Why look for free alternatives to Jira?

Starting with a free alternative to Jira lets you test the tool in your actual workflow before committing to a paid plan. When you're ready to scale, you'll already know which features matter most to your business.

Are these free alternatives actually good?

These tools are used by thousands of businesses. Their free plans are designed to let you evaluate the product thoroughly before upgrading. Many founders end up staying long-term.

Back to Alternatives

Free Alternative to Jira

Simpler project management tools your team will actually use. Start free, upgrade when the complexity is worth it.

The best free alternative to Jira is Linear.

1. Linear

FreemiumGenerous Free Tier

Blazing-fast project management for software teams. Free for small teams.

Linear is a project management tool built specifically for software teams. Founded in 2019, it has gained a cult following for its speed, keyboard-first design, and opinionated approach to issue tracking.

Why Developers Love It

Linear is fast. Not "fast for a web app" fast, but genuinely instant. Every interaction, from creating issues to searching, feels like using a native desktop application. The keyboard shortcuts let you navigate and manage your entire workflow without touching the mouse.

What You Get on the Free Plan

Unlimited members - Up to 250 members on the free plan
Unlimited issues - No cap on the number of issues you can create
Roadmaps - Plan and visualize your product roadmap
Cycles (sprints) - Organize work into time-boxed iterations
GitHub and GitLab integration - Link issues to pull requests and automate status updates
Slack integration - Create issues and get updates directly in Slack

Opinionated by Design

Linear has strong opinions about how teams should work: issues should be small, cycles should be short, and backlogs should be triaged regularly. If your team prefers flexibility over structure, Jira might be a better fit. But if you want speed and focus, Linear is hard to beat.

Key features include:

•Issue tracking
•Project roadmaps
•Sprint cycles
•GitHub integration
•Slack integration
•Custom workflows
•API access
•Keyboard shortcuts

Pros

Incredibly fast UI

Beautiful design

Excellent keyboard shortcuts

Great GitHub integration

Cons

Opinionated workflow

Less customizable than Jira

No free self-hosting

Free planProject Management

2. Plane

Open SourceGenerous Free Tier

Open source project management alternative to Jira. Self-host for free.

Plane is an open source project management tool built as a modern alternative to Jira. It combines issue tracking, sprints, wikis, and multiple view types in a clean interface that does not feel like enterprise software.

Open Source and Self-Hostable

Plane is fully open source under the AGPL license. Self-host it on your own infrastructure for complete control over your data, or use the cloud version with a generous free tier.

What You Get

Issue tracking - Create, assign, and track issues with custom properties
Cycles (sprints) - Plan and execute time-boxed work iterations
Modules - Group related issues into larger project themes
Pages (wiki) - Document processes, decisions, and knowledge alongside your work
Multiple views - Switch between kanban, list, spreadsheet, and calendar views
GitHub sync - Link pull requests and automate issue updates
Custom properties - Add fields that match your team's workflow

Still Growing

Plane launched in 2022 and is actively developed. It has fewer integrations and a smaller community than established tools, but the pace of development is fast and the feature set is already competitive.

Key features include:

•Issue tracking
•Cycles (sprints)
•Modules
•Pages (wiki)
•Views (kanban, list, spreadsheet)
•Custom properties
•GitHub sync
•Automations

Pros

Open source

Feature-rich

Modern UI

Self-hostable

Cons

Newer product, some rough edges

Smaller community than Jira

Free planProject Management

3. Trello

FreemiumGenerous Free Tier

Visual kanban boards for project management. Unlimited cards, 10 boards free.

Trello is the original kanban board for project management. Its boards, lists, and cards system is so intuitive that millions of people use it for everything from software development to wedding planning.

Visual Project Management

Trello's strength is its simplicity. Create a board, add lists for stages (To Do, In Progress, Done), and move cards between them. No training required, no complex configuration.

What You Get on the Free Plan

Unlimited cards - No limit on the number of tasks
Up to 10 boards - Manage up to 10 projects
Unlimited storage - Attach files without worrying about limits
250 automation runs per month - Automate repetitive tasks with Butler
Unlimited activity log - Full history of all changes
Assignees and due dates - Basic task assignment and scheduling

What to Know

The 10 board limit is the main restriction. You also cannot use timeline, calendar, or dashboard views on the free plan. Trello works best for small teams with straightforward workflows. If you need sprint planning, roadmaps, or advanced reporting, tools like Linear or Asana are a better fit.

Key features include:

•Kanban boards
•Checklists
•Labels & filters
•Automations (Butler)
•Power-Ups
•Calendar view
•Templates
•Mobile app

Pros

Extremely easy to use

Great for visual thinkers

Good mobile app

Cons

Limited views on free plan

Can get messy at scale

Board limit on free

Free planProject Management

4. Asana

FreemiumGenerous Free Tier

Work management for teams. Unlimited tasks and projects, free for 10 users.

