8 Best Jira Alternatives For Software Engineers In 2025

Managing software development projects should be seamless, not a source of frustration.

While Jira dominates the project management landscape, many engineering teams find themselves struggling with its complexity. The unintuitive interface and rigid workflows often force teams to adapt their processes to the tool, rather than the other way around.

Software engineers need tools that integrate naturally with their existing development workflow—particularly with GitHub, where most of their work actually happens.

The good news? The project management landscape has evolved significantly. Modern alternatives now offer streamlined interfaces, developer-friendly features, and native GitHub integration that Jira lacks.

Let’s explore the top 8 alternatives that could revolutionize how your engineering team manages projects in 2024.

8 Best Alternatives to Jira in 2024

1. Zenhub
2. ClickUp
3. Asana
4. Monday.com
5. Trello
6. Linear
7. GitLab
8. Notion

Alternative #1: Zenhub

Zenhub is the only project management platform exclusively designed for software teams using GitHub.

Zenhub integrates directly with GitHub, providing a seamless experience that allows developers to manage their projects without leaving their coding environment. This direct integration eliminates the context-switching and friction often associated with using separate tools.

Our suite of agile-friendly features—including automated sprint planning, real-time roadmaps, and AI-powered reporting—empowers software teams to ship high-quality code faster and more predictably.

Zenhub vs. Jira: How Do They Compare?

• GitHub Integration: Zenhub is built into GitHub, allowing developers to manage projects alongside their code. Jira requires a separate interface and constant syncing to stay up-to-date with GitHub.
• Ease of Use: With its streamlined interface and automated features, Zenhub is significantly easier to use than Jira, especially for developers. Teams can get started with Zenhub in minutes, without Jira’s steep learning curve.
• Agile Functionality: While both tools support agile methodologies, Zenhub offers more robust and automated agile features out-of-the-box, including automated sprint planning, velocity tracking, and release reports.
• Pricing: Zenhub offers a free tier for small teams and more affordable paid plans compared to Jira. Zenhub’s pricing is also more transparent, with no hidden costs or confusing add-ons.

Feature Zenhub Jira GitHub Integration Native integration, no syncing required Requires separate integration and constant syncing Interface Streamlined and intuitive, designed for developers Complex and unintuitive, steep learning curve Agile Features Automated sprint planning, velocity tracking, release reports Manual agile features, requires add-ons for advanced functionality Pricing Free tier, affordable paid plans, transparent pricing Expensive, confusing pricing model with hidden costs

Zenhub Features and Benefits

Zenhub offers a comprehensive set of features designed to streamline project management for software teams.

Automated Sprint Planning

Zenhub uses your team’s historical velocity data to automatically suggest the optimal set of issues for the next sprint. This saves time and ensures the team is always working on the most important tasks.

With automated sprint planning, teams can spend less time in meetings and more time coding. Zenhub also automatically carries over any incomplete issues to the next sprint, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Real-time Roadmaps

Zenhub’s real-time roadmaps provide a high-level overview of project progress, making it easy to communicate status updates to stakeholders.

As the team completes work in GitHub, the roadmap automatically updates to reflect the current status. This eliminates the need for manual updates and ensures everyone always has access to the most up-to-date information.

AI-powered Reporting

Zenhub leverages AI to provide intelligent insights into your team’s performance. Our AI-powered reports include:

• Sprint Insights: Receive a detailed breakdown of team performance after each sprint, including work completed, work carried over, and predictive insights for future sprints.
• Velocity Tracking: Track the team’s velocity over time and get predictive insights into future performance based on historical data.
• Daily Feed: Keep track of all ongoing work at both the individual and team level

These AI-powered insights enable data-driven decisions and continuous improvement of team performance.

Zenhub Pricing

Zenhub offers several pricing tiers to fit the needs of teams of all sizes. Here’s a breakdown of the plans:

Free

• 1 free workspace with up to 250 issues: Get started with up to 250 issues, perfect for personal projects and small teams
• Roadmaps: Try out Zenhub’s real-time roadmaps, the best way to keep track of work happening across your organization
• GitHub integration: Zenhub is always connected to GitHub so you can make sure that all of your data is directly from work actually happening

Growth – $8.33 per user/month (billed annually)

• Unlimited private repositories: Collaborate on unlimited private GitHub repositories.
• Unlimited issues: Scale quickly with unlimited issues
• Advanced agile features: Access advanced features like automated sprint planning, velocity tracking, and release reports.
• AI-powered insights: Obtain intelligent insights into team performance with our AI-powered tools.
• Onboarding and training: Receive personalized onboarding and training for your team.

