15 Best Free Jira Alternatives & Competitors for Agile Project Management in 2023 (Price & Features)

Are you in need of a project management solution that can seamlessly accommodate your organization's expanding needs and workload** without sacrificing efficiency**?

Do you find it challenging to navigate and manage intricate customization options within Jira's workflow settings?

Are you seeking a more budget-friendly alternative to Jira that still offers the necessary features for agile project management?

Look no further! In this article, we have curated a list of 15 exceptional Jira alternatives and competitors that not only offer advanced features but also provide flexible pricing options. Whether you're facing scalability issues, struggling with complex workflows, or seeking a more cost-effective solution, we have the perfect alternatives to Jira that address your pain points and elevate your team's productivity.

What is Jira?

Jira is a widely-used project management software developed by Atlassian. It is designed to help teams effectively plan, track, and deliver projects in an agile environment. Jira is particularly popular among software development teams and offers a range of features tailored to support agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban.

As a project management tool, Jira provides a centralized platform for creating and organizing tasks, assigning them to team members, and tracking their progress. It offers customizable boards, sprints, and workflow, allowing teams to adapt their processes to match their specific project management needs.

Pros and Cons of Jira

Pros of Jira:

1. Robust Agile Support: Jira is known for its strong support for agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. It offers features such as customizable boards, sprints, and workflows, allowing teams to effectively manage agile projects.
2. Extensive Customization Options: Jira provides a high level of customization, enabling teams to tailor the software to match their specific project management needs. From workflows to issue types, Jira can be adapted to align with team processes.
3. Issue Tracking and Management: Jira excels in issue tracking, providing a comprehensive system for identifying, prioritizing, and resolving issues. Teams can create and assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress, ensuring efficient issue management.

Cons of Jira:

1. Steep Learning Curve: Jira can be complex, especially for new users or teams unfamiliar with agile methodologies. The extensive customization options and feature-rich interface may require a significant learning curve to fully understand and utilize the software effectively.
2. High Cost: Jira's pricing can be a drawback for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets. The software's pricing structure, which is based on user tiers and additional add-ons, may not be affordable for some teams.
3. Limited User Interface Flexibility: While Jira allows for customization, the user interface itself may have limitations in terms of flexibility and visual customization. Some users may find it challenging to modify the interface to suit their preferences or specific project requirements. Even though Jira is a powerful project management software, it's understandable that it may not meet every team's specific requirements. However, there's no need to worry, as we have curated a list of 15 outstanding Jira alternatives and competitors that can cater to your unique project management needs. These alternatives offer a wide range of features and functionalities to streamline your workflows, enhance collaboration, and address any pain points you may have experienced with Jira.

Now Let's delve into 15 of the best Jira alternatives and competitors for agile project management in 2023, each presenting its own set of advantages and features that can elevate your team's project management experience.

15 Best Jira Alternatives in 2023

1.AFFiNE

AFFiNE is an innovative and comprehensive task management software designed to help you organize, manage, and collaborate on tasks, projects, and information. As a next-generation knowledge base, AFFiNE combines the best features of popular apps like Notion and Miro into one powerful, flexible, and user-friendly platform. It focuses on data security, privacy, and collaboration, making it the perfect choice for managing your daily plans, personal knowledge repository, and team projects.

Key features:

Local-first design: AFFiNE prioritizes data security and privacy, ensuring your data remains stored on your local device unless you actively delete it.

1. Multiple workspaces: Create different workspaces to manage various types of data, like managing your daily tasks, personal knowledge repository, and team projects simultaneously.
2. Powerful search functionality: Quickly locate the documents, tags, or actions you want with a modern search app that can handle multiple workspaces and pages.
3. Advanced collaboration capabilities: Invite friends or colleagues to become collaborators in your workspace, engage in real-time multi-person editing, and share your workspaces with others.
4. Time tracking and goal setting: Use AFFiNE’s built-in features to track your time spent on tasks and set goals to improve your productivity.
5. Open-source: As an open-source app, you can access AFFiNE’s code, allowing for customization and the ability to deploy the server on your own computer or data center. Here are some quick view of what you can do with AFFiNE core features

• Database
  • Easily create, organize, and track your daily taskes like never before. Say goodbye to complex processes and welcome an unprecedented ease-of-use way

• Powerful Edgeless mode
  • Visualize and connect your daily tasks smoothly with better cartoon-style shape, slick pen, and connectors. No constraints. Limited only by your imagination. Ohhh, by the way, images now are supported to upload!! We just make everything easy for you. Now you may enjoy your drawing time on the whiteboard!

