Best software · Developer & data
10 Best Project Management Software for Software Teams of 2026
This list is for engineering teams that plan sprints, track issues and bugs, and ship releases on a schedule. It covers dedicated issue trackers (Linear, Jira, Shortcut, Plane), planning built into code platforms (GitHub Projects, Zenhub, GitLab, Azure Boards) and general work tools that software teams often adopt (ClickUp, Asana). We compared documented features and published prices for 10 tools. Scores weigh features at 40%, ease of use at 30% and value at 30%.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 10, 2026 · 10 tools compared · Prices checked on vendor pages, latest November 10, 2026
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
Mojolin is self-funded How we score
Linear is our top pick for most software teams: issues, cycles, projects and initiatives are on every plan, the Free plan allows unlimited members, and Basic costs $10 per user per month billed yearly. Jira is the best choice for large or complex engineering organizations, with free use for up to 10 users and cross-team planning on Premium. GitHub Projects is the best value for teams on GitHub because it ships with every plan, and Zenhub adds sprint planning and velocity reports on top for $4.99 per user. Shortcut is a strong middle option, Azure Boards fits Microsoft shops, and Plane is the pick for self-hosting.
Top picks
Best overall
Linear
9.1 / 10
Product engineering teams that want a fast, opinionated tracker for sprints, roadmaps and releases.
Read the review →Runner-up
Jira
8.8 / 10
Larger engineering organizations that need configurable workflows, cross-team planning and a big app ecosystem.
Read the review →Also great
GitHub Projects
8.7 / 10
Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want planning next to issues and pull requests.
Read the review →Comparison table
| # | Tool | Pricing | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linear | Product engineering teams that want a fast, opinionated tracker for sprints, roadmaps and releases. | Free plan with 250 issues and 2 teams; Basic $10 per user per month billed yearly; Business $16 per user per month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote | 9.1 |
| 2 | Jira | Larger engineering organizations that need configurable workflows, cross-team planning and a big app ecosystem. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 8.8 |
| 3 | GitHub Projects | Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want planning next to issues and pull requests. | Issues and Projects included on GitHub Free; Team plan $4 per user per month; Enterprise $21 per user per month | 8.7 |
| 4 |  Shortcut | Small and mid-size product engineering teams that want structure without Jira's setup. | Free plan for up to 10 users; Team $8.50 per user per month billed yearly; Business $12 per user per month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote | 8.6 |
| 5 |  Azure Boards | Microsoft-centric engineering teams that want boards, repos and pipelines in one Azure DevOps organization. | First 5 users free; Basic plan $6 per user per month, including Boards, Repos and the Pipelines free offer; Basic + Test Plans $52 per user per month | 8.5 |
| 6 |  Plane | Teams that want a modern Jira alternative they can self-host or run in an air-gapped environment. | Free plan for up to 12 users; Pro $6 per seat per month billed annually; Business $13 per seat per month billed annually; Enterprise Grid by quote | 8.4 |
| 7 |  ClickUp | Software teams that also want docs, chat and non-engineering projects in the same workspace. | Free Forever plan; Core $9 per user per month billed yearly ($12 regular price); Business $17 per user per month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote | 8.3 |
| 8 |  Zenhub | GitHub teams that need sprint planning and reporting beyond what GitHub Projects offers. | Free plan for small teams; Teams $4.99 per user per month billed yearly; Enterprise by quote | 8.2 |
| 9 |  GitLab | Teams that want planning, source control and pipelines in one platform, including self-managed installs. | Free plan for up to 5 users per top-level group; Premium $29 per user per month billed annually; Ultimate by quote | 8.1 |
| 10 |  Asana | Product and engineering leads who coordinate launches with marketing, design and other non-engineering teams. | Personal plan free for up to 2 users; Starter $10.99 per user per month billed annually ($13.49 monthly); Advanced $24.99 per user per month billed annually | 8.0 |
Scoring weights
Every tool gets three editorial scores out of 10, from vendor documentation, product pages and the published price. The overall score is the weighted average below, the same method on every list. Full method
The full ranking
Rank 1 · Best overall
Linear
Issue tracker and planning tool for product and engineering teams, built around issues, cycles, projects and initiatives.
linear.app9.1
out of 10
Best for: Product engineering teams that want a fast, opinionated tracker for sprints, roadmaps and releases.