Enterprise – Custom pricing

• Dedicated instance: Acquire your own on-prem instance of Zenhub, hosted on your infrastructure.
• Advanced integrations: Integrate Zenhub with even more existing tools and workflows.
• Priority support: Receive priority email support from our dedicated support team.
• Advanced AI and reporting features: Get the full suite of AI and reporting tools, including workspace automation and more
• Dedicated success manager: Work with a dedicated success manager to ensure your team gets the most out of Zenhub.
• Additional security and admin controls: Have more control over access and permissions with more advanced permissions tools.

Get it free

Alternative #2: ClickUp

ClickUp is a comprehensive project management solution designed to centralize your team’s work into a single platform. Its flexibility and robust feature set make it suitable for software development teams, designers, marketers, and businesses of any size. ClickUp offers a fully customizable experience, allowing teams to manage tasks, projects, collaboration, and reporting in a way that fits their unique workflows.

ClickUp Features and Benefits

ClickUp’s feature set is designed to adapt to diverse team needs, providing tools for efficient task management, collaboration, and advanced reporting.

Task and Project Management

ClickUp supports multiple task views, including List, Kanban, Gantt, and Timeline, enabling teams to organize work in the way that suits them best. You can also manage complex projects by breaking tasks into subtasks, setting dependencies, and using custom fields to track unique data points. This flexibility ensures smoother coordination across teams.

Real-Time Collaboration

With built-in team chat, collaborative whiteboards, and real-time document editing, ClickUp creates a seamless collaboration environment. Team members can comment directly on tasks, tag colleagues, and share attachments, ensuring everyone stays aligned without switching tools.

Dashboards and Reporting

ClickUp’s customizable dashboards allow teams to visualize project progress in real time. You can track performance with widgets for workload management, timelines, or resource allocation. Using these insights, you can make data-driven decisions and keep stakeholders informed with ease.

ClickUp Pricing

ClickUp offers four pricing tiers, each designed to cater to different team sizes and needs. From a robust free plan to feature-rich paid options, there’s a plan for everyone.

Free Forever – Free

• 100MB Storage: Manage files for your tasks and projects.
• Unlimited Tasks: Create as many tasks as you need.
• Two-Factor Authentication: Enhance account security.
• Real-Time Chat: Collaborate instantly with your team.

Unlimited – $7 per user/month

• Unlimited Storage: Store all your files without limits.
• Unlimited Integrations: Connect ClickUp with your favorite tools.
• Unlimited Dashboards: Visualize your project data in multiple ways.
• Unlimited Gantt Charts: Plan and track projects efficiently.

Business – $12 per user/month

• Advanced Automations: Save time by automating repetitive tasks.
• Granular Time Estimates: Manage resources with precision.
• Workload Management: Monitor team capacity at a glance.
• Google SSO: Simplify login with single sign-on.

Enterprise – Contact Sales

• White Labeling: Customize ClickUp to match your brand.
• Custom Capacity in Workload: Tailor workload metrics for large teams.
• Live Onboarding Training: Get guided setup for your organization.
• US, EU, and APAC Data Residency: Ensure compliance with regional regulations.

Alternative #3: Asana

Asana is a versatile work management platform designed to help teams organize tasks, track progress, and achieve goals efficiently. Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, Asana is suitable for both small teams and large enterprises managing complex workflows. It offers multiple ways to view and manage tasks, from lists and boards to timelines and calendars, making it adaptable to various project management styles.

Asana Features and Benefits

Asana provides an extensive set of features focusing on task organization, team collaboration, and productivity enhancement.

Project and Task Management

Asana excels in breaking down large projects into manageable tasks, complete with assignees, due dates, and custom labels. The platform offers multiple project views—lists, boards, timelines, and Gantt charts—so you can choose the visualization that best suits your project needs. This flexibility allows teams to stay organized and aligned on priorities.

Automation and Workflow Builder

With Asana’s automation tools, repetitive tasks can be eliminated, saving time and reducing errors. The Workflow Builder allows you to create custom workflows by setting triggers and actions, streamlining processes across teams. This feature ensures consistency and efficiency without requiring manual intervention.

Dashboards and Reporting

Real-time dashboards provide a clear view of project progress, team workloads, and timelines. Asana’s advanced reporting tools allow for data-driven decision-making, helping teams identify potential bottlenecks and adjust plans proactively. These insights ensure projects stay on track and stakeholders remain informed.

Asana Pricing

Asana offers five pricing tiers, each catering to different team sizes and needs. From a free plan for small teams to advanced options for enterprises, Asana provides scalable solutions for every organization.

