12 best Jira alternatives for flexible & aligned dev teams in 2025

Is Jira’s complexity or unpredictable costs holding your team back? You’re not alone.

Now more than ever, development managers are searching for smarter, simpler, and more affordable solutions. Whether you’re a startup looking for intuitive task tracking or an enterprise seeking robust agile features, there’s a Jira alternative tailored for you.

In this guide, we’ll break down the top 12 Jira competitors. We’ll highlight their standout features, pricing, and ideal use cases, so you can confidently choose the best platform to boost your team’s productivity, alignment, and collaboration.

TL;DR: The best Jira alternatives offer more flexibility, better visibility for managers, and seamless cross-functional collaboration. monday dev excels in these areas by providing a customizable, all-in-one platform that aligns development with business goals.

Why development managers are moving beyond Jira in 2025

Jira has long been a staple for agile development, helping teams manage the dev lifecycle, plan sprints, and track bugs. It offers powerful features like advanced reporting and a massive app marketplace.

However, many development managers find that Jira’s strengths can also be its weaknesses. Its rigidity and complexity often create challenges that modern, agile teams can’t afford. Here’s why many are looking for Jira alternatives:

• Lack of portfolio-level visibility: Managers struggle to get a clear, high-level view of project progress across multiple teams without complex configurations or expensive add-ons. This makes strategic resource allocation difficult.
• Rigid workflows slow down execution: Jira’s prescriptive structure can stifle teams that use hybrid methodologies or need to adapt their processes quickly, leading to slower time-to-market.
• High administrative overhead: Customizing Jira often requires a dedicated administrator, taking valuable time away from engineering leads who could be focused on development.
• Poor cross-functional collaboration: Jira is often seen as a tool “just for developers,” creating silos between engineering and other departments like marketing, sales, and design. This disconnect can lead to misaligned launches and wasted effort.
• Steep learning curve for non-technical users: The complexity of Jira makes it difficult for non-technical stakeholders to participate, reducing transparency and making it harder to align the entire organization.
• Unpredictable costs: The reliance on paid add-ons for essential features like advanced roadmapping or capacity planning can lead to escalating and unpredictable costs.

The best Jira alternatives: At a glance

Here’s a quick look at how the top Jira alternatives stack up for development teams.

See why monday dev leads the pack:

The 12 best Jira alternatives for flexible and aligned teams

1. monday dev

Best for: Product and dev teams needing a flexible, all-in-one platform

As an open platform built on the monday.com Work OS, monday dev allows teams to manage the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to launch, in one collaborative space. It’s designed to give managers complete visibility while empowering development teams with the flexibility to build and manage workflows their way, without the rigid constraints of traditional tools.

Key features:

• Sprint management: Plan, track, and manage sprints with customizable boards and automated progress tracking.
• Integrated roadmapping: Build and visualize product roadmaps that connect high-level strategy (Epics) directly to day-to-day tasks.
• Real-time reporting: Use pre-built or custom dashboards to track key metrics like velocity, burndown, and burnup charts.
• Seamless integrations: Connect with GitHub, GitLab, Figma, and thousands of other tools to centralize your work.
• AI-powered efficiency: Use AI to summarize tasks, generate next steps for daily standups, and get optimization tips for your sprints.
• Capacity planning: Efficiently organize and monitor team workload to ensure balanced and achievable sprints.

Pricing:

monday dev offers a 14-day free trial. Paid plans are available with increasing functionality.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: All-in-one platform reduces tool sprawl, highly intuitive interface drives adoption, no-code customization minimizes admin overhead, excellent for cross-functional collaboration, supports hybrid methodologies.
• Cons: May be too feature-rich for individuals or very small teams with simple to-do list needs.

“The best part about monday dev is its highly customizable workflows and intuitive user interface. The ability to tailor boards to fit our specific project needs helps us stay organized and efficient. The integration with other tools like Slack and Google Workspace makes it a central hub for our team’s activities.” — G2 user

Watch monday dev in action:

Ready to see what a flexible, all-in-one development platform can do?

2. ClickUp

Best for: Tech-savvy teams needing deep customization

ClickUp offers an all-in-one productivity platform for managing development tasks, documenting product requirements, and tracking progress. As a highly customizable platform, it enables developers to tailor workflows precisely.