• Notion/html/markdown import-supported
  • Effortlessly import Notion, HTML, or Markdown content into AFFiNE with just a few simple clicks, preserving formatting, and structure, and saving time, enhancing user experience. Say goodbye to the complicated process of manually converting and adjusting content.

• Featuring an all-page UI update with filter options
  • Users can now effortlessly access the all-page, which enables them to conveniently sort previous articles in ascending or descending order, or favourites with the filter function. Enjoy efficient organization, quick access to desired content, and a seamless browsing experience.

Pricing: FREE

AFFiNE is a fantastic, completely FREE task management app that welcomes everyone to experience its powerful features, making it a delightful surprise for those seeking a comprehensive solution for their daily task management needs.

• Come and check out our latest beta version, enjoy your creative moments.
• For more things related to AFFiNE, come and check out our website: AFFiNE
• Wanna try it online:https://app.affine.pro/

2.Asana

Key features:

1. Task Tracking: Asana allows users to create tasks, assign them to team members, and set due dates. This feature helps teams stay organized and ensures that everyone knows what needs to be done and when.
2. Real-time Collaboration: With Asana, team members can collaborate in real-time on tasks and projects. They can add comments, attachments, and updates to tasks, enabling seamless communication and fostering a collaborative work environment.
3. Commenting on Tasks: Asana provides a dedicated space for users to comment on tasks, facilitate discussions, providing feedback, and addressing any questions or concerns. This feature promotes clear and transparent communication among team members. Price: Asana offers a free plan for basic project management needs. Their paid plans start from $10.99/user per month, providing additional features and capabilities.

3.Miro

Key features:

1. Collaborative Whiteboarding: Miro is renowned for its collaborative whiteboarding capabilities. It allows teams to brainstorm, create diagrams, and visually collaborate in real-time on a virtual canvas. Multiple team members can contribute simultaneously, fostering creativity and enhancing collaboration.
2. Agile Framework Support: Miro offers dedicated features to support agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban. Teams can create agile boards, organize and prioritize tasks, track progress, and visualize workflows. These features help teams effectively manage agile projects and maintain alignment throughout the development process.
3. Integration Ecosystem: Miro integrates seamlessly with various popular tools and platforms, including Jira, Trello, Slack, and Google Drive. This integration ecosystem enhances productivity by centralizing project information, enabling smooth data transfer, and streamlining workflows across multiple applications. Price: Miro provides a free version with unlimited members for basic usage. Their paid version starts at $8/month and offers additional features. Custom pricing options are available for larger enterprises.

4.ProofHub

Key features:

1. To-Do Lists: ProofHub provides a comprehensive task management system, allowing users to create and organize to-do lists. This feature enables teams to stay organized, track progress, and efficiently manage their tasks.
2. Custom Workflows and Kanban Boards: ProofHub allows users to create custom workflows and set up kanban boards. This feature enables teams to visualize their workflows, track work progress, and easily manage tasks through different stages of completion.
3. Gantt Charts: ProofHub offers Gantt charts for project planning and scheduling. This visual representation of tasks and their dependencies helps teams effectively manage timelines, allocate resources, and track project progress. Price: ProofHub does not have a free plan but offers a free trial. Their Essential plan starts at $45/month (billed monthly) and allows unlimited users to work on up to 40 projects simultaneously.

5.Clickup

Key features:

1. Streamline the ideation to execution process: Simplify your workflow by consolidating all relevant information on a single page, creating proof of concepts, receiving feedback, and generating tasks using ClickUp Whiteboards. Follow this ClickUp Whiteboards guide to begin optimizing your workflow.
2. Effortlessly track project progress: Enhance your agile software development and monitor project advancement with ease using ClickUp's robust Gantt chart view or customizable work views. Assigned comments serve as a simple yet effective communication tool, ensuring smooth workflow progression without any delays.
3. Enhance communication and project visibility: Foster effective communication and improve project visibility for all team members. Build a custom Dashboard with real-time reporting, utilizing widgets like agile burndown charts and pie charts to gain a high-level overview of your Workspace. Alternatively, leverage ClickUp Docs to publish release notes and share significant updates with your entire organization. Price: ClickUp offers a feature-rich free plan that is available forever. For additional capabilities, their Unlimited plan is priced at $5 per month per user.

