 100 monthly automations per site. To unlock more automations and advanced features for unlimited users, customers can upgrade to the Standard and Premium plans, which start at $8.15 per user per month and $16 per user per month, respectively.
Methodology
To help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) choose the best Jira competitors, we evaluated products that made the cut for our guide to the best task management software and chose the most comparable options. For that guide, we assessed each software’s core task management and project management features, service and support offerings, value for money and any additional functionality. You can read more about how we chose Jira alternatives here.
Show summary
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Notion
: Best for variable project and team tracking
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Hive
: Best for content creation teams
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Asana
: Best for team communication
ClickUp
Why we picked it
Whether you’re making the leap from using Jira or just getting started with a project management tool, your team may benefit from how easy it is to use Clickup. Everything about Clickup is designed to streamline project management. Teams have a multitude of collaborative tools at hand, including documents, whiteboards and comments. Gain visibility with real-time updates in a single space on dashboards, views, reports or goals. Automate the tedious tasks that take up your time with task templates and custom fields — all without having to code.
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Teams looking for a simple project management platform that doesn’t require a big investment can benefit from Clickup’s Free Forever tier which offers unlimited free plan members, unlimited tasks and 100MB of storage. This includes the basic tools of collaborative docs, whiteboards, Kanban boards, real-time chat, calendar view and more.
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Building on this, the Unlimited plan starts at $10 per user per month billed monthly ($7 per user per month billed annually) and offers unlimited integrations, guests with permissions, unlimited Gantt charts, time tracking, Agile reporting and more. Medium-sized teams may benefit from moving to the Business plan for $19 per user per month ($12 per user per month annually) to take advantage of advanced options, including timelines and mind maps, advanced time tracking and workload management. Customizable enterprise solutions are also available.
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ClickUp is known for its low bar to entry (real-world users rate it highly for ease of use), but some users may find the interface tricky to deal with, especially with lag and layout issues mentioned in some user reviews.
Pros
- Easy-to-use, out-of-the-box software
- Unlimited free users
- No-code automation tools
Cons
- Buggy system and lagging can cause frustration per some user reviews
- Some users cite a learning curve
- Mobile app doesn’t have full functionality
Interested in ClickUp? See how it compares to other popular tools:
Notion
Best for variable project and team tracking
Why we picked it
When your company has multiple teams that need project management software with variable project types, Notion offers the tools necessary to make these teams cohesive. Management can get a company-wide assessment on resourcing and workload for teams as diverse as product development, design, HR, marketing and more. A company-wide wiki may provide a touchstone resource for all teams. Product roadmaps can direct multiple teams through development, design and launch processes.
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Notion’s unlimited seats in its Free tier is an enticing offer for teams that need core tools like a collaborative workspace, basic page analytics and some common program integrations. But for those needing unlimited file uploads and blocks for teams, upping to the Plus tier for $10 per user per month ($8 per user per month billed annually) may be best. Expansions such as advanced page analytics, bulk PDF exports and private team spaces are available at $18 per user per month ($15 per user per month if billed annually). Customizable options are available in the Enterprise tier.
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Some users find the initial setup for Notion overwhelming. Given that there is no live support — only support reachable by email, with an accompanying knowledge base — this may be frustrating for those new to task management platforms.
Pros
- Unlimited free users
- AI-specific add-on
- Fit to use across multiple teams for intra-team communication and tracking
Cons
- No live support
- Some users find initial setup time-consuming and unclear
- Missing features/limited feature functionality per some user reviews
Hive
Best for content creation teams
Why we picked it
Packed with traditional project management tools, Hive offers extensive templates to meet your team’s needs. This includes templates specific to producing creative work for both internal and external use. For teams that regularly craft content, Hive boasts tools for both creation and tracking. A built-in content calendar helps organize the creation-to-publication pipeline. Teams gain visibility for delivery and simple integrations with marketing campaigns and event-specific content. Content cards on the calendar can be customized with actions and sub-actions, priority levels, action status, labels, approvals and integrations like Google Doc links.
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For teams of up to 10 members in need of light project management, Hive’s free tier offers unlimited tasks and collaborative notes. For more extensive tools such as Gantt charts, cloud storage integrations and an AI assistant, teams can upgrade for $7 per user per month ($5 per user per month if paid annually) to the Starter tier. The Teams tier rings in at $18 per user per month ($12 per user per month with annual billing) and adds portfolios, unlimited workflows and team sharing among other tools for teams that need heavy-lifting project management. Those in need of unlimited, custom plans should investigate the Enterprise plan.