Personal – $0

• Unlimited tasks and projects: Manage work without restrictions.
• List, board, and calendar views: Choose the best way to visualize your work.
• Mobile apps: Stay connected on iOS and Android devices.
• 100+ free integrations: Connect with your favorite tools.

Starter – €$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

• Timeline and Gantt views: Plan projects visually.
• Workflow Builder: Automate routine tasks.
• Project dashboards: Gain insights into team progress.
• Private teams and projects: Enhance collaboration with privacy controls.

Advanced – $24.99 per user/month (billed annually)

• Goals and portfolios: Align work with company objectives.
• 25,000 automations per month: Scale efficiency across teams.
• Advanced reporting: Visualize complex data and trends.
• Time tracking: Monitor effort spent on tasks.

Enterprise – Contact Sales for Pricing

• Unlimited seats and views: Scale without restrictions.
• Advanced integrations: Connect with Salesforce, Tableau, and more.
• Custom branding: Personalize the platform for your organization.
• Enhanced security: Includes SAML, SCIM, and mobile data controls.

Enterprise+ – Contact Sales for Pricing

• HIPAA compliance: Meet strict healthcare standards.
• Data residency options: Control where your data is stored.
• eDiscovery and archiving integrations: Ensure compliance and data retention.
• Audit log API: Track and manage security events.

Alternative #4: Monday.com

Monday.com is a work operating system (Work OS) designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their workflows. Its highly visual and flexible interface adapts to various industries, making it a robust solution for project management, sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, software development, and more. By centralizing tasks, automations, and integrations under one platform, Monday.com simplifies collaboration and enhances productivity.

Monday.com Features and Benefits

Monday.com offers a wide range of features that cater to different team needs, from workload management to data visualization.

Customizable Interface

Monday.com’s interface is intuitive and highly customizable. Teams can use pre-built templates tailored to specific industries, ensuring a quick and efficient setup. You can personalize your workspace with customizable columns, color-coded statuses, and views like timelines, Kanban boards, or calendars. This flexibility allows teams to design workflows that align with their processes, minimizing onboarding time and maximizing usability.

Automation

Repetitive tasks can bog down productivity. Monday.com’s automation capabilities eliminate manual work by allowing users to automate status changes, task assignments, and notifications. The platform offers pre-built automation templates and a no-code automation builder, empowering teams to streamline workflows without technical expertise. This ensures consistency while saving time across projects.

Integration with Popular Tools

Monday.com integrates seamlessly with tools like Slack, Google Drive, Outlook, Salesforce, and GitHub, bringing all your team’s tools into one place. These integrations enable data synchronization and allow teams to complete tasks without switching between platforms, improving efficiency and reducing errors.

Monday.com Pricing

Monday.com offers five plans tailored to different team sizes and needs, ranging from small teams looking for basic functionality to enterprises requiring advanced features and scalability. Each plan builds on the previous one, adding more storage, integrations, automations, and advanced capabilities.

Free – $0 per seat/month

• Up to 2 seats: Perfect for small teams or individuals.
• Up to 3 boards: Manage limited projects or workflows.
• Unlimited docs: Collaborate on documents without limits.
• 200+ templates: Start quickly with pre-built workflows.

Basic – $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

• Unlimited items: Manage projects without restrictions.
• 5GB file storage: Store and share files efficiently.
• Prioritized customer support: Receive faster response times.
• Dashboard for 1 board: Visualize data from a single project.

Standard – $12 per seat/month (billed annually)

• Timeline and Gantt views: Plan and track timelines visually.
• Guest access: Collaborate with external stakeholders.
• 250 automations/month: Automate recurring tasks.
• 250 integrations/month: Sync with external tools.

Pro – $19 per seat/month (billed annually)

• Private boards: Keep sensitive projects secure.
• Time tracking: Monitor time spent on tasks.
• 25K automations/month: Scale workflows efficiently.
• Dashboards for 20 boards: Aggregate data across multiple projects.

Enterprise – Contact Sales

• 250K automations/month: Handle enterprise-scale workflows.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Gain deeper insights into project performance.
• Multi-level permissions: Ensure secure access control.
• Tailored onboarding: Get personalized training and support.

Alternative #5: Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool designed to help teams and individuals organize tasks, workflows, and projects with ease. Using its intuitive boards, lists, and cards structure, Trello simplifies task tracking and collaboration across teams, making it an excellent choice for those who value simplicity and flexibility.

Trello Features and Benefits

Trello offers a variety of features designed to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration.

Intuitive Board, List, and Card System

Trello’s core structure revolves around boards, lists, and cards, offering a clear and customizable way to organize projects. Boards represent overarching projects or workflows, lists break down stages like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” and cards house detailed tasks or ideas. This visual system makes it easy to track progress at a glance and move tasks through different stages seamlessly.