6.Monday.com

Key features:

1. Intuitive Project Management: Monday.com provides an intuitive and visual platform for managing projects. Teams can create customizable boards, track tasks, and collaborate seamlessly, promoting transparency and productivity.
2. Workflow Automation: Monday.com offers powerful automation capabilities to streamline repetitive tasks and workflows. Users can automate notifications, assignments, and updates, saving time and reducing manual effort.
3. Extensive Integrations: Monday.com integrates seamlessly with various popular tools and platforms, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Trello. This allows teams to centralize information, enhance collaboration, and optimize their workflow by connecting their favorite tools. Price: Monday.com has a free plan for up to 2 users with some feature limitations. Basic plans start at $8/user/month. Get a 14-day free trial.

7.Trello

Key features:

1. Set Reminders: Trello allows users to set reminders for tasks and deadlines. This feature ensures that important dates and tasks are not overlooked, helping teams stay organized and on track.
2. Kanban Board View: Trello utilizes a Kanban board view, where tasks are represented as cards that can be moved across different lists or stages. This visual approach provides a clear overview of the workflow and allows teams to track the progress of tasks at a glance.
3. Assign Tasks: Trello enables task assignments to specific team members. Users can easily assign tasks to individuals, promoting accountability and facilitating collaboration within the team. Price: Trello has a free version, and its paid plans start at $5 per user/month.

8.Basecamp

Key features:

1. Messaging Platform: Basecamp provides a messaging platform that allows teams to communicate, share updates, and collaborate in real-time. It offers threaded discussions, direct messaging, and the ability to mention team members, ensuring efficient and organized communication.
2. Universal Search: Basecamp offers a powerful universal search feature that allows users to quickly find relevant information across all projects and discussions. This saves time and enables easy access to project-related data and conversations.
3. Centralized Document and File Sharing: Basecamp serves as a centralized hub for document and file sharing. Teams can upload and store files, collaborate on documents, and maintain version control. This feature eliminates the need for separate file-sharing platforms and promotes seamless collaboration. Price: Basecamp offers a free plan with limited features, and its Business plan has a flat fee of $99 per month.

9.Pivotal Tracker

Key features:

1. Story Points: Pivotal Tracker uses the concept of story points to estimate and prioritize work. This allows teams to assign relative effort values to tasks, providing a more accurate understanding of project complexity and aiding in effective planning.
2. Collaborative Work: Pivotal Tracker promotes collaborative work by enabling teams to estimate and prioritize tasks together. This fosters transparency and ensures that everyone is aligned on the relative effort required for each task.
3. Automated Consistency Tracker: Pivotal Tracker includes an automated consistency tracker that helps teams maintain a consistent workflow. It provides real-time updates and alerts, ensuring that team members stay informed and aligned on the project's progress. Price: Pivotal Tracker offers a free plan for up to five users. For teams requiring additional features and larger user capacity, paid plans start at a flat rate of $10 per month.

10.Kanbanize

Key features:

1. Custom Workflow Analytics: Kanbanize provides comprehensive analytics capabilities to measure performance. Users can track metrics and generate reports on cycle time, lead time, and throughput, allowing teams to gain insights and continuously improve their workflow.
2. Timeline Planner: Kanbanize includes a timeline planner feature that enables teams to create roadmaps and visualize project timelines. This helps in planning and prioritizing tasks, ensuring efficient project management and resource allocation.
3. Multiple Workflow Management: Kanbanize allows users to create and manage multiple workflows within the platform. Teams can customize workflows based on their specific project requirements and easily switch between different workflows as needed. Price: Kanbanize lets users try it for free for 14 days and plans start at $149/month with several add-ons available based on a company’s needs.