Linear is built for teams that ship software and want the tracker to stay out of the way. Every plan includes issues, projects, cycles and initiatives, plus customer requests, triage, issue sync, API and webhook access. The Free plan allows unlimited members but caps you at 2 teams and 250 issues, which is enough to evaluate the workflow but not to run a product for long. Basic at $10 per user per month billed yearly removes the issue cap and allows 5 teams. Business at $16 adds unlimited teams, private teams and guests, Insights analytics, Linear Asks intake from Slack and email, issue SLAs and up to 15 release pipelines. Linear also lists an agent platform, MCP access and a cloud coding agent on all plans, so AI tools can read and act on issues. The tradeoffs: dashboards, SAML, SCIM and audit logs are reserved for Enterprise, and teams that want deep custom workflows per project will find Linear more opinionated than Jira.
Standout feature
Issues, cycles, projects and initiatives come on every plan, including Free with unlimited members.
Use cases
Startup engineering teams
Run two-week cycles across product and platform squads
Outcome: A shared rhythm without hand-built workflows
Product managers
Group issues into projects and initiatives
Outcome: Roadmap progress visible from the same issues engineers work on
Support-heavy SaaS teams
Pull customer requests from Zendesk or Intercom into triage
Outcome: Bugs reach engineers with customer context attached
Key features
- Issues, projects, cycles and initiatives on every plan
- API, webhooks, import and export included on Free
- Agent platform with MCP access and a cloud coding agent
- Release pipelines on Business (15) and Enterprise (unlimited)
- Triage Intelligence, Code Intelligence and Insights on Business
Pros
- Free plan has unlimited members, so a whole team can try it
- Cycles give sprint planning without heavy configuration
- Clear plan tiers with yearly prices published
Cons
- Free plan stops at 250 issues and 2 teams
- Private teams, guests and Insights need Business
- Dashboards, SAML and SCIM are Enterprise only
Rank 2 · Runner-up
Jira
Atlassian's work tracker with scrum and kanban boards, backlogs, timelines and Rovo AI.
atlassian.com8.8
out of 10
Best for: Larger engineering organizations that need configurable workflows, cross-team planning and a big app ecosystem.
Jira remains the most configurable tracker for software teams, and Atlassian documents scrum and kanban boards, backlogs, timelines and reports such as burndown charts and cycle time. The Free plan covers up to 10 users with backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar and summary views, 2 GB of storage and 150 automation steps per month. Standard adds user roles and permissions, external collaboration, 400 automation steps per user per month, 250 GB of storage and sites of up to 100,000 users. Premium adds cross-team planning and dependency management, customizable approvals, unlimited storage and a 99.9% uptime SLA, and Enterprise allows up to 150 sites. Rovo AI ties Jira work to Confluence, Figma and third-party apps for search, chat and agents. The price of that flexibility is setup time: someone has to own workflows, schemes and permissions, and small teams often find it heavier than Linear or Shortcut. We could not confirm USD prices from the pricing page as fetched, so check the current per-user rate on Atlassian's site.
Standout feature
Free for up to 10 users with the same board, backlog and timeline views paid teams use.
Use cases
Enterprise engineering orgs
Coordinate releases across dozens of teams with dependencies
Outcome: One plan of record for program managers and engineers
Scrum teams
Run sprints from a backlog with burndown reports
Outcome: Velocity and scope changes visible every sprint
Teams on Confluence
Link specs and decisions to work items
Outcome: Context travels with the ticket
Key features
- Backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar and summary views on Free
- Burndown charts, cycle time and capacity reporting
- Rovo AI search, chat and agents on paid plans
- Cross-team planning and dependency management on Premium
- Automation rules with monthly step allowances per plan
Pros
- Free forever for up to 10 users
- Scales to 100,000 users per site on Standard
- Deep workflow and permission configuration for complex teams
Cons
- Setup and administration take more effort than lighter tools
- Free plan has 2 GB of storage and 150 automation steps per month
- Cross-team planning needs Premium
Rank 3 · Also great
GitHub Projects
Tables, boards and roadmaps built on GitHub issues and pull requests, included with every GitHub plan.
github.com8.7
out of 10
Best for: Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want planning next to issues and pull requests.