Pros
- Unique set of tools that can be customized to creative work
- 1,000+ integrations
- Costs as low as $5 per user per month with annual billing
Cons
- Limits on workspace members and projects in first two plans
- Difficult to navigate for some users
- Users experience issues with mobile app performance
Teamwork.com
Best for client-facing tools
Why we picked it
Teamwork.com’s resources for client services businesses stand out. Features specific to working with external clients include billable time tracking, resource assessment tools and profitability metrics. Communication from customers is seamlessly delivered via the complementary client-facing app Teamwork Desk. When customer service tickets come through Teamwork Desk, stakeholders can use these to directly create tasks within Teamwork.com. Members assigned to ticket management in Teamwork Desk receive real-time updates on the task, meaning there’s a single source of truth for communication between in-house work, customer service and customers. Client billing integrates into this same stream of communication to ensure projects progress from work to approval to payment.
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With several pricing tiers available, Teamwork.com offers scalable tools for client-facing teams in need of project management software. Up to five team members can take advantage of the Free tier, which includes billable time tracking and client views. Teams that need more detailed project management tools may opt for the Deliver tier for $13.99 per user per month billed monthly ($11 per user per month billed annually) to access more automations and forms and team management. More in-depth workload tools are available in the Grow tier for $25.99 per user per month ($19.99 per user per month billed annually), including full workload capacity and resource scheduling. Customizable, unlimited options are available at the Scale tier.
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Teams without major client-facing needs may not benefit as much from Teamwork.com compared to other Jira alternatives. While it offers traditional project management tools, cheaper plans may be found elsewhere for smaller teams with more traditional needs.
Pros
- Designed to integrate with client-facing program
- Ease of use according to user reviews
- 30-day free trial
Cons
- Deliver and Grow plans have minimum users of 3 and 5, respectively
- Higher costs in upper-level tiers compared to competitors
- Free plan limited to teams of just five
Asana
Best for team communication
Why we picked it
Keeping teams in contact throughout the project process is front and center for Asana. Asana’s communication philosophy is to centralize communication about a particular project in one connected place. You can stick with the communication tool you already use, such as Zoom or Slack, but integrate it with your project so that associated conversations stay in one place.
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Asana’s five plan tiers offer a lot of pricing flexibility for teams to meet their needs as seats and space requirements change. The Personal tier is free forever, designed for individuals or teams of up to 10 people to manage unlimited tasks and projects with tools like status updates, time tracking integrations and unlimited messaging. Teams can boost functionality with the Starter tier for $13.49 per member per month billed monthly ($10.99 per user per month billed annually) to expand to up to 500 teammates, make use of 250 automations per month and invite free guests. Add tools like 100 portfolios, proofing, workload management and advanced reporting in the Advanced tier for $30.49 per user per month ($24.99 per user per month billed annually). Customizable, unlimited solutions are also available at Enterprise and Enterprise+ tiers for large corporations.
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Some users report that Asana has a learning curve and that it takes time to get teams comfortable with using the platform. Furthermore, for larger teams needing complex tools, costs can get steep fairly quickly.
Pros
- Free plan includes the project management essentials
- Built-in tools for project communication
- Integrations for 270+ tools you already use to centralize project information
Cons
- Some of the priciest monthly per-seat costs, up to $30.49 per user
- Some key features (automated rules, AI actions) limited in lower-tier plans
- Some customers cite a learning curve to get the most out of the tool
Interested in Asana? Check out our other Asana guides:
Zoho Projects
Best for all-in-one product suite
Why we picked it
Zoho Projects offers a platform for project management that includes planning, tracking and collaboration at a very low cost. It offers built-in tools like Gantt charts, timesheets and task automation and integrates with apps you already use, such as Slack, Box, Chrome and even Jira. Existing within the all-in-one business operating system of Zoho One’s unified cloud, Zoho Projects can run alongside tools for sales, marketing, HR, finance and more.
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Zoho Projects is the cheapest paid Jira alternative on this list. Starting with the free plan, teams of up to three users can get started on Zoho Projects with two projects, subtask features and 5GB of storage space. Add unlimited users and projects and access up to 20 templates with the Premium plan for $5 per user per month billed monthly ($4 per user per month billed annually). More storage and read-only users are features of the Enterprise plan for $10 per user per month ($9 per user per month billed annually). For those interested in the full suite of Zoho tools, the Zoho One plan starts at $37 per employee per month.
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Though Zoho Projects offers a solid project management platform under the umbrella of a more extensive operating system, users may not find many unique features on the platform. Furthermore, free plans from the other providers in our guide accommodate more users.
Pros
- Paid plans can go as low as $4 per user per month with annual billing
- Fits within larger Zoho product suite
- Easy to set up and use according to many user reviews
Cons
- Most limited free users among Jira competitors with just 3 seats
- Lowest storage limits in our guide
- Calls for improvement to user interface
Intrigued by Zoho Project’s low price tag? You could save even more with our roundup of the best free project management software.