Butler Automation

Trello’s Butler automation tool eliminates repetitive tasks, allowing teams to focus on high-priority work. With natural language commands, you can set rules, buttons, and triggers to automate routine actions like assigning tasks, moving cards, or sending notifications. Advanced users can integrate Butler with other tools like Slack or Jira, enhancing cross-platform workflows and saving valuable time.

Multiple Visualization Options

Trello provides versatile views to accommodate different project management styles. The Timeline view helps track dependencies and deadlines, the Calendar view ensures due dates are met, and the Dashboard view highlights workloads and bottlenecks. These visualization options are particularly useful for team leads who need to monitor overarching progress without diving into granular details.

Trello Pricing

Trello offers four pricing tiers, each catering to different team needs, from individuals managing personal tasks to enterprises requiring advanced security and scalability.

Free – $0/month

• Unlimited cards: Create and manage as many tasks as needed.
• Up to 10 boards per Workspace: Collaborate on multiple projects.
• Unlimited Power-Ups per board: Enhance functionality with integrations.
• Custom backgrounds and stickers: Personalize boards for better engagement.

Standard – $5 per user/month (billed annually)

• Unlimited boards: Manage an unlimited number of projects or workflows.
• Advanced checklists: Break tasks into subtasks with specific assignees and due dates.
• Custom fields: Add custom data points to cards for better organization.
• 1,000 Workspace command runs per month: Automate tasks at scale.

Premium – $10 per user/month (billed annually)

• Workspace views: Gain insights across all boards with Table and Calendar views.
• Dashboard, Timeline, and Map views: Visualize projects in multiple ways.
• Unlimited command runs: Automate tasks without restrictions.
• Atlassian Intelligence (AI): Leverage AI for smarter project insights.

Enterprise – $17.50 per user/month (billed annually)

• Unlimited Workspaces: Connect teams across departments seamlessly.
• Organization-wide permissions: Control access and visibility at scale.
• Power-Up administration: Manage integrations across teams.
• SSO and user provisioning: Enhance security with Atlassian Guard.

Alternative #6: Linear

Linear is a purpose-built tool for modern product development teams that streamlines issue tracking, project management, and product roadmaps. Designed for speed, scalability, and collaboration, Linear empowers teams to focus on shipping high-quality products efficiently. Its intuitive interface, deep integrations, and enterprise-ready functionality make it an essential tool for both startups and large-scale engineering organizations.

Linear Features and Benefits

Linear delivers features that simplify workflows, enhance collaboration, and provide actionable insights for product teams.

Issue Tracking and Cycles

Linear’s issue tracking system is optimized for speed and efficiency, enabling teams to create, assign, and manage tasks in seconds. Custom workflows and tailored views allow you to refine issues based on your specific needs, keeping your workspace clean and relevant.
Cycles help teams focus on key deliverables during defined timeframes, creating healthy routines that drive momentum. Progress is tracked automatically, allowing teams to stay on schedule without manual updates.

Triage for Incoming Work

The Triage feature ensures that incoming work, such as bug reports, feature requests, or unplanned tasks, is reviewed and assigned efficiently. This prevents critical issues from slipping through the cracks and ensures your team remains focused on priorities.

Linear Insights

Linear provides real-time analytics through its Insights feature, offering actionable data about team performance, cycle velocity, and project trends. With easy-to-use filters, segmentation, and export options, your team can uncover bottlenecks, monitor progress, and make informed decisions quickly.

Linear Pricing

Linear offers four pricing tiers to suit teams of all sizes, ranging from small startups to large enterprises. The plans differ based on features such as the number of teams, issue limits, and advanced functionality like private teams and data security options.

Free – $0

• Unlimited members: Collaborate with as many team members as needed.
• 2 teams: Manage up to two teams simultaneously.
• 250 issues (+ unlimited archived): Track active issues without clutter.
• Slack, GitHub, and API access: Keep workflows integrated with key tools.

Basic – $8 per user/month (billed annually)

• All free plan features: Includes everything from the Free plan.
• 5 teams: Scale operations across multiple teams.
• Unlimited issues and file uploads: Never worry about data limits.
• Admin roles: Manage permissions and team settings efficiently.

Business – $12 per user/month (billed annually)

• All basic plan features: Builds on the Basic plan with advanced options.
• Unlimited teams: Organize and collaborate across as many teams as needed.
• Linear Asks: Turn workplace requests into actionable issues.
• Private teams and guest accounts: Enhance security and work with external collaborators.
• Linear Insights: Access advanced analytics and reporting.
• Zendesk and Intercom integrations: Seamlessly connect customer support tools.