GitHub Projects is the zero-friction option for teams that already use GitHub. GitHub's docs describe a project as an adaptable table, board and roadmap built from your issues and pull requests, and the sync runs both ways: change an assignee in the project and the issue changes too. You can save filtered and grouped views, add custom fields, use iteration fields to plan sprints, chart progress with insights and automate items with built-in workflows, the API or GitHub Actions. Sub-issues, issue types and issue dependencies give more structure than older GitHub boards. Issues and Projects are included on GitHub Free, and the Team plan at $4 per user per month adds repository features such as required reviewers and code owners rather than planning features. The limits show up at scale: reporting is basic next to Jira or Linear, there is no initiative layer above projects, and anyone outside GitHub needs an account to take part.
Standout feature
Edits in a project sync back to the underlying issue or pull request.
Use cases
Open source maintainers
Triage issues and plan releases on a public board
Outcome: Contributors see priorities without a separate tool
Small product teams
Plan sprints with iteration fields
Outcome: Sprint scope tied directly to pull requests
Platform teams
Auto-add issues from several repositories with Actions
Outcome: One backlog across many repos
Key features
- Table, board and roadmap layouts with saved views
- Custom fields, including iteration fields for sprints
- Two-way sync with issues and pull requests
- Built-in automations plus the GraphQL API and GitHub Actions
- Insights charts, sub-issues, issue types and issue dependencies
Pros
- Included on GitHub Free, so no extra tool to buy
- Changes in a project update the linked issue and back
- Works for open source as well as private teams
Cons
- Only tracks work hosted on GitHub
- Reporting is lighter than Jira or Linear Insights
- Less structure for initiatives and portfolio planning
Rank 4
Shortcut
Project management for software teams with stories, epics, iterations, roadmaps and docs.
shortcut.com8.6
out of 10
Best for: Small and mid-size product engineering teams that want structure without Jira's setup.
Shortcut sits between lightweight trackers and Jira. Work is organized as stories and epics on kanban boards, planned in iterations, prioritized in a backlog and rolled up on roadmaps, with docs linked to the work. The Free plan already includes kanban views, a roadmap, reports, iterations, docs and GitHub, Slack and Figma integrations for up to 10 users and one team. Team at $8.50 per user per month billed yearly lifts the user limit, allows up to 5 teams and 5 workflows, and adds work-in-progress limits, automations, the full report suite and every integration. Business at $12 adds objectives and key results, advanced custom fields, advanced reports and multiple workspaces for sandboxing. Shortcut also offers Korey, an AI agent for product engineering workflows. The weak spots are a free tier capped at 10 users and enterprise controls such as SSO and SCIM held back for the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
Standout feature
Iterations, roadmaps and GitHub integration are included free for up to 10 users.
Use cases
Series A product teams
Plan iterations across a few squads
Outcome: Predictable sprints without a dedicated Jira admin
Engineering managers
Set work-in-progress limits on boards
Outcome: Fewer stalled stories
Product leaders
Track objectives against epics
Outcome: Roadmap tied to goals
Key features
- Stories and epics on kanban boards with saved filters
- Iterations for sprint planning and a backlog for prioritizing
- Roadmaps, reports and docs on the Free plan
- Automations, work-in-progress limits and custom workflows on Team
- Objectives and key results plus advanced custom fields on Business
Pros
- Free plan includes iterations, roadmaps and GitHub integration
- Team plan removes the user cap
- 14-day full access trial with no credit card
Cons
- Free plan is limited to 10 users and 1 team
- Automations need a paid plan
- SSO and SCIM are Enterprise only
Rank 5
Azure Boards
Work tracking in Azure DevOps with kanban and scrum boards, backlogs, sprints and dashboards.
azure.microsoft.com8.5
out of 10
Best for: Microsoft-centric engineering teams that want boards, repos and pipelines in one Azure DevOps organization.