Key features:

• 20+ real-time custom views for sprint planning and backlog prioritization
• Integrated document management for logging specs and requirements
• Goal setting and tracking for product milestones

Pricing:

ClickUp offers a free plan, with paid plans unlocking more advanced features and storage.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Extremely customizable with a vast feature set, offers a generous free plan, consolidates many tools into one.
• Cons: The sheer number of features can be overwhelming and lead to a steep learning curve, performance can sometimes be slow with complex projects.

monday.com’s take: While ClickUp offers deep customization, it can introduce the same complexity teams are trying to escape from in Jira. monday dev focuses on powerful flexibility without the steep learning curve, ensuring teams can get started and see value quickly.

“ClickUp allows me to do things that can’t otherwise be done due to their complexity and the breadth of team members involved. I use it to store, manage and plan every single area of my life and business and the beautiful UI delights me to do so!” — Michael M.

3. Aha!

Best for: Product strategists focused on roadmapping

Aha! is a development platform focused on product strategy, roadmap creation, and feature prioritization. It aims to bridge the gap between high-level strategic planning and development execution.

Key features:

• Product roadmaps with milestones and timelines
• Idea management tools for capturing and prioritizing new product concepts
• Integration with development tools like Jira and Azure DevOps

Pricing:

Aha! offers modular pricing across multiple products, such as Roadmaps, Ideas, and Develop. Costs increase as teams add features, with entry-level plans focusing on core roadmapping.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Excellent for building and sharing detailed product roadmaps, strong focus on strategic planning, good for centralizing customer feedback.
• Cons: Can be expensive, especially when multiple product modules are needed, less focused on the day-to-day task management of development sprints compared to other tools.

“The Aha platform is fantastic because it enables our product teams to manage the entire workflow within a single tool. From gathering ideas in the ideas portal to constructing releases and monitoring the go-to-market strategy, Aha provides a unified workspace for all our teams, ensuring transparency in both current and upcoming projects.” — Luke B.

4. Productboard

Best for: R&D teams prioritizing user feedback

Productboard allows for cross-team collaboration between research and development teams, focusing on their product roadmaps. The platform collects feedback from multiple sources to prioritize features and make better decisions.

Key features:

• Centralized user feedback repository
• Feature prioritization matrix based on customer impact
• Interactive roadmaps with self-service access to key information

Pricing:

Productboard offers a limited 15-day free trial, with paid business plans that scale based on features and the number of contributors.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Excellent at connecting user feedback directly to feature development, helps create customer-centric roadmaps, good for stakeholder alignment.
• Cons: Less focused on granular sprint planning and execution, pricing can be high for larger teams.

“I’m really into how Productboard fosters collaboration. It’s like a melting pot of ideas and feedback… having all customer comments and market info in one place helps us get inside the minds of our users ultimately paving the way for our product innovation.” — Lara M.

5. Azure DevOps

Best for: Developers within the Microsoft ecosystem

Azure DevOps provides integrated development tools, from Agile planning to CI/CD pipelines. Software developers can mix and match these tools to extend or optimize their current workflows.

Key features:

• Azure Repos for version control (Git)
• Azure Boards for agile project management and sprint planning
• Azure Pipelines for continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD)

Pricing:

Azure DevOps offers a free plan for small teams and paid per-user plans for larger teams needing more advanced features and parallel jobs for pipelines.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Powerful, all-in-one solution for teams heavily invested in the Microsoft stack, excellent CI/CD capabilities, highly scalable for enterprise needs.
• Cons: Can be complex and overwhelming for teams outside the Microsoft ecosystem, user interface is less intuitive than more modern alternatives.

monday.com’s take: Azure DevOps is a powerful, developer-centric tool, but it often lacks the ease of use needed for cross-functional collaboration. monday dev provides a more approachable interface that allows non-technical team members to participate in the development lifecycle, improving overall alignment. For more options, see our list of Azure DevOps alternatives.

“As a DevOps engineer this software is great to manage our pipelines and Scrum boards.” — Kamaljeet S.

6. Linear

Best for: Small, fast-paced development teams

Linear streamlines issue tracking and sprint planning with a clean, efficient interface. It’s built for product developers needing quick issue resolution and smooth workflows, emphasizing speed and keyboard shortcuts.

Key features:

• Fast issue creation and prioritization
• Cycle and roadmap planning
• Keyboard shortcuts and commands for power users

Pricing:

Linear offers a free plan for small teams, with paid plans that add more advanced features like SAML SSO and advanced roadmap capabilities.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Extremely fast and responsive UI, opinionated design helps enforce best practices, excellent for teams that value speed and efficiency.
• Cons: Minimalist approach may lack the deep reporting and customization features needed by larger organizations or managers, less suitable for cross-functional project management.