Enterprise – Custom pricing

• All business plan features: Includes every feature from the Business plan.
• Linear Asks Advanced: Enhanced capabilities for managing requests.
• Issue SLAs: Ensure time-sensitive tasks are completed on schedule.
• SAML and SCIM: Strengthen authentication and user provisioning.
• Advanced security controls: Protect data with enterprise-grade measures.
• Migration and onboarding support: Simplify transitions with expert assistance.

Alternative #7: Notion

Notion is a versatile productivity and collaboration platform that combines note-taking, task management, and database functionality into a single workspace. Designed for individuals, small teams, and large enterprises, Notion offers customizable tools to organize projects, streamline workflows, and enhance team collaboration. Its adaptability makes it ideal for managing everything from personal to-do lists to complex company-wide initiatives.

Notion Features and Benefits

Notion provides a range of features to enhance productivity and collaboration, offering flexibility for users across various industries and roles.

Customizable Workspaces

Notion allows users to create highly personalized workspaces tailored to their specific needs. Pages can hold a variety of content types, including text, images, tables, and files, enabling users to build everything from simple note-taking systems to intricate project management dashboards. The drag-and-drop interface makes customization intuitive, eliminating the need for technical expertise.

Databases with Multiple Views

Notion’s database functionality enables users to organize and visualize information in multiple formats, such as Kanban boards, tables, calendars, and lists. This flexibility empowers teams to track tasks, manage projects, and oversee workflows in the way that best suits their processes. With synced databases, users can integrate third-party apps to maintain seamless data updates.

Collaboration and Team Communication

Notion fosters real-time collaboration, allowing team members to comment, tag colleagues, and share pages effortlessly. Private team spaces ensure sensitive information remains secure, while shared workspaces enhance cross-functional collaboration. These features make Notion a central hub for team communication and project alignment.

Notion Pricing

Notion offers four pricing tiers tailored to different user needs, ranging from free personal plans to advanced enterprise solutions. The plans vary based on the number of guests, advanced analytics, automation capabilities, and security features.

Free – $0

• Collaborative workspace: Organize and share projects or notes with others.
• Integrations: Connect with tools like Slack and GitHub.
• Basic page analytics: Gain insights into page activity.
• 7-day page history: Review recent edits and changes.
• Invite 10 guests: Collaborate with external users.

Plus – $9.50 per seat/month

• Unlimited blocks for teams: Scale content creation without limits.
• Unlimited file uploads: Attach large files and documents.
• 30-day page history: Access a broader edit history.
• Synced databases: Integrate with third-party apps for real-time updates.
• Custom automations: Automate workflows to save time.

Business – $14 per seat/month

• SAML SSO: Enhance security with single sign-on.
• Private teamspaces: Create secure areas for team collaboration.
• 90-day page history: Access a detailed record of edits.
• Advanced page analytics: Gain deeper insights into workspace usage.
• Invite 250 guests: Extend collaboration to a larger audience.

Enterprise – Contact Sales

• User provisioning (SCIM): Automate user management across the organization.
• Advanced security and controls: Maintain compliance and secure sensitive data.
• Audit log: Track activity for accountability.
• Workspace analytics: Gain comprehensive insights into usage patterns.
• Unlimited page history: Access the full edit record for all pages.

What to Look for in a Jira Alternative?

When evaluating Jira alternatives, consider these key factors to ensure the solution aligns with your team’s needs:

• Ease of Use: The tool should have an intuitive interface that minimizes onboarding time and complexity for developers.
• Integration with Development Tools: Seamless integration with GitHub or other version control systems is essential to streamline workflows.
• Agile Functionality: Support for key agile practices like sprint planning, velocity tracking, and kanban boards should be robust and automated.
• Collaboration Features: Look for features that improve communication and transparency across teams, such as real-time updates and shared roadmaps.
• Pricing Transparency: The pricing model should be straightforward and scalable for teams of all sizes, without hidden fees or confusing add-ons.

What Is the Best Jira Alternative?

We’ve compared the alternatives across critical categories to help you decide.

Get Started with Zenhub

We designed Zenhub for software teams that want a project management tool to work with their existing workflows, not against them. By integrating directly into GitHub, Zenhub eliminates unnecessary context switching, allowing your team to focus on building and shipping quality code. Our automated agile features and real-time roadmaps further simplify project management, giving you the insights and tools needed to deliver on time.

Zenhub consistently outperforms other alternatives with its streamlined interface, native GitHub integration, automated sprint planning, and transparent pricing. If you’re ready to make project management effortless for your team, Get it free.