Azure Boards is the planning part of Azure DevOps, and Microsoft documents kanban boards, backlogs, scrum boards, team dashboards and custom reporting with drag-and-drop sprint planning. Teams can start with prebuilt workflows or build their own process, and commits and pull requests link directly to work items, including from GitHub repositories. The pricing is simple: the Basic plan is free for the first 5 users and $6 per user per month after that, and it includes Azure Repos with unlimited private Git repositories, the Azure Pipelines free offer and 2 GiB of Azure Artifacts. Basic + Test Plans adds test planning and user acceptance testing at $52 per user per month. Microsoft lists 1,000+ extensions and integrations with Microsoft Teams and Slack. The downsides are a denser interface than Linear or Shortcut and a product that makes the most sense for teams already on Azure.
Standout feature
The first 5 users get boards, repos and pipelines free.
Use cases
.NET product teams
Plan sprints and link work items to Azure Repos commits
Outcome: Full traceability from requirement to release
Enterprise IT teams
Customize processes for regulated delivery
Outcome: Workflows that match internal controls
Small dev shops
Run boards and pipelines for 5 people
Outcome: No license cost for the first 5 users
Key features
- Kanban boards, backlogs, scrum boards and team dashboards
- Drag-and-drop sprint planning
- Customizable workflows from prebuilt templates
- Commits and pull requests linked to work items, including from GitHub
- 1,000+ extensions plus Microsoft Teams and Slack integration
Pros
- First 5 users free on the Basic plan
- Basic plan also includes Azure Repos and Pipelines' free offer
- Traceability from work item to code change
Cons
- Interface and process settings take time to learn
- Most useful inside the Microsoft and Azure toolchain
- Test management costs $52 per user per month
Rank 6
Plane
Open-source project management with work items, cycles, modules, pages and AI agents, in the cloud or self-hosted.
plane.so8.4
out of 10
Best for: Teams that want a modern Jira alternative they can self-host or run in an air-gapped environment.
Plane is an open-source tracker that copies the good parts of modern tools without locking you into a vendor cloud. Work items live in projects and can be grouped into cycles for timeboxed sprints or modules for repeatable chunks of work, with estimates, comments and pages for team knowledge. Layouts include list, board, calendar, Gantt and spreadsheet. The Free plan covers up to 12 users. Pro at $6 per seat per month billed annually adds advanced estimates and views, bulk operations, auto-transfer of unfinished cycle work, initiatives, work item types and custom properties, plus 500 AI credits per seat. Business at $13 doubles AI credits and adds project templates and recurring work items. Plane can run in its cloud, on your own servers or air-gapped, and it offers migration from Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Asana and Monday. Expect a smaller integration catalog than Jira and a younger product overall.
Standout feature
Open source, with cloud, self-hosted and air-gapped options.
Use cases
Security-conscious startups
Self-host the tracker on their own infrastructure
Outcome: Work data stays inside their network
Teams leaving Jira
Migrate issues with vendor migration support
Outcome: A simpler tool without losing history
Small agencies
Run cycles for up to 12 people
Outcome: No license cost on the Free plan
Key features
- Work items, cycles, modules, pages and estimates
- List, board, calendar, Gantt and spreadsheet layouts
- Work item types, custom properties and templates on paid plans
- Plane AI with monthly credits per seat and agents
- Cloud, self-hosted and air-gapped deployments
Pros
- Open source and self-hostable
- Free plan covers up to 12 users
- Migration support from Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Asana and Monday
Cons
- Smaller app ecosystem than Jira
- Advanced views and bulk operations need paid plans
- Free plan is capped at 12 users
Rank 7
ClickUp
All-in-one work platform with sprints, backlogs, docs, chat and ClickUp Brain AI.
clickup.com8.3
out of 10
Best for: Software teams that also want docs, chat and non-engineering projects in the same workspace.
