Are you searching for a Jira alternative? Then, you are not the only one. After being launched almost 2 decades back, it quickly climbed the ladder and became one of the best project management tools for agile teams. However, like every other software in the industry, Jira also comes with its drawbacks. There are some major cons and downsides of Jira that have made people fed up with it and have made them switch to better alternatives, such as DeskTrack.
We are not saying Jira is bad, but you deserve better. So, today, we have 10 of the best alternatives to Jira for you. So, whether you are looking for a cost-effective project management software solution, a better and more intuitive interface, and/or a particular set of better features, we have got you covered.
In this blog, we will cover what Jira is, why you need to replace it, and the top 10 alternatives with insightful details. So, with that being said, let’s dive right in and grab the best Jira alternative.
What is Jira?
Before you can select an alternative to Jira, you also need to know what you are in for. With that being said, Jira is a project management tool. Furthermore, if you are familiar with the words agile and scrum, then it should be nothing new. Moreover, what proves its popularity is the large user base. Over 65000 users worldwide use it. But why?
Users choose Jira because of its adaptability, seamless integrations, and powerful reporting capabilities. This lets users configure workflows as per their needs. However, you still need a Jira alternative.
Why Do You Need a Jira Alternative for 2025?
Make your workday more productive
Time tracking and work management can help you reach your goals
faster.
So, if Jira is so cool, why do you need software like Jira in 2025? There are many reasons you and your team need to evaluate other options. Based on our experience, we have shortlisted some of the cons of Jira.
- The interface is unintuitive, making it time-consuming and challenging to get things done right.
- The quality of customer support is poor.
- Collaboration is not seamless. The problem with this is that changes are either overwritten or not saved.
- Adding more issues slows down this project management software.
- Every Add-on and plugin has a monthly fee attached to it, skyrocketing its prices.
- It’s too customizable to the point that it gets complex and annoying.
- Although it is feature-rich, it is also resource-intensive, making it hard to work on less powerful hardware.
To summarize, many users find Jira slow, expensive, outdated, and cumbersome. Overall, it can’t be used productively. So, do you need any more reasons for finding a Jira alternative?
Read Also: Top 10 Best Time Clocks for Small Businesses in 2025
9 Key Features to Look for in Jira Alternatives in 2025
When looking for software like Jira, you need to start your search with some key features. We are looking for a cost-effective solution, which has the good part of Jira and provides some additional awesome features, such as:
1. Scrum & Agile Support
If your teams are comfortable with Scrum and Agile project management and have been using it for years, this should remain the same. So the Jira alternative you opt for must provide features that support Scrum and Agile.
2. Project Scheduling & Planning
The project manager software you replace Jira with must also provide you with user-friendly planning and task scheduling features. This ensures a structured and hierarchical step-by-step way to plan, create, share, and update schedules in real-time for streamlining workflows.
3. Task Management
If you jump straight into a project and start working on it, you will fail. However, breaking down a project into tasks makes it a lot simpler. Even better if you go for an app like Jira with a robust task management feature.
4. Communication & Collaboration
You have remote, in-office, and field teams. All these teams need to get together to collaborate on projects as well. However, due to geographical barriers, it’s difficult to get everyone present at the conference. So, your Jira alternative must also provide you with awesome built-in or integrated communication and collaboration features, such as integrations with Slack.
5. Advanced Analytics & Reporting
Based on how, when, and how much time and effort are put into the projects, tasks, and subtasks, your software, like Jira, must also provide advanced analytics and reporting features. These real-time reports let you spot skill gaps, work gaps, unproductive work-time utilization patterns, and more to fill and skyrocket productivity.
6. Scalability
Your business will expand eventually. So, the Jira alternative you pick must also be scalable with add-on features and integrations to adapt to your new requirements as you grow internationally.
7. User-Friendly Interface
Not all your employees are technically sound. There are also non-IT human resources who are not comfortable with complex tools and applications. So, the software like Jira you pick must also have an easy to learn and easy-to-use user-friendly interface.