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $10/user
On ClickUp’s website
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $12/user
On monday.com’s website
Compare top Jira competitors
Who is Jira best for?
With a focus on software development project management, Jira offers an agile platform built to plan, track, release and support products. It’s an ideal way for multiple teams across a business to connect in a single place for a product’s development cycle. The platform is especially designed for:
- Agile teams
- Bug tracking teams
- DevOps teams
- Product management teams
- Project management teams
- Software development teams
Jira is best for teams that need classic Agile project management tools like Kanban and Scrum boards for visualization. It can help generate out-of-the-box reports and unite a team on a single timeline so updates are accurate and clear.
What we like about Jira
Jira is ubiquitous, which is a plus for companies whose employees may have previous experience with it. Since its launch in 2002 over 300,000 global companies have used Jira for project management.
Users note that the flexibility of Jira is among its most important functions, with the ability to shape the platform to different teams’ task management needs, including workflows, custom fields and apps.
Jira drawbacks
User reviews point to Jira being less of a plug-and-play platform, instead requiring a time investment to learn to use properly, which many teams – especially those at smaller businesses — cannot afford.
Jira was built with software development in mind. And while that’s a boon for DevOps teams, many other teams may find some of the features lacking or useless.
Reasons to consider Jira alternatives
Jira alternatives offer a wide scope of features that may be a better fit for your team. Many of them are also easier to use.
Some reasons to opt for a Jira competitor include:
- Team-specific features, such as content management tools
- Client-facing tools for teams that need to put an emphasis on client relations
- All-in-one operating system options that include the project management platform alongside other business essentials
What to look for in task management software
When a team picks the right task management software, they may be choosing the lifeline that keeps their organization afloat amid resourcing strain, client demands and product development goals. While specific tools may meet some organizations’ needs better than others, quality task management software tends to share similar essential features.
Essential features
- View options: Getting a high-level view of diverse tasks within your team requires view options. Look for software that offers your most-desired view option, such as Kanban-style boards or Gantt charts.
- Real-time updates and collaboration: Task management should focus on providing an updated, single source of truth. Software that enables real-time updates and collaboration via comments, docs and notifications allows for teams to be on the same page.
- In-app communication: Keep conversation threads organized and attached to tasks with in-app communication. Opt for task management software that allows comment threads, chats or in-app emails.
- Integrations: Directly link to your content in Google Docs or your invoices in QuickBooks when you find task management software with integration options that connect you to your most used programs.
- Customizable forms and templates: Each team’s projects and needs are unique, so it’s helpful to choose software with customizable forms. Content-creating teams may benefit from blog post forms, complete with options to attach graphics and UTM information pulled from files stored elsewhere.
- AI assistant or automations: Save time by opting for task management with built-in AI assistance or automations. Once one responsible party checks off a task, automatically assign it to the next stakeholder without wasting time on notification emails or chats.
Pricing and fees
Many task management platforms offer free plans, as evidenced by the providers in our guide. When opting for a paid plan, pricing will vary depending on the features you need. Plans are generally priced per user; the providers in our guide charge between $5 to $30 per seat per month.
Depending on the product and delivery requirements, many teams will find enough support operating with a basic paid plan. Teams looking for analytic insights, AI assistance or automation capabilities may need to upgrade to a second- or third-tier paid option.
If you’re looking to reduce your costs, consider whether some of your teams could get away with a free plan. For paid plans, does every team member need a seat? Consider an editorial team. It may be helpful to have a project manager and senior-level editors that have access to the platform but not content team members.
Also, watch for options to pay annually and reduce your price across the board. For example, ClickUp charges $10 per user per month when charging monthly but just $7 per user per month when charging annually.
Methodology: How we identified the top Jira alternatives
While Jira’s task management/project management features work for many teams — especially those focused on software development and engineering projects — others might need a different tool. To identify the best Jira alternatives, we returned to the data that informed our methodologies for the best task management software, identifying top Jira competitors that fill identified gaps or are easier to use. Read more about how we choose the top task management software here (including our Editors’ Score and star ratings).
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $10/user
On ClickUp’s website
Paid plan price (monthly)
Starts at $12/user
On monday.com’s website
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Who are Jira’s biggest competitors?
Some of Jira’s biggest competitors — as covered in guides to task management and project management software — are ClickUp, Teamwork.com, Asana and Notion.
What is Jira best used for?
Jira is best used for software development. It has tools for tracking, task management, growth timelines and more.
Does Microsoft have a Jira alternative?
Microsoft offers two alternatives to Jira — Azure DevOps and Microsoft Planner. Azure DevOps is Microsoft’s software product development and project management platform. Microsoft Planner is a more generalized task management platform that integrates within Microsoft 365 for use across programs like Outlook and Teams.