ClickUp approaches software teams from the all-in-one side. Its software team page describes sprint and backlog management, bug tracking, 15+ views, interactive Gantt charts for releases and dependencies, 100+ automations and forms that turn bug reports into tasks. ClickUp Brain can assign tickets, update sprints and turn PRD reviews and retros into tasks. The Free Forever plan includes unlimited tasks and members, kanban boards, sprint management and time tracking, but only 60 MB of storage. Core at $9 per user per month billed yearly adds custom fields and task types, unlimited storage and Gantt charts and 1,000 automations a month, while Business at $17 adds more automation and AI capacity. The tradeoff is focus: ClickUp does many things, so engineering teams need to agree on conventions, and it lacks the developer-first feel of Linear or Shortcut.
Standout feature
Sprint management is included on the Free Forever plan.
Use cases
Product-led companies
Run sprints next to marketing and support projects
Outcome: One workspace for every team
QA leads
Capture bugs through forms
Outcome: Reports arrive as tasks with the right fields
Engineering managers
Use Gantt views to map releases and dependencies
Outcome: Release dates visible to stakeholders
Key features
- Sprint management, backlogs and bug tracking
- 15+ views including Gantt charts and kanban boards
- 100+ automations for assignments and status changes
- Forms that turn bug reports into tasks
- ClickUp Brain AI for backlog updates and search across connected apps
Pros
- Free Forever plan includes sprint management and unlimited members
- One tool for engineering and the rest of the company
- Many views for different roles
Cons
- Free plan has 60 MB of storage
- Breadth of options makes setup and governance harder
- Custom task types need the Core plan
Rank 8
Zenhub
Agile project management that runs inside GitHub, with sprints, estimates, roadmaps and velocity reports.
zenhub.com8.2
out of 10
Best for: GitHub teams that need sprint planning and reporting beyond what GitHub Projects offers.
Zenhub adds agile planning to GitHub without moving issues elsewhere. Its browser extension shows Zenhub boards inside GitHub, and the product layers projects, epics, estimates, planning poker, automated sprint planning, real-time roadmaps, velocity reports and sprint insights over your repositories. The Free plan includes those planning features for up to 50 users, but only 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues. Teams at $4.99 per user per month billed yearly raises limits to 10 workspaces, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues and adds AI suggested labels, AI sprint review and public or private workspaces. Enterprise adds workspace automations, advanced reporting, unlimited usage and Figma integration, and Zenhub Enterprise Server covers on-premise installs. The limits are clear: if your code is not on GitHub Zenhub has nothing to attach to, and the free tier is tight for a real product.
Standout feature
Sprint planning and velocity reports run directly on GitHub issues.
Use cases
GitHub-first startups
Estimate issues with planning poker and plan sprints
Outcome: Sprint commitments based on velocity
Consulting firms
Separate client work into workspaces
Outcome: Clean reporting per client
Engineering leads
Review sprints with AI summaries
Outcome: Faster retros
Key features
- Zenhub extension for GitHub with projects, epics and issues
- Automated sprint planning, planning poker and estimates
- Real-time roadmaps
- Velocity reports and sprint insights
- AI suggested labels and AI sprint review on Teams
Pros
- Lowest paid price on this list at $4.99 per user
- Works on top of GitHub issues
- Free plan includes sprint planning and velocity reports
Cons
- Free plan limited to 2 repositories and 250 issues
- Only useful for teams on GitHub
- Workspace automations and advanced reporting are Enterprise only
Rank 9
GitLab
DevSecOps platform with issues, boards, epics, iterations and roadmaps next to code and CI/CD.
gitlab.com8.1
out of 10
Best for: Teams that want planning, source control and pipelines in one platform, including self-managed installs.
GitLab is the choice when planning should live in the same platform as code, CI/CD and security scanning. GitLab's docs cover issues, issue boards, epics, iterations, milestones, roadmaps, objectives and key results, weights, time tracking and custom fields, and boards are available on Free, Premium and Ultimate across GitLab.com, Self-Managed and Dedicated. Free allows 5 users per top-level group with 400 compute minutes and 10 GiB of storage. Premium at $29 per user per month billed annually adds team project management, multiple boards at group level, advanced CI/CD and 10,000 compute minutes. Ultimate, priced on request, adds strategic portfolio management and value stream management. The catch is cost: if you only need a tracker, $29 per user is far above Linear or Shortcut, and GitLab's planning screens are less polished than dedicated tools. It makes most sense for teams consolidating on GitLab anyway.