11.Smartsheet

Key features:

1. Dynamic Work Management: Smartsheet provides a dynamic work management platform that allows teams to plan, track, and execute projects in a collaborative environment. It offers flexible project templates, customizable workflows, and task dependencies, enabling teams to adapt their processes to suit their project needs.
2. Real-Time Collaboration: Smartsheet facilitates real-time collaboration by allowing team members to work together on sheets, documents, and reports. Users can leave comments, attach files, and receive notifications, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration across the team.
3. Advanced Reporting and Analytics: Smartsheet offers robust reporting and analytics capabilities. Users can create visual reports, dashboards, and charts to gain insights into project progress, track performance metrics, and make data-driven decisions. Price: Smartsheet offers a free plan for one user and up to two editors. There’s a Pro plan available for up to 10 users for $7/user/month and a Business plan that gives access to unlimited users for $25/user/month.

12.Wrike

Key features:

1. Customizable Dashboards: Wrike allows users to create customizable dashboards to visualize and track project progress. Teams can personalize their dashboards by adding widgets, charts, and project overviews, providing a centralized view of their tasks and milestones.
2. Workload Charts for Resource Management: Wrike provides workload charts that help teams effectively manage resources and allocate work. Users can view team members' workloads, identify potential bottlenecks, and balance workload distribution to optimize productivity and meet project deadlines.
3. Time Tracking Support: Wrike supports time tracking functionality, allowing users to track and log the time spent on tasks and projects. This feature helps monitor project progress, measure productivity, and accurately bill clients or allocate resources. Price: Wrike has a free plan for startups and as your team grows, they have plans starting at $9.80/user/month.

13.nTask

Key features:

1. Task Management: nTask provides robust task management capabilities, allowing teams to create, assign, and track tasks effectively. Users can set priorities, due dates, and dependencies to ensure smooth workflow progression.
2. Collaboration and Communication: nTask promotes collaboration by offering features such as team discussions, file sharing, and comments on tasks. This enables seamless communication and keeps all project-related conversations organized in one place.
3. Meeting Management: nTask includes a comprehensive meeting management module that allows teams to schedule, organize, and conduct meetings efficiently. Users can create meeting agendas, set reminders, and document meeting minutes for better collaboration. Price: The Basic plan for up to 5 users is available for free. For the paid version, you need to pay $2.99 per user per month.

14.Notion

Key features:

1. Public View: Notion allows users to make their documents publicly accessible through a public view. This feature enables teams to share information, collaborate with external stakeholders, or publish content for public consumption.
2. Real-time Collaboration: Notion facilitates real-time collaboration on pages and databases. Multiple team members can work together simultaneously, making edits, adding comments, and collaborating seamlessly, enhancing productivity and teamwork.
3. Templates for Various Use Cases: Notion provides a wide range of templates for various purposes such as HR, design, and project management. These templates offer pre-designed structures and layouts that users can customize to fit their specific needs, saving time and streamlining workflows. Price: Notion’s personal plan is free. The paid plans range from $4/month to $8/user per month.

15.Backlog

Key features:

1. Wikis: Backlog provides a built-in wiki feature that allows teams to create and share documentation, knowledge bases, and project-related information. Users can organize content in a hierarchical structure, making it easy to navigate and access important information.
2. Custom Fields: Backlog offers customizable fields, allowing teams to tailor their bug tracking process to their specific needs. Users can add custom fields to track additional information, such as severity, priority, or specific tags, enhancing flexibility and adaptability.
3. Bug Tracking: Backlog specializes in bug tracking, providing features such as issue creation, assignment, status tracking, and issue resolution. Teams can effectively manage and track bugs throughout their lifecycle, ensuring that they are addressed and resolved in a timely manner. Price: Backlog plans start at $29.17/ month for up to 30 users and go up to $145.83/ month for unlimited users.

Which Jira alternative offers the best solution?

While each of the daily Jira alternative discussed offers its own unique and appealing features, we encourage users to choose the ideal option based on their specific needs and pain points. However, with a humble perspective, we still propose that AFFiNE emerges as the ultimate winner in this evaluation, providing a comprehensive and versatile solution for managing daily tasks and goals, catering to a wide range of user requirements.AFFiNE is still in its beta, but we are continuing to build to a more feature-rich and stable build. Come and join us on our journey over on our media platforms.

• Official Website: https://affine.pro/
• GitHub: https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
• Discord: https://discord.gg/Arn7TqJBvG
• Telegram: https://t.me/affineworkos