8. Flexibility & Customization
Every business is different, and so are its needs. So, the Jira alternative you go for must be flexible and customizable enough to adapt to how you and your teams work. From the features and appearance to the settings and configurations, everything must be customizable to meet your needs.
9. Integrations
Simply put, integrations mean accessing everything from a single platform. For example, a single platform to manage projects, track work hours, and monitor productivity. Sounds like DeskTrack to us.
Best 10 Jira Alternatives for 2025
So, now that you know why you need software similar to Jira, let’s look at some replacements. We have handpicked these options based on our expertise and experience. Thus, below you will find useful insights to make the best choice.
- DeskTrack
- Trello
- Asana
- ProofHub
- Taiga
- Basecamp
- Wrike
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Sprints
- easyredmine
1. DeskTrack
DeskTrack is the best Jira alternative you will ever find in the market. Perfect for your on-site, in-office, and remote teams, it’s the most customizable, intuitive, and integrable employee monitoring, time-tracking, project management, and productivity monitoring all-in-one tool.
Key Features:
- User-friendly interface
- Multiple project and task views, such as the color-coded calendar view
- Divide every work into workspaces, workflows, projects, tasks, subtasks, and checklists
- Integrations with all the other tools and apps you use.
- Additional features, such as screenshot monitoring and application, URL, and file usage tracking.
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Best overall | $5.99/user/month | 5/5 |
2. Trello
If you are looking for a Jira replacement but are low on budget, then you won’t find anything better than Trello. It is a straightforward solution with an intuitive feature set, best for freelancers, hobbyists, and small teams.
Key Features:
- Inbox
- Planner
- Automation
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Freelancers, small teams, and hobbyists | $5/user/month | 4.5/5 |
3. Asana
Asana is another great Jira alternative, which is a combination of powerful features and a user-friendly interface.
Both of which are missing from Jira. Plus, according to a Capterra-verified user, it’s the best for collaboration. Furthermore, it’s easy to download and use. Especially for new users.
Key Features:
- Project management
- Automation and workflows
- Reporting and goals
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Powerful and user-friendly interface | $10.99/user/month | 4.5/5 |
4. ProofHub
All you need to know about ProofHub is that it’s a powerful team collaboration and project management tool. A great alternative to Jira, ProofHub is easy to use, provides you with an intuitive user interface, is affordable, and comes with advanced features in one platform.
Key Features:
- Task management
- Collaboration
- Forms
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Team collaboration | $45/month | 4.5/5 |
5. Taiga
Looking for an open-source, free, or self-hosted Jira alternative? Taiga might be the one you need. What we like about this tool is the minimum clicks per action interface, which makes it a time-saver. Especially for organizations with a pool of heavy essential tasks.
Key Features:
- Kanban
- Scrum
- Issues tracking
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Minimum clicks per action | $698.10/year | 4.4/5 |
6. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the best Jira alternatives for your project management needs. This tool can be a central project management and collaboration hub for your business. Top features include a calendar, to-do lists, document and file management, and instant messaging under one virtual roof.
Key Features:
- Project management
- Reporting
- Scheduling
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Project management | $15/user/month | 4.3/5 |
7. Wrike
If your requirements call for a feature-rich project management tool, then go for Wrike. This Jira alternative. What we like about it is that all the features it provides can be customized. It means that you will have all you need to manage your unique workflows.
Key Features:
- Dashboards
- AI
- Automation
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Feature-rich project management | $10/user/month | 4.3/5 |
8. Zoho Projects
If you are looking for another affordable alternative to Jira, then Zoho Projects might be the thing for you. Plus, it also provides you with many of the same features, which is a win-win. Plus, it can also seamlessly integrate with other Zoho tools. So, if you are already using one of their products, you know what to do.