Asana is a work management platform used by teams to organize tasks, track projects, and manage goals. The free plan is generous for small teams, supporting up to 10 users with unlimited tasks and projects.

Built for Team Collaboration

Asana goes beyond simple task lists. It offers multiple project views (list, board, calendar), goals tracking, and enough structure to manage complex cross-functional work without being overwhelming.

What You Get on the Free Plan

10 users - Enough for a small team
Unlimited tasks - No cap on the number of tasks you create
Unlimited projects - Organize work into as many projects as you need
List, board, and calendar views - Multiple ways to visualize your work
Assignees and due dates - Assign tasks and set deadlines
Mobile app - Manage tasks from your phone

What to Know

The free plan lacks timeline view, custom fields, milestones, and advanced reporting. These are available on the Premium plan at $10.99/user/month. For a team under 10 people that needs more than Trello but less than Jira, Asana's free plan hits a good middle ground.

Key features include:

•Task management
•Projects
•Multiple views
•Goals
•Portfolios
•Automations
•Forms
•Reporting

Pros

Feature-rich free plan

Multiple views

Great for small teams

Cons

10 user limit

Advanced features locked

Can feel overwhelming

Free planProject Management

5. ClickUp

FreemiumGenerous Free Tier

All-in-one productivity with tasks, docs, goals. Unlimited tasks and members free.

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform that combines tasks, documents, goals, whiteboards, and time tracking. It positions itself as "one app to replace them all" and offers unlimited tasks and members on the free plan.

Everything in One Place

ClickUp tries to replace your project management tool, note-taking app, wiki, and time tracker with a single platform. The free plan includes access to most features, though with some limitations.

What You Get on the Free Plan

Unlimited tasks - No limit on tasks you can create
Unlimited members - No cap on team size
Docs - Built-in document editor with collaboration
Whiteboards - Visual collaboration for brainstorming
24/7 support - Chat support even on the free plan
Collaborative editing - Real-time editing on docs and tasks

What to Know

The free plan limits storage to 100MB, restricts some views and automations, and does not include Gantt charts. ClickUp can also feel overwhelming because of how many features it packs in. If you value simplicity, consider Trello or Linear instead. If you want everything in one tool, ClickUp delivers.

Key features include:

•Task management
•Docs
•Whiteboards
•Goals
•Time tracking
•Automations
•Dashboards
•Mind maps

Pros

Unlimited members and tasks

All-in-one platform

Highly customizable

Cons

Can feel bloated

Steep learning curve

Storage limit on free plan

Free planProject Management

6. Taiga

Open SourceGenerous Free Tier

Open source agile project management. Scrum, Kanban, and issue tracking.

Taiga is an open source project management tool built specifically for agile development teams. It supports both Scrum and Kanban methodologies with a clean, focused interface.

True Agile Tool

Unlike general-purpose project managers, Taiga was designed around agile practices. Scrum teams get backlogs, sprints, and burndown charts. Kanban teams get configurable boards with WIP limits.

What You Get

Unlimited projects - No cap on the number of projects (self-hosted)
Scrum boards - Backlogs, sprints, user stories, and burndown charts
Kanban boards - Visual boards with swimlanes and WIP limits
Issue tracking - Bug and issue management with custom severities
Wiki - Built-in documentation for each project
Epics - Group related user stories into larger initiatives

What to Know

Self-hosting is free with no limits. The cloud free tier has restrictions on team size and features. Taiga has a smaller community than tools like Jira or Linear, but the agile implementation is solid and the interface stays focused on what matters.

Key features include:

•Scrum boards
•Kanban boards
•Issue tracking
•Wiki
•Epics
•Custom fields
•Webhooks
•Importers

Pros

True agile tool

Open source

Clean interface

Good Scrum support

Cons

Smaller community

Less polished than competitors

Free planProject Management

Why start free before committing to Jira?

Jirais a great product. But committing to a paid plan before you've tested it in your workflow means you're guessing about what you actually need.

The tools listed above let you start free and get real experience. You'll learn which features matter to your business, which ones you never use, and whether upgrading to Jira or staying with an alternative makes more sense long-term.

Start free, test thoroughly, and upgrade with confidence when the time is right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why start with a free alternative to Jira?

Testing tools on a free plan lets you evaluate them in your actual workflow. You'll know exactly what you need before committing to a paid plan, whether that's Jira or one of these alternatives.

Are these tools good enough to grow with?

These tools are used by thousands of businesses at every stage. Their free plans are designed to let you evaluate thoroughly. When you're ready to scale, upgrading is straightforward.

When should I upgrade from the free plan?

Upgrade when you consistently hit the free plan's limits and a paid tier would save you meaningful time or unlock features your business needs. You'll know when it's time.