7 Jira alternatives for product and engineering teams
Teams leave Jira for different reasons: it feels heavy, it only covers engineering, or the Atlassian bill keeps growing as you add Confluence and a whiteboard. The right alternative depends on which of those is your problem.
Updated
The short answer
If you want a faster issue tracker for engineers, look at Linear or Shortcut. If you want one flexible tool across departments, look at ClickUp or Asana. If you want product managers and engineers on one connected record, with roadmaps, docs, planning and sprints together, look at Ondule.
At a glance
Seven alternatives and who each suits best.
| Tool | Best for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ondule | Product and engineering teams replacing Jira, Confluence and a whiteboard | Objectives, roadmaps, docs, canvas and sprints on one record |
| Linear | Engineering-led startups | Fast, keyboard-first, opinionated |
| Shortcut | Software teams wanting something simpler than Jira | Stories, epics and docs in one place |
| ClickUp | Teams wanting one tool for every department | Very flexible, can take setup |
| Asana | Cross-functional work management | Strong for marketing and operations work |
| Azure DevOps Boards | Teams on the Microsoft stack | Tight link to Azure Repos and Pipelines |
| monday dev | Teams already using monday.com | Visual, easy to start |
Ondule
Best for: product and engineering teams who run Jira plus Confluence plus a whiteboard.
- Strengths: backlog, epics and sprints; objectives and KPIs linked to delivery; product and portfolio roadmaps; docs and a planning canvas built from live records; PI planning; free for the first 3 members, then $20 per member per month with every feature.
- Trade-offs: newer, with a smaller integration ecosystem than Jira; less suited to heavily customised workflows.
Linear
Best for: engineering-led startups who value speed.
- Strengths: very fast interface; clean, opinionated workflow; well liked by engineers.
- Trade-offs: built around engineering work first; no freeform planning canvas.
Shortcut
Best for: software teams who find Jira too heavy.
- Strengths: simpler setup; stories, epics and docs together.
- Trade-offs: smaller ecosystem; no planning canvas.
ClickUp
Best for: companies that want one tool across every team.
- Strengths: tasks, docs, whiteboards and goals in one product; highly customisable.
- Trade-offs: the flexibility can mean a lot of configuration; less opinionated about software delivery.
Asana
Best for: cross-functional projects and operations.
- Strengths: polished and easy to adopt; strong for non-engineering teams.
- Trade-offs: fewer engineering-specific features than dedicated trackers.
Azure DevOps Boards
Best for: teams building on Microsoft's stack.
- Strengths: tight integration with Azure Repos, Pipelines and Test Plans.
- Trade-offs: engineering-centric; heavier for product managers.
monday dev
Best for: companies already on monday.com.
- Strengths: visual boards; quick to start.
- Trade-offs: less depth for complex engineering workflows.
How to choose
Start with what's actually hurting. If engineers complain about speed, pick a fast tracker. If the problem is that product context lives in four tools, pick something that connects planning to delivery. And count the full cost: Jira plus Confluence plus a whiteboard, not Jira alone.
Questions
- What is the best Jira alternative for product managers?
- Look for a tool that connects objectives and roadmaps to the backlog, so PMs aren't maintaining separate docs and decks. Ondule is built for that: one record for PMs and engineers.
- What is the best free Jira alternative?
- Several tools have free plans. Ondule is free for the first 3 members with every feature included.
- Is it hard to move off Jira?
- It's easiest one product at a time. Run a single team in the new tool for a sprint before moving everyone.