Jira Product Management Tools Review For 2024
Jira offers unparalleled customization and integration capabilities, making it the top choice for complex project environments.
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Mouseflow
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monday.com
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Wrike
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In this review, I will share my analysis and evaluation of Jira based on hands-on experience. If you're starting your search for the best product management tools, check out my top picks.
Jira is a popular product management tool, but it's important to understand its strengths and weaknesses before purchasing. This detailed review covers Jira's pros and cons, features, and functionality to help you determine if it's suitable for your needs.
Summary: Jira
Jira, developed by Atlassian, is a project management and issue-tracking tool used by software developers, project managers, and IT support teams. It helps plan, track, and manage projects, tasks, and issues, improving team collaboration and productivity while providing insights into performance.
Jira addresses issues like lack of project visibility, difficulty tracking and prioritizing issues, and inefficient team collaboration. Its best features include customizable workflows, real-time reporting, Agile boards for Kanban and Scrum, and integration with other development tools.
Jira Pros
- Customization: Jira allows teams to customize issue types, workflows, fields, and boards to match their specific needs and processes.
- Scrum support: The software has built-in features to support Agile teams, development, and Scrum practices like sprint planning, backlogs, and burndown charts.
- Reporting: Jira provides a range of reports and dashboards to track progress, velocity, and performance across projects and teams.
Jira Cons
- Complexity: Jira's flexibility and customization options can make it complex to set up and maintain, especially for new users.
- Performance: The software can suffer from slow performance and load times, particularly with large projects or instances with many users and issues.
- Mobile experience: Jira's mobile app and mobile browser experience lack the full functionality and ease of use of the desktop version.
Jira Expert Opinion
In my opinion, Jira is a solid choice for product management teams. The software offers core Agile planning features like backlogs, sprints, stories, and tasks to help teams
organize, prioritize, and manage their work efficiently, ensuring smooth workflow and effective collaboration. However, while the UI is functional but clunky compared to newer tools, and customizing workflows and fields in Jira can be complicated.
Nonetheless, Jira’s deep integration with development tools like Bitbucket and Confluence is a key strength for the software. For teams already using other Atlassian products, Jira may be the practical choice for end-to-end traceability. Overall, Jira is ideal for teams who need a single app for development and product collaboration, but may not be ideal for all organizations.
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
We've been testing and reviewing product management tools since 2018. As product managers ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.
We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We've tested more than 2,000 tools for different product management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our software review methodology.
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Mouseflow
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
monday.com
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
Wrike
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2
Are You A Good Fit for Jira?
Who Would be a Good Fit for Jira?
Jira is ideal for software development teams that use Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban. Its issue tracking, sprint planning, and project reporting features are designed for managing software projects. The software also integrates well with other Atlassian tools like Confluence and Bitbucket, making it a good choice for teams already using those tools.
Who Would be a Bad Fit for Jira?
Jira is not well-suited for non-technical teams or projects outside of software development. Its user interface and terminology are geared towards developers. Additionally, teams doing simple task tracking or lightweight project management may find Jira too complex and feature-heavy for their needs.
Best Use Cases for Jira
- Software development: Jira's Agile project management features and integrations with development tools make it a top choice for software teams practicing Scrum or Kanban.
- Large enterprises: Jira's depth of customization options and scalability allow it to support the complex needs and processes of enterprise product organizations.
- Atlassian customers: For companies already using other Atlassian products like Confluence and Bitbucket, Jira offers tight integration to streamline workflows.
- Scrum teams: Jira provides all the key artifacts for Scrum, including user stories, sprint planning, burndown charts, and retrospectives.
- Cross-functional collaboration: The software’s ability to define custom issue types and workflows helps product managers coordinate tasks and requirements across engineering, design, marketing, and support.
- Data-driven decisions: Jira's reporting and analytics features give product leaders visibility into team velocity, cycle time, and other KPIs to continuously improve processes.
