Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

YouTrack VS Jira

Compare YouTrack VS Jira and see what are their differences

YouTrack logo YouTrack

Free, online, easy-to-use, fully customizable issue tracking and agile project management tool your development team will love, by JetBrains. Our cloud or your server.

Jira logo Jira

The #1 software development tool used by agile teams. Jira Software is built for every member of your software team to plan, track, and release great software.
  • YouTrack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16
  • Jira Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-09

YouTrack features and specs

  • Customizable Workflow
    YouTrack allows for extensive customization of workflows to match the specific needs and processes of your team.
  • Rich Issue Tracking
    Supports a variety of issue types with detailed tracking capabilities, including tasks, bugs, and enhancements.
  • Agile Support
    Provides powerful tools for agile project management, including Scrum and Kanban boards.
  • Time Tracking
    Includes built-in time tracking functionality to help monitor the amount of time spent on tasks and projects.
  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with other JetBrains tools and a multitude of third-party applications and services.
  • Customization
    Extensive options for personalizing dashboards, reporting, and issue fields.
  • User Interface
    Offers a clean, modern, and intuitive user interface that enhances the user experience.
  • Search and Filters
    Advanced search and filtering options make it easier to navigate and find relevant issues.

Possible disadvantages of YouTrack

  • Learning Curve
    The extensive customization options and features may present a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Pricing
    Although feature-rich, YouTrack can be expensive for smaller teams or startups with limited budgets.
  • Complexity
    Highly customizable workflows might be overly complex for teams that prefer simpler, out-of-the-box solutions.
  • Performance
    Some users have reported performance issues with large datasets or complex queries.
  • Mobile Experience
    The mobile app is not as robust as some of its competitors, which might hinder usage on mobile devices.
  • Onboarding
    The onboarding process can be cumbersome without adequate training or prior experience with similar tools.

Jira features and specs

  • Robust Feature Set
    Jira offers a comprehensive suite of tools for project management, including issue tracking, agile reporting, and workflow automation, which can handle both small and large projects effectively.
  • Customizability
    Organizations can customize Jira extensively, tailoring workflows, fields, and issues to meet their specific requirements, which enhances productivity and alignment with business processes.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Jira integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian products like Confluence, Bitbucket, and more, as well as third-party tools such as GitHub and Slack, ensuring a connected and efficient workflow.
  • Agile Methodologies Support
    With built-in support for Scrum, Kanban, and other agile frameworks, Jira helps teams to manage their agile processes efficiently, offering features like sprint planning, backlog grooming, and burndown charts.
  • Strong Community and Support
    Jira has a large, active user community and extensive documentation, along with professional support options, which can be invaluable in troubleshooting and optimizing its use.
  • Comprehensive Task Management
    Jira Core provides a robust set of features for managing tasks and projects, including customizable workflows, forms, and dashboards, which are beneficial for tracking progress and enhancing productivity.
  • Integration with Other Atlassian Products
    It integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian tools like Confluence, Bitbucket, and Trello, enabling streamlined collaboration and improved visibility across teams.
  • Customizable and Flexible
    Jira Core allows a high degree of customization for workflows, task types, and notifications, making it adaptable to various business processes and team needs.
  • Scalability
    It supports scalability, which makes it suitable for both small-scale teams and large enterprises, evolving as the organization grows.
  • Strong Reporting Capabilities
    The software offers comprehensive reporting tools to gain insights into project progress and team performance, helping in making informed decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Jira

  • Complexity
    Due to its extensive feature set and customizability, Jira can be overly complex for new users or small teams, requiring a steep learning curve and potentially making simple tasks time-consuming.
  • Cost
    While Jira provides robust features, it comes at a cost. Subscription fees can be high, especially for larger teams or organizations requiring advanced capabilities.
  • Performance Issues
    On occasion, users might experience performance issues, particularly with large datasets, causing slowness and reduced efficiency in managing tasks.
  • Overhead
    Maintaining and configuring Jira can require significant administrative overhead, needing dedicated resources to manage its setup, customization, and updates.
  • User Interface Complexity
    While powerful, Jira's user interface can be overwhelming and cluttered, which may hinder usability and speed for those not already familiar with the platform.
  • Complexity for New Users
    Jira Core's wide range of features and customization options can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • High Configuration Overheads
    Setting up and configuring the software to fit specific project needs can be time-consuming, especially for teams without dedicated administrative resources.
  • Cost Considerations
    For smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets, the costs associated with Jira Core licenses and potential add-ons might be a constraint.
  • Limited by Internet Connectivity
    As a primarily cloud-based solution, its functionality can suffer in environments with poor or inconsistent internet connectivity.

