7 best Jira alternatives for 2023 (Free, Paid & Open Source)

In an increasingly competitive business landscape, companies are seeking efficient project management and collaboration solutions that cater to their unique needs. While Jira has been a popular choice for many, there are alternatives that address specific pain points and offer enhanced features. Exploring these Jira alternatives can help organizations optimize their project management processes, improve team collaboration and ultimately drive better results.

Here we compare seven top Jira alternatives for 2023. We will delve into each tool’s unique offerings, pricing and features and discuss the key elements to consider when choosing a Jira alternative. Additionally, we will outline our review methodology to provide transparency on how we selected and evaluated these alternatives.

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Before we dive into the individual Jira alternatives, let’s take a look at a comparison chart that highlights some of the most sought-after features in these tools. This chart will help you quickly understand the key differences between the alternatives and identify which tool might best suit your needs.

monday work management is a versatile and user-friendly project management tool that offers a wide range of features, making it an ideal choice for cross-functional teams working on projects spanning various departments or industries. Its flexible and visually appealing interface allows users to easily track tasks, collaborate and communicate within the platform, providing an efficient and organized workspace.

SEE: For more information, read our full monday.com review, or see how monday compares to Jira.

Figure A

Teamwork is a powerful project management and collaboration tool designed with agencies, remote teams and client collaboration in mind. It offers a comprehensive set of features that enable users to manage projects, track time and communicate effectively, both internally and with clients. The platform’s client-focused features make it easier to share progress, receive feedback and ensure smooth collaboration throughout the project lifecycle.

SEE: For more information, read our full Teamwork review.

Figure B

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management platform that provides a comprehensive suite of features, making it a great choice for teams seeking a single tool to manage tasks, documents, goals and more. Its flexibility and customization options allow users to adapt the platform to their specific needs, enabling seamless collaboration and organization.

SEE: For more information, check out our full ClickUp review as well as see how it compares to Jira.

Figure C

Confluence is a powerful collaboration and knowledge management tool designed by Atlassian, the same company behind Jira. While it’s not a direct project management tool like the others on this list, Confluence excels in helping teams create, organize and share documentation, making it an ideal choice for teams that prioritize robust knowledge management and seamless integration with Jira.

SEE: For more information check out our Confluence review.

Figure D

Trello is a highly visual and easy-to-use project management tool that is perfect for teams looking for a straightforward way to manage tasks and projects. With its intuitive Kanban-style boards, Trello allows users to quickly create and organize tasks, making it an excellent choice for small teams or those who prefer a more minimalistic approach to project management.

SEE: For more information, check out our full Trello review or see how it compares to Jira.

Figure E

Asana is a comprehensive project management and collaboration tool that caters to businesses of all sizes. It offers robust workflow management capabilities, making it an excellent choice for teams looking to streamline their processes and improve collaboration. With its user-friendly interface and wide array of features, Asana provides an organized platform for managing tasks, tracking progress and fostering communication.

SEE: For more information, read our full Asana review or check out how Asana compares to Jira.

Figure F

Notion is an all-in-one workspace solution that combines project management, collaboration and knowledge management into a single platform. Its flexible structure and powerful features make it suitable for teams and organizations of all sizes, looking to centralize their work processes and improve productivity.

SEE: For more information, check out our full Notion review.

Figure G

Time tracking is a crucial feature for many teams, as it helps monitor the hours spent on tasks and projects. This information can be used to improve resource allocation, project estimates and team productivity. Accurate time tracking also allows for better billing and invoicing when working with clients.

Issue tracking is particularly important for software development teams, as it helps identify, prioritize and resolve bugs and other issues. A robust issue tracking system can improve product quality, reduce development time and ensure a smoother user experience.

Customizable workflows enable teams to tailor their project management tool to their specific needs and processes. This flexibility can lead to better efficiency, as teams can create workflows that align with their unique requirements and minimize friction in managing tasks and projects.

SEE: Check out our list of the best open-source project management tools.

Offering multiple view types, such as kanban boards, Gantt charts, list views and calendar views, allows teams to visualize their work in the way that best suits their preferences and work style. This versatility can improve collaboration, as team members can easily switch between different views to gain insights and monitor progress.

Integration capabilities are essential for a seamless and efficient workflow, as they allow teams to connect their project management tool with other software they use daily. Integrations with popular apps, such as communication tools, file storage services and time tracking software, can significantly enhance productivity and streamline processes.

There are several reasons why you might consider looking for a Jira alternative:

By considering these factors and evaluating the features, pricing and benefits of Jira alternatives, you can find a project management solution that better meets your team’s needs and helps drive improved efficiency and collaboration.

Choosing the best Jira alternative for your business requires careful consideration of your team’s unique needs and priorities. Here are some key factors to take into account when evaluating different project management tools:

Start by assessing your team’s specific needs and goals. Determine the features that are most important for your workflows, such as issue tracking, time tracking, customizable workflows and multiple view types. Also, consider any specific industry requirements or unique challenges your team faces that may impact your choice.

SEE: Explore our list of the best Agile project management software.

A user-friendly interface and intuitive features can make a significant difference in the adoption and overall success of a new project management tool. Look for alternatives that offer a smooth learning curve, making it easier for your team members to get on board and start using the tool effectively.

Different teams have varying workflows and processes. A Jira alternative that allows for easy customization can help you create a tool that aligns with your team’s specific needs. Consider how adaptable the platform is in terms of creating custom workflows, fields and views.

Effective collaboration is critical for successful project management. Evaluate the communication features offered by each alternative, such as in-app messaging, real-time updates and file-sharing capabilities. These features can help streamline communication and ensure everyone stays on the same page.

Your project management tool should seamlessly integrate with the other software and tools your team uses daily. Check for integrations with popular apps like communication tools, file storage services and time tracking software to enhance productivity and create a unified workspace.

Consider your budget and the size of your team when evaluating alternatives. Some tools offer more cost-effective plans for small businesses, while others may be more suited to larger enterprises. Additionally, ensure the tool you choose can scale with your business as it grows.

Finally, consider the level of support and resources available for each alternative. This includes customer support, documentation and a user community that can help you troubleshoot issues and learn best practices for using the tool.

By carefully evaluating each of these factors and comparing the features, pricing and benefits of various Jira alternatives, you can make an informed decision about the best project management solution for your business.

This review constituted an approach of comparing project management software in terms of