Best Issue Tracking Software Compared

Linear is built for speed, with a keyboard-first interface, automatic repeating cycles, and up to 15 future cycles planned ahead. The Basic plan at $10 per user per month billed annually adds unlimited issues, cycles, and integrations with GitHub and GitLab. Issues move through triage, backlog, and cycles with very little clicking, which suits teams that ship every week. The free plan covers unlimited users with 250 issues and two teams, which is enough for a small product team to test the flow. The main limit is the 250 issue cap, which a busy team can hit in a few months. Linear fits fast-moving product teams that value speed over deep configuration.

Price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: linear.app

YouTrack from JetBrains gives a team deep customization at a low price, with agile boards, custom fields, and workflows that can match almost any process. The cloud plan is free for up to ten users with the full feature set, and the price falls with volume above that, starting near $4.50 per user per month billed annually. A server edition is also free for up to ten users. The free plan covers ten users with all features, which is rare in this guide. The main limit is setup time, since the depth of options means a team must build its own boards, fields, and dashboards. YouTrack fits teams that want Jira-like depth without Jira pricing pain.

Price: $4.50 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: jetbrains.com

GitHub Projects plans sprints on top of GitHub issues, so the backlog lives next to the code, pull requests, and reviews. Iteration fields, roadmap views, and filters track work across repositories, and the Team plan at $4 per user per month adds repository rules, code owners, and required reviewers. The tool suits teams that already live in GitHub and want no second system. Issues and Projects work on the GitHub Free plan, which covers unlimited users and repositories. The main limit is lighter sprint reporting, since velocity and burndown views are basic next to Jira. GitHub Projects fits developer teams that plan iterations without leaving GitHub.

Price: $4 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: github.com

Shortcut, formerly Clubhouse, covers stories, epics, and iterations in a clean interface that a new team can learn in a day. The Team plan at $8.50 per user per month adds more automation, custom fields, and integrations, while planning poker and velocity reports come with every plan. The importer keeps comments, attachments, and epics when a team moves from Jira. The free plan covers up to ten users, which suits a small team testing sprint planning. The main limit is fewer enterprise controls, so large teams that need strict permissions and audit logs will look elsewhere. Shortcut fits small software teams that want light sprint planning with good reports.

Price: $8.50 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: shortcut.com

Plane is an open source style tracker with cycles, modules, and pages that cover the core sprint workflow. The Pro plan at $6 per user per month billed annually adds more integrations, analytics, and admin controls, while a self-hosted community edition lets a team run the tool on its own server. The interface is fast and clean, with a layout that will feel familiar to Linear users. The free cloud plan covers basic tracking for a small team, and the community edition is free to self-host. The main limit is a younger ecosystem, so the integration list is shorter than Jira or Linear. Plane fits teams that want modern issue tracking with a self-hosting option at a low price.

Price: $6 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: plane.so

OpenProject is an open source project and issue tracker with work packages, Gantt charts, time tracking, and agile boards in one app. The Basic cloud plan at $7.25 per user per month billed annually adds more storage and support, while the community edition can be self-hosted for free. The tool suits teams that need Gantt charts beside their issue list, which most trackers in this guide do not offer. The community edition is free with no seat cap for self-hosting, which suits teams with strict data rules. The main limit is an interface that feels dated next to Linear and Plane, and setup on a private server needs technical skill. OpenProject fits teams that want self-hosted tracking with Gantt charts.

Price: $7.25 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: openproject.org

Zoho Sprints is the cheapest tracker in this guide, with the Elite plan at $2.50 per user per month billed annually. It covers Scrum boards, backlog, estimation, timesheets, and client portals, which suits budget-conscious teams that bill by the hour. The Premier plan at $5 adds more automation and reports, while the free plan covers three users. The free plan covers three users, which suits a tiny team or a trial. The main limit is fewer integrations than Jira or Linear, so teams with a wide tool stack will do more manual work. Zoho Sprints fits small Scrum teams that want timesheets and a very low price.

Price: $2.50 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: zoho.com

ClickUp handles issues as one part of a wider workspace, with custom statuses for bugs, features, and chores, plus docs, chat, and time tracking in the same app. The Core plan at $9 per user per month billed annually adds Gantt charts, unlimited storage, and custom fields, which suit teams that plan in sprints and report each week. Sprint views, goals, and dashboards sit beside the issue list. The free plan covers unlimited tasks and docs with basic views, which is enough for a small team to start. The main limit is setup effort, since the issue workflow needs more clicks to build than in a dedicated tracker. ClickUp fits teams that want issues, docs, and chat in one app rather than three.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

Asana tracks issues as tasks in lists, boards, and timelines, which suits business teams that report bugs beside marketing and operations work. The Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month billed annually adds timeline, dashboard, and reporting features, while portfolios show many projects at once. Rules can route a new bug report to the right engineer without manual triage. The free plan covers up to ten collaborators with basic project views, which suits a small team getting started. The main limit is the lack of native sprint reports, since Asana has no velocity or burndown view. Asana fits teams that track issues as part of wider business work rather than pure software sprints.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com