Analysis of Jira

Overall verdict

  • Jira is generally considered a strong choice for organizations seeking a comprehensive and flexible project management tool, especially those in software development. However, it can be complex and may have a steep learning curve for new users, which can be a drawback for some teams.

Why this product is good

  • Jira by Atlassian is highly regarded due to its robust set of features tailored for software development and project management. It offers extensive customization options, effective tracking capabilities, and seamless integration with other tools, particularly within the Atlassian suite. Its flexibility allows teams to adapt workflows to suit their processes, making it a versatile option for various project management needs.

Recommended for

    Jira is recommended for software development teams, agile project management enthusiasts, companies that require detailed workflow customization, and organizations already using other Atlassian products seeking seamless integration.

YouTrack videos

YouTrack Overview

More videos:

  • Review - YouTrack - The Art of Bug Tracking

Jira videos

Jira Core Walkthrough and Review

More videos:

  • Review - JIRA Core: Business Team Use Cases
  • Review - (2018) The NEW Jira Begins Now - Modern Software Development
  • Demo - JIRA in a Nutshell demo video
  • Review - (Re)Discover JIRA Core: Tricks That Make a BIG Difference - Atlassian Summit 2016

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to YouTrack and Jira)
Project Management
4 4%
96% 96
Identity And Access Management
Task Management
3 3%
97% 97
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using YouTrack and Jira. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare YouTrack and Jira

YouTrack Reviews

  1. Joey
    · technician at Duckling ·
    Simply the best

    In my experience, this is the best, because it is very easy to organise your working process. I like the system of filters and boards it has. I have tried other stuff too, like Asana, Jira, even Monday. Those have their pros and cons too, but to me personally Youtrack is the preferred one, due to it's simplicity and inherent minimalism. I don't do rocket science, so maybe that's why I find it the most compelling.

    🏁 Competitors: Jira
    👍 Pros:    Easy user interface|Highly customizable

8 Tools You Need For Working Remotely in 2022
It is especially useful for teams working on Agile. YouTrack interface is simpler than Jira, although the working principle is similar. Just fix the task, assign a performer (you can assign yourself), set a deadline, and go ahead!
Source: hackernoon.com

Jira Reviews

  1. Luminous Valentine
    my experience

    Jira may be extremely sluggish and require a large amount of memory on the client side.

    👍 Pros:    Affordable price|Affordable
    👎 Cons:    Super simple|Scalable

10 Best Canny Alternatives and Competitors in 2025
Jira is an issue-tracking tool that flags and tracks bugs, creates product roadmaps, and collects user insights. Beloved by SaaS companies and startups, it’s a great tool for gathering and analyzing what your customers say about your products. Plus, it highlights areas for improvement to target pressing issues instantly. ✍️
Source: clickup.com
25 Best Asana Alternatives & Competitors for Project Management in 2024
Jira is a bug-tracking and project software. Compared to Asana, it’s geared towards agile teams and technical power users. With advanced reporting options, including user workload, average issue age, and recently created issues, project managers can make informed decisions to plan smarter sprints.
Source: clickup.com
The 10 best Asana alternatives in 2024
Unlike Asana, Jira was built specifically for teams that use Scrum and Agile workflows. When you sign up, you'll answer a few questions about your preferred methodologies, project types, and deadlines. Then, Jira will suggest a project template and methodology to fit your team's needs.
Source: zapier.com
16 Best Asana Alternatives of 2024 (Free + Paid)
Jira is a software product of Atlassian and is often used for tracking issues in software development. But Jira has grown to be used outside of the IT segment for tracking a range of issues, tasks and work items. What it might lack in features is made up on the Atlassian Marketplace where many plugins can be purchased to extend the tool’s features.
The Ultimate List of 20 Best AI Work Management Tools
Atlassian Intelligence (preregistration): Jira leverages artificial intelligence to automate various tasks, including summarizing meeting minutes, answering questions, converting natural language queries into JQL or SQL, and offering instant assistance through virtual agents in Slack and Microsoft Teams, accelerating work and enhancing user experience.
Source: ppm.express

What are some alternatives?

When comparing YouTrack and Jira, you can also consider the following products

OneLogin - On-demand SSO, directory integration, user provisioning and more

Asana - Asana project management is an effort to re-imagine how we work together, through modern productivity software. Fast and versatile, Asana helps individuals and groups get more done.

AuthAnvil - AuthAnvil software is an integrated identity and access management tool designed to help IT managers service their networks, infrastructure network, and ensure that devices are safe and secure at all times. Read more about AuthAnvil.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

TeamPassword - TeamPassword helps you manage and share access to the apps, services, and tools your team needs to keep projects moving.

Basecamp - A simple and elegant project management system.