“It’s very well designed and allows you to customize the tool based on your business needs by providing essential features and configurations like Cycles, Cool-down periods, Integrations, Issues management, and more.” — Chris S.

Compare: Linear vs. Jira review, Linear Alternatives

7. Basecamp

Best for: Teams needing simplified project management and communication

Basecamp is a collaboration software that teams can use to organize tasks, share files, and communicate efficiently in one place. It’s less of a direct Jira alternative for software development and more of a general project management tool.

Key features:

• To-do lists, message boards, and file storage to centralize workflows
• Automated check-ins to keep teams updated
• Centralized documentation and file sharing

Pricing:

Basecamp uses a flat-rate pricing model, offering a Pro Unlimited plan for a fixed monthly fee, regardless of the number of users.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Simple, all-in-one pricing is predictable, easy for non-technical teams to adopt, strong focus on communication.
• Cons: Lacks specialized agile features like sprint planning, burndown charts, and velocity tracking needed by most dev teams.

“Basecamp does a great job making it easy for others to complete tasks and network. It significantly cuts down on meeting time and creates transparency where silos often exist…” — Jaymin J.

Compare: Basecamp alternatives, Basecamp vs. Jira

8. GitHub

Best for: Development teams needing version control with project management

While primarily known as a code repository, GitHub has expanded to include project management features like GitHub Issues and Projects. It allows developers to manage their work right where their code lives.

Key features:

• Code repositories with version control
• GitHub Issues for tracking bugs and tasks
• GitHub Projects for creating Kanban-style boards
• AI-powered code writing with Copilot

Pricing:

GitHub offers a free plan for individuals and small teams, with paid plans for advanced features, security, and enterprise needs.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Keeps project management and code in the same place, excellent for open-source projects, strong community and integrations.
• Cons: Project management features are less robust than dedicated tools, not ideal for non-technical team members or high-level portfolio management.

“What I love most about GitHub is how easy it is to collaborate on code. The version control with Git is super reliable, and features like pull requests, code reviews, and branch management help teams work smoothly, no matter where they are.” — Chamindu U.

Compare: Best product management software

9. Asana

Best for: Teams of any size seeking versatile task management

Asana is a popular project management platform that helps teams organize, track, and manage their work. Its user-friendly interface and flexibility make it a strong contender for teams looking for a more intuitive alternative to Jira.

Key features:

• Multiple project views, including Kanban, Gantt, list, and calendar
• Custom task dependencies and automations
• Workload management to track team capacity

Pricing:

Asana has a free tier for basic use, with paid plans that add more advanced features like reporting, portfolios, and goals.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Very user-friendly and visually appealing, great for cross-functional collaboration, strong task management capabilities.
• Cons: Lacks some developer-specific features out-of-the-box (like story points and burndown charts), which may require workarounds or integrations.

monday.com’s take: Asana is excellent for general project management but can feel retrofitted for software development. monday dev is built specifically for the product lifecycle, offering native features like sprint management and roadmap hierarchies that development teams need without custom configuration. See how they compare in our Basecamp vs. Asana review.

“Asana has revolutionized the way I manage projects. Its intuitive interface and customizable workflows allow me to stay organized and keep track of all my tasks in one place.” — Lucinda F.

10. Trello

Best for: Small teams and businesses seeking a simple, user-friendly platform

Trello, also an Atlassian product, is a visual project management tool that organizes tasks into boards, lists, and cards. Its simplicity and intuitive drag-and-drop interface make it a popular starting point for teams moving away from spreadsheets.

Key features:

• Kanban boards for visual progress tracking
• Power-Ups and integrations to connect tools like Slack and Google Drive
• Multiple views (Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard) available on premium plans

Pricing:

Trello has a robust free plan, with paid tiers adding more boards, advanced features, and automation capabilities.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Extremely easy to learn and use, excellent for simple Kanban workflows, great for visualizing tasks.
• Cons: Lacks the depth needed for complex software projects, reporting and analytics are limited without Power-Ups, can become cluttered on large projects.

“After five years of use, Trello remains one of the most user-friendly and visually intuitive project management tools I’ve worked with. The drag-and-drop Kanban board style makes it effortless to organize tasks and workflows…” — Mohamed Haithem M.