Key Features:
- Template library
- Task management
- Task automation
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Seamless integrations with other Zoho tools | $3.19/user/month | 4.2/5 |
9. Zoho Sprints
Sprint to the top with Zoho Sprints (pun intended). Anyway, this Jira alternative provides useful, intuitive, and practical features.
Tools and functionalities, including Kanban boards, real-time tracking, and burndown charts, help your managers monitor, manage, and track progress using agile methodologies.
Key Features:
- Backlog
- Scrum board
- Epics
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Agile work management | $0.80/user/month | 4.5/5 |
10. easyredmine
What we like about it is the high level of customizability, modularity, and versatility. However, the installation process is challenging for new users, and the interface might not be as intuitive as you expect.
Key Features:
- Agile project management
- Knowledge base
- GitLab integration
| Best For | Most Affordable Paid Plan | User Rating |
| Robust scrum workflows | $5.90/user/month | 4.1/5 |
Read Also: How Time Tracking Supports Small Accounting Businesses
What Makes DeskTrack the Best Jira Alternative?
Hands down, DeskTrack is the best Jira alternative. Other than the fact that more than 100K users across 100+ nations and 8K organizations use it, there are many more reasons, including the fact that it provides everything that Jira doesn’t, why you should prefer it over Jira.
DeskTrack is the most customizable and integrable productivity monitoring, time-tracking, employee monitoring, and project management software for your on-site, remote, and in-office teams, which provides:
- The capability to create as many workspaces, workflows, projects, tasks, subtasks, and checklists as needed.
- The most user-friendly interface.
- The feature to track the task and project progress in real-time.
- The capability to add new tasks, subtasks, and checklists for a project on the go, as per the project requirement, in real-time as it progresses.
- Real-time time-tracking with data analytics and employee activity monitoring.
- 100% customizability, seamless integrations with other tools, and much more.
Conclusion
Now you know why you need a Jira alternative. Jira is good. Due to its adaptability, seamless integrations, and powerful reporting capabilities, it has a user base of around 65000 users. It is still one of the most powerful project management tools, which is a good choice for teams working on large-scale agile projects. However, it is complex and comes with many drawbacks and cons. Thus, for others, it is excessively complicated to use and bloated with too many features is expensive, and the user interface is not intuitive as well. Thus, organizations must look for a better alternative. Fortunately, there are other similar and far better tools, which are less expensive and provide similar tools and functionalities, if not more. We root for these and handpicked the top 10 best replacements for Jira. Looking for an all-in-one and robust project management tool for your business? We recommend DeskTrack.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is Jira?
Ans. Jira is a robust and feature-rich project management tool. This software and application are good for teams handling projects with agile and scrum methodologies. What makes it good is its adaptability, seamless integrations, and powerful reporting capabilities.
Q. Is Jira Still Popular?
Ans. Not quite. While Jira is still used in some enterprises, there is one drawback. Its mass use throughout development teams, specifically for sprint backlog management, is problematic.
Q. Why Do You Need a Jira Replacement?
Ans. As we mentioned before, Jira is good, but you deserve better. Here’s why you need to look for another project management tool.
- Unintuitive user interface.
- Poor customer support.
- Non-seamless collaboration.
- Adding more issues makes it slow.
- It’s expensive.
- It’s over-customizable.
- It’s resource-intensive.
Q. What to look for in an Alternative to Jira?
Ans. Although there are better project management tools than Jira, you can’t just blindly select an alternative. Here’s what you need to look for when making your choice.
- User interface and experience.
- Collaboration and communication tools.
- Task and project-tracking features.
- Automation and workflow management features.
- Reporting and analytics features.
- Scalability.
- Integration capabilities.
- Customer support.
Q. Which are the Best Alternatives to Jira?
Ans. To help you speed up your research, we shortlisted the best 10 replacements for Jira.
- DeskTrack
- Trello
- Asana
- ProofHub
- Taiga
- Basecamp
- Wrike
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Sprints
- easyredmine
