Jira
Best for Agile sprints and issue trackingWebsite: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
Best for: Agile sprints and issue tracking
Starting price: $9.70 per user/month (monthly billing, first 100 users)
Free plan: Yes
Pros: Built for scrum and kanban workflows; deep integration with Bitbucket, GitHub and Confluence
Cons: Graduated per-user bands make costs hard to predict as teams grow; setup and configuration take time for new admins
Jira is the default choice for many IT teams because it was built around software delivery. Scrum boards, kanban boards, backlogs, sprints and releases are core features rather than add-ons, and issue types cover bugs, stories, tasks and epics. The free tier supports up to 10 users, which suits a small team that wants to run real sprints before spending anything. Standard starts at $9.70 per user per month on monthly billing for the first 100 users, and Premium is $19.60, so the jump between tiers is worth checking against your headcount.
For IT work, Jira connects to code repositories through Bitbucket and GitHub integrations, so commits and pull requests can link to issues and show progress on the board. Automation rules can move issues, assign work and send alerts when a build fails or a release date changes. Permissions are granular, which helps when contractors or support staff need limited access.