11. Wrike

Best for: Teams seeking project management with strong collaboration features

Wrike provides robust project management features tailored for cross-functional teams. With tailored processes, shared dashboards, and real-time updates, Wrike is a strong choice for teams looking to improve productivity and communication.

Key features:

• Highly flexible workflows with Gantt charts and Kanban boards
• Real-time collaboration with shared dashboards and @mentions
• Built-in time tracking and calendar synchronization

Pricing:

Wrike offers a free plan, with paid plans for teams that need more customization, reporting, and integrations.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Highly versatile and customizable, strong reporting capabilities, good for managing complex projects with many dependencies.
• Cons: The interface can feel cluttered and less intuitive than some competitors, may require significant setup time to tailor to specific needs.

“The flexibility that Wrike allows has enabled us to fit various workflows into Wrike. Whether that be tracking a project, implementing a ticket request system, setting up notifications based on internal data systems, or keeping track of inventory!” — Zack P.

Compare: Wrike vs. monday.com, Wrike vs. Asana

12. Smartsheet

Best for: Medium to large businesses requiring scalable project and portfolio management

Smartsheet is a work management platform that combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with powerful project management, automation, and collaboration features. It’s a versatile alternative to Jira for teams that are comfortable with a grid-based interface.

Key features:

• Flexible project views including Grid, Gantt, Kanban, and Calendar
• No-code automation and workflows to streamline repetitive tasks
• Real-time dashboards and reports for insights and performance tracking

Pricing:

Smartsheet offers paid plans based on user count and feature tiers, with an enterprise plan for advanced needs.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Powerful and highly scalable for enterprise use, excellent for data management and reporting, familiar spreadsheet-like interface.
• Cons: Can be less intuitive for creative or agile-focused teams, user interface feels dated compared to more modern tools, can become expensive.

“Smartsheet is easy to use, beginners will start using it right away without needing extensive training. What I like most is the flexibility it offers in creating dashboards and reports, which allows me to visualize key information.” — Filip K.

Why monday dev is the best Jira alternative

Unlike Jira’s rigid structure, monday dev’s Work OS platform allows you to build any workflow you need. Unlike tools that are siloed to developers, monday dev brings everyone-from design to sales-into one platform for true cross-functional collaboration. And unlike platforms that require complex add-ons for reporting, monday dev provides powerful, real-time dashboards right out of the box.

Find the right Jira replacement for your team

In truth, there’s no one-size-fits-all option that’s right for every team. The best Jira alternative depends on the size of your team, your budget, and your specific needs. That said, choosing a platform that can manage the entire product lifecycle from a single location gives you the best chance of developing successful products your customers will love.

With the flexibility to build a bespoke workspace, monday dev offers teams of all sizes the features to tailor the platform to their needs. It even integrates with Jira, giving you the best of both worlds. Why not start a free trial today and see the difference for yourself?

The most versatile alternative to Jira: why teams choose monday dev

Built on monday.com Work OS, monday dev allows product and engineering teams to manage the entire product lifecycle end-to-end. It gives teams the freedom to work their way and move quickly — with full visibility, seamless integration, and complete ownership — all while aligning engineering teams with business strategy. Let’s dig deeper into why monday dev is a versatile alternative to Jira.

All-in-one platform: By consolidating issue tracking, documentation, and high-level reporting in one tool, monday dev reduces complexity and eliminates the need for separate products. With built-in dashboards and reports providing full visibility, there’s no need for separate add-ons.

Ease of use: Consistently praised for its intuitive interface and quick onboarding, monday dev enables teams to get up and running with minimal training. This drives higher adoption and participation from both technical and non-technical team members​.

Minimal admin overhead: With no-code customization and simple configurations, monday dev drastically reduces the need for dedicated system administrators​. Engineering leads can adjust workflows or create reports on the fly, rather than relying on an expert.

Cross-functional collaboration: With features that encourage visibility and communication, monday dev enables unparalleled cross-team alignment. Everyone from design to sales can interact on the platform, increasing transparency and reducing the disconnect between engineering and business teams.

Hybrid methodology support: Support for Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies makes monday dev a flexible choice for diverse development environments. Teams can run sprints, host daily standups and sprint retros, and use Kanban boards, while executives track timelines and dependencies — all without add-ons and plugins​.

Seamless GitHub integration: With one-click setup, you can connect GitHub and other dev tools so that commits, pull requests, and other progress updates flow directly into monday items.

Built-in reporting and hierarchy: Real-time dashboards and a built-in hierarchy view give portfolio-level visibility right out of the box with monday dev.