Standout feature
Planning, repositories and CI/CD share one platform that can be self-managed.
Use cases
Regulated companies
Run planning and code on a self-managed instance
Outcome: All delivery data on their own servers
DevOps teams
Link issues, merge requests and pipelines
Outcome: Release status visible from the issue
Program managers
Roll epics into roadmaps across groups
Outcome: Portfolio view on Ultimate
Key features
- Issue boards on every tier
- Epics, iterations, milestones and roadmaps
- Weights, time tracking and custom fields on issues
- Team project management on Premium
- Strategic portfolio and value stream management on Ultimate
Pros
- Planning, code and CI/CD in one tool
- Available as SaaS, self-managed or dedicated
- Free tier includes issue boards and 400 compute minutes
Cons
- Highest paid entry price on this list at $29 per user
- Free plan limited to 5 users per top-level group
- Group-level multiple boards need Premium
Rank 10
Asana
Work management platform with timelines, Gantt views, dashboards, forms and AI teammates.
asana.com8.0
out of 10
Best for: Product and engineering leads who coordinate launches with marketing, design and other non-engineering teams.
Asana is not built specifically for engineers, but it earns a place for teams whose releases involve marketing, design and support. Starter at $10.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.49 monthly, removes seat limits and adds timeline and Gantt views with dependencies, reporting dashboards, unlimited automations, intake forms that create tasks, custom fields, custom templates and unlimited free guests. Paid plans include Asana AI features such as AI Teammates and Asana Dash with monthly request allowances. Advanced at $24.99 adds capacity planning and AI Meetings. The free Personal plan only covers 2 users, so it is for trying the product rather than running a team. For day-to-day engineering, Asana lacks the developer-first pieces that Linear, Jira and Shortcut document, such as code-linked issues and sprint-specific planning, so many teams use it for launch coordination while engineers track work elsewhere.
Standout feature
Unlimited free guests on Starter make it easy to include people outside the team.
Use cases
Product marketing and engineering
Plan a launch timeline with dependencies
Outcome: Every team sees its deadlines
Engineering managers
Collect internal requests through forms
Outcome: Requests arrive structured and triaged
Agencies building software
Share progress with client guests
Outcome: Clients follow along without paid seats
Key features
- Timeline and Gantt views with task dependencies
- Reporting dashboards
- Unlimited automations and intake forms on Starter
- Custom fields and custom templates
- AI Teammates and Asana Dash included on paid plans
Pros
- Easy for non-engineers to adopt
- Unlimited free guests on Starter
- Strong cross-functional launch planning
Cons
- No built-in sprints, story points or code links like developer tools
- Free plan limited to 2 users
- Higher per-user price than Linear or Shortcut
Frequently asked questions
+What is the best project management software for software teams in 2026?
Linear is our top pick because issues, cycles, projects and initiatives are included on every plan and Basic costs $10 per user per month billed yearly. Jira is the best alternative for large engineering organizations that need custom workflows and cross-team planning.
+Is there a free project management tool for software teams?
Yes. GitHub Projects is included on GitHub Free, Jira and Shortcut are free for up to 10 users, Plane for up to 12 users, and Azure Boards for the first 5 users. Linear's Free plan allows unlimited members but caps you at 250 issues.
+Is Linear better than Jira?
Linear is faster to set up and more opinionated, which suits product teams that want sprints and roadmaps without administration. Jira offers deeper workflow configuration, cross-team dependency planning on Premium and sites of up to 100,000 users on Standard, so it fits larger or more complex organizations.
+What is the cheapest paid project management tool for developers?
Zenhub Teams is the lowest paid price on this list at $4.99 per user per month billed yearly, but it requires GitHub. Azure Boards costs $6 per user per month after 5 free users, and Plane Pro is $6 per seat per month billed annually.
+Can I self-host project management software for my engineering team?
Plane is open source and can run self-hosted or air-gapped. GitLab offers self-managed and dedicated deployments, and Zenhub sells Zenhub Enterprise Server for on-premise installs.
About this list
Updated November 10, 2026 by the Mojolin research desk. Mojolin is self-funded
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
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