Short answer
The best Jira alternative for most teams is Linear (86/100). Automatic sprint rollover with cycles; unlimited members on every plan.
- Linear (86/100): best for speed and ease of use.
- YouTrack (85/100): best value alternative.
- GitHub Issues (84/100): best if your code is on GitHub.
- Azure Boards (83/100): best for Microsoft shops.
- Shortcut (81/100): best for small teams.
Jira is our top-ranked issue tracker, but it's also the one teams most often leave. Common reasons are setup effort, the Oct 13, 2026 price rise, and paying for a separate tool when GitHub, GitLab or Azure DevOps already include tracking.
Why teams look for Jira alternatives
- Configuration overhead. Workflows, schemes and permissions are powerful but take time to set up and maintain.
- Rising list prices. Standard went from $9.05 to $9.70 per user monthly on Oct 13, 2026, and Premium from $18.30 to $19.60.
- Planning tools on Premium. Advanced planning, sandbox and 24/7 support need Premium, about twice the Standard price.
- Tracking already included elsewhere. GitHub includes Issues and Projects on every plan, and Azure DevOps includes Boards in Basic.
The alternatives
Starting price$10/user/moBasic, billed yearly; Business $16
Free trial / planFree plan (unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues)
Vettlo score86/100
Linear is an issue tracker built around cycles (1- to 8-week sprints where unfinished issues roll over automatically) and projects. Free covers 2 teams and 250 issues; Basic ($10 per user billed yearly) removes the issue limit and allows 5 teams; Business ($16) adds Insights, Linear Asks, guest accounts and triage rules.
What you gain over Jira
- Automatic sprint rollover with cycles
- Unlimited members on every plan
What you give up
- Free plan stops at 250 issues
- Insights need Business ($16)
Skip it if: You need heavily customized workflows and permissions per project.
Read our full Linear review →
Starting price$4.50/user/moCloud, billed annually from 11 users ($5.40 monthly)
Free trial / planFree plan (up to 10 users, full features)
Vettlo score85/100
YouTrack is JetBrains' issue tracker and project management tool, with agile boards, a knowledge base and a helpdesk. It's free for up to 10 users; paid Cloud plans start at $4.50 per user a month billed annually ($5.40 monthly), and every plan includes the full feature set and AI Assistance at no extra cost.
What you gain over Jira
- Full feature set on every plan from $4.50 per user
- Free for up to 10 users
What you give up
- Paid plans start at 11 users
- Fewer integrations
Skip it if: Your code lives in GitHub and you want issues next to pull requests.
Read our full YouTrack review →
Starting price$4/user/moGitHub Team; Enterprise $21. Issues and Projects are on the Free plan
Free trial / planFree plan (Issues and Projects included)
Vettlo score84/100
GitHub Issues and Projects are GitHub's built-in tracking tools, included on every plan. Projects offers table, board and roadmap layouts, iteration fields, built-in workflows and charts. GitHub Team ($4 per user a month) adds protected branches and required reviewers for private repositories; Enterprise ($21) adds SAML SSO and the audit log API.
What you gain over Jira
- Issues and Projects free on every plan
- Rated 4.7/5 on G2
What you give up
- Fewer workflow and permission controls
- SAML SSO needs Enterprise ($21)
Skip it if: Non-engineering teams will file and track most of the work.
Read our full GitHub Issues review →
Starting price$6/user/moAzure DevOps Basic; first 5 users free
Free trial / planFree plan (first 5 users)
Vettlo score83/100
Azure Boards is the work-tracking part of Azure DevOps Services, with backlogs, sprint planning, Kanban and scrum boards, and dashboards. The Basic plan is $6 per user a month with the first 5 users free, and it includes Azure Pipelines (1,800 free minutes a month on one Microsoft-hosted job) and Repos.
What you gain over Jira
- First 5 users free, then $6 per user
- Repos and pipelines included
What you give up
- Heavier interface
- Test Plans cost extra
Skip it if: You don't use Microsoft tools and want a tracker that stands on its own.
Read our full Azure Boards review →
Starting price$8.50/user/moTeam; Business $12; yearly billing saves up to 25%
Free trial / planFree plan (10 users); 14-day trial, no card
Vettlo score81/100
Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse) is an issue tracker with stories, epics, iterations and docs. Free covers 10 users and 1 team; Team ($8.50 per user) allows up to 5 teams and adds automations; Business ($12) adds objectives and key results, the metrics dashboard and advanced custom fields, with SAML SSO as an add-on.
What you gain over Jira
- Free plan for 10 users with iterations and docs
- Team plan at $8.50 per user
What you give up
- Metrics dashboard needs Business
- SAML SSO is an add-on
Skip it if: You need deep cross-team portfolio planning.
Read our full Shortcut review →
How we picked these alternatives
Every tool here comes from our issue tracking software shortlist. We ordered them by how well each one solves the most common reasons teams leave Jira, not only by overall score. See our methodology.
Jira alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to Jira?
Linear for teams that want speed and simple defaults, and YouTrack for Jira-style depth at $4.50 per user billed annually with every feature on every plan.
Is there a free alternative to Jira?
Yes. YouTrack and Shortcut are free for 10 users, GitHub includes Issues and Projects on its Free plan, and Azure DevOps is free for the first 5 users. Jira itself is also free for 10 users.
Which Jira alternative is cheapest?
GitHub Team at $4 per user if you're already on GitHub, or YouTrack at $4.50 per user billed annually as a standalone tracker.
Vettlo Editorial TeamResearched and written by the Vettlo editorial team using our methodology. Prices and plan details come from each vendor's public pricing page.