Worst Use Cases for Jira
- Solo entrepreneurs: Jira's rich feature set and learning curve may be overkill for a single-person operation. As a result, simpler tools like Trello, may be more beneficial.
- Design teams: While Jira can track design tasks, creative teams may find tools with more visual inspiration boards and mockup integration a better fit.
- Client communication: Jira lacks some of the polished roadmap views of dedicated product management platforms, which can be better for communicating plans to external stakeholders.
- Physical products: Companies that manufacture non-software products may find Jira's software-centric terminology and Agile focus misaligned with their NPD process.
- Limited budgets: Though Jira offers a free plan for small teams, scaling up gets expensive, and cost-conscious organizations can find cheaper alternatives with comparable features.
- Ease of use: Jira's flexibility comes with a complex interface that can overwhelm users, so teams that prioritize simplicity should consider more intuitive options.
Need expert help selecting the right Product Management Software?
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Mouseflow
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
monday.com
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.7 -
Wrike
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2
Jira Evaluation Summary
- Core functionality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Standout features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐
- Onboarding: ⭐⭐⭐
- Customer support: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Integrations: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Customer reviews: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Value for money: ⭐⭐⭐
Review Methodology
We're software experts who focus on the features and functionality of different platforms. We understand how critical and confusing software selection can be. We test and score software to find the best solutions for any use case.
Using our data-driven testing methodology, we've tested over 300 software platforms. We are dedicated to objectively and fairly testing software to cut through marketing fluff and truly understand each platform.
Our robust testing scenarios mimic real-world use, and we supplement our tests with interviews from users, experts, and software vendors.
How We Test & Score Product Management Tools
We've spent years refining our software testing and scoring system for product management tools. Our rubric captures the nuances of software selection and highlights what makes these tools effective, focusing on critical aspects of the decision-making process.
Our testing and scoring cover eight criteria: core functionality, standout features, ease of use, onboarding, customer support, integrations, customer reviews, and value for money. This allows us to provide an unbiased evaluation of the software.
Core Functionality (20% of final scoring)
For product management tools, the core functionality we test and evaluate are:
- Roadmapping: Enables creating and sharing visual product roadmaps
- User stories: Allows capturing and organizing user stories and requirements
- Prioritization: Provides features to score and prioritize initiatives
- Collaboration: Supports team collaboration and communication
- Analytics: Offers reporting and analytics on product metrics and usage
- Integrations: Connects with other tools in the product stack
Standout Features (20% of final scoring)
We evaluate uncommon, standout features that go above and beyond the core functionality defined and typically found in product management tools. A high score reflects specialized or unique features that make the product faster, more efficient, or offer additional value to the user.
Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)
We consider how quick and easy it is to execute the tasks defined in the core functionality using the product management tools. High-scoring software is well designed, intuitive to use, offers mobile apps, provides templates, and makes relatively complex tasks seem simple.
Onboarding (10% of final scoring)
We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new platform, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use the product management tools with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the software with no experience. High-scoring software indicates little or no support is required.
Customer Support (10% of final scoring)
We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Product management tools that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.
Integrations (10% of final scoring)
We evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the software. Product management tools offering plentiful native integrations, third-party integrations, and API access to build custom integrations score best.
Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)
Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promoter score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the product management tools again for the core functionality. A high-scoring software reflects a high net promoter score from current or past customers.
Value for Money (10% of final scoring)
Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry-level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. Software that delivers more for less will score higher.
Through this comprehensive approach, focusing on core functionalities, standout features, usability, onboarding, customer support, value, and customer reviews, I aim to identify product management tools that not only meet but exceed expectations, ensuring teams have the tools they need to succeed.
Jira Review
Core Product Management Tools Functionality
Project planning: Jira allows teams to create detailed project plans with tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and timelines. Teams can use different project views like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, or calendars to visualize and track work.
Requirements management: In Jira, you can create user stories, epics, and requirements documents to capture product needs. Additionally, teams can link requirements to development tasks to ensure traceability.
Agile workflows: Jira is designed for Agile development with built-in Scrum and Kanban workflows. Users can run sprints, track velocity, and generate Agile reports like burndown and control charts.
Bug and issue tracking: Teams can log bugs, issues, and other requests in Jira and track them through to resolution. Features including powerful search, labeling, and reporting effectively help with issue management.
Release management: Users can easily plan and track product versions and releases in Jira. With the release hub, teams gain full visibility into what's shipping when and lets you manage the entire release workflow.
Mobile accessibility: Jira Cloud for mobile provides real-time access to projects, enabling users to create, edit, and update tasks, track issues, manage boards and backlogs, and stay up-to-date with push notifications. The mobile app supports both iOS and Android, ensuring seamless work continuity from any location.
Jira Standout Features
Customizable everything: One of Jira's biggest strengths is its flexibility. You can heavily customize the interface, workspace and workflows, issue types, fields, permissions, and more to fit your team's needs.
Advanced reporting and dashboards: Jira offers powerful reporting tools and customizable dashboards that provide detailed insights into project progress, team performance, and potential bottlenecks.
Ease of Use
Jira has a steep learning curve due to its extensive options and settings. Features like creating custom filters, reports, and dashboards can be complex. However, once set up for your team's workflow, Jira becomes a powerful and easy-to-use tool for daily tasks. Additionally, the recent improvements in the software’s UI have made it more intuitive.
Onboarding
Jira's onboarding includes in-app tutorials, tooltips, and guides to help new users. Atlassian also offers detailed documentation and how-to videos. However, most teams need to spend significant time configuring their projects and workflows, making its onboarding process not as straightforward as other product management tools.
Customer Support
Jira provides customer support through an online knowledge base with how-to articles and videos. Users can also ask questions and get help on the community forum. A status page offers real-time updates on system performance and outages, and Atlassian frequently releases updates and bug fixes based on customer feedback and requests.
Integrations
Jira integrates natively with Confluence, Bitbucket, Sourcetree, Bamboo, Crowd, Crucible, Fisheye, and nearly 100 other Atlassian and third-party apps.
The software also provides a REST API, access to the Atlassian Marketplace with hundreds of add-ons and extensions, and integrates with Zapier, making Jira highly extensible and able to fit into most development tool stacks.
Value For Money
I've found Jira's pricing to be about average compared to other product management tools on the market based on my experience testing various options over the years. It's more affordable than enterprise platforms like Productboard or Aha!, but a bit pricier than simpler tools like Trello.
Jira currently offers several different pricing plans:
- Free: Supports up to 10 users and includes Jira's basic features like backlogs, boards, and reporting at no cost.
- Standard: Starts at $7.16/user/month and includes additional features like automation and audit logs.
- Premium: Starts at $12.48/user/month and includes everything in Standard plus. Also comes with advanced capabilities like multi-project automation, capacity planning, admin insights, and unlimited storage.
- Enterprise: Pricing upon request. This tier is typically intended for large organizations with advanced security and compliance needs.
Product Specifications
| Feature | Jira Has It? |
|---|---|
| Project Planning | ✅ |
| User Stories & Issues | ✅ |
| Agile Workflows (Scrum/Kanban) | ✅ |
| Task Assignments | ✅ |
| Sprint Management | ✅ |
| Reporting & Analytics | ✅ |
| Time Tracking | ✅ |
| Collaboration Tools | ✅ |
| Customizable Dashboards | ✅ |
| Bug & Issue Tracking | ✅ |
| Mobile App | ✅ |
| Third-Party Integrations | ✅ |
| Gantt Charts | ✅ |
| Built-in Chat | ✅ |
| Product Roadmapping | ❌ |
| Idea Management Portal | ❌ |
| User Feedback Collection | ✅ |
| Release Management | ✅ |
Jira Alternatives
If you're looking for alternative product management tool options to Jira, here are a few worth checking out:
- Asana: Offers more collaboration and communication features compared to Jira, making it better suited for teams that aren't just technical.
- Trello: Provides a more visual and intuitive interface using Kanban-style boards, making it easier to learn and use than Jira for many users.
- monday.com: A highly customizable platform that can adapt to many use cases beyond product management, giving more flexibility than Jira.
- Productboard: Purpose-built for product managers with features like user research, road mapping, and prioritization that go beyond Jira's core functionality.
Jira Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jira?
Jira is a project management software and issue-tracking software developed by Atlassian. I use it for bug tracking, issue tracking, and project management in my software development work and other projects. Jira allows my team to plan and track our work, manage issues that arise, and streamline the release of our software. It provides helpful features like customizable workflows, Scrum boards and Kanban boards, and reporting.
Is there a mobile app for Jira?
Yes, teams can access Jira on the go with the mobile apps available for iOS and Android devices. The mobile apps allow you to view and create issues, add comments, change issue status and fields, check dashboards and reports, and get important notifications. It’s a convenient way to stay on top of critical project information and updates when you’re away from my computer.
Is Jira HIPAA compliant?
Yes, Jira can be used in a HIPAA-compliant manner, but it requires the proper configuration of the Atlassian Cloud environment. Atlassian provides security and privacy controls to help meet HIPAA requirements. However, to fully comply with HIPAA, I have to sign a Business Associate Addendum with Atlassian and make sure I’m using Jira according to HIPAA regulations on my end as well.
Is Jira SOC 2 compliant?
Yes, Jira is SOC 2 compliant, which gives me confidence that it meets strict security standards. Atlassian has earned SOC 2 Type II reports from independent auditors verifying that Jira and other Atlassian Cloud products satisfy the Trust Services Criteria for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. I can trust that Atlassian employs appropriate safeguards to protect my data in Jira.
Is Jira secure?
Yes, I feel that Jira is a secure solution based on the robust security practices Atlassian has in place, including:
- Encrypting data both in transit and at rest
- Conducting frequent security audits and penetration tests
- 24/7 monitoring and incident response
- Screening employees and providing security training
- Maintaining compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, and more
Is Jira FedRAMP certified?
No, Jira does not currently have FedRAMP certification. However, I know that Atlassian is actively pursuing FedRAMP Moderate authorization for Jira and their other cloud products. They are listed as “In Process” on the FedRAMP Marketplace, so I expect them to achieve this certification shortly.
Is Jira GDPR compliant?
Yes, Jira is GDPR compliant, so I can use it without running afoul of the EU’s data privacy regulations. Atlassian has taken the steps needed to adhere to GDPR requirements, like providing a Data Processing Addendum that I can sign. I appreciate that they’ve built the necessary data privacy and security controls into Jira to help me stay compliant as well.
Jira Company Overview & History
Jira is an issue-tracking and project management tool developed by Atlassian, an Australian enterprise software company that creates products for software developers, project managers, and development teams. Atlassian employs over 7,000 people and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with offices worldwide.
In addition to Jira, Atlassian offers products like Confluence, Bitbucket, and Trello to help teams collaborate and manage work. Over 180,000 customers, including companies like Spotify and NASA, use Atlassian products. Atlassian is a public company trading on NASDAQ (TEAM) and reported $2.1 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2021, a 29% increase year-over-year.
Atlassian invests heavily in its culture and is frequently listed as the best place to work. The company also hosts an annual user conference to help teams connect and develop with Jira.
Jira Major Milestones
- 2002 - Atlassian was founded in Sydney by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar
- 2002 - Jira 1.0 launched as an issue tracker
- 2004 - Reached 1,000 customers
- 2007 - Launched Confluence, a team collaboration software
- 2010 - Expanded to San Francisco bay area
- 2015 - Atlassian held its IPO and began trading on the NASDAQ
Want to learn more about Jira? Check out their site for additional information.
From $7.16/user/month (billed annually, min 5 seats)
7-day free trial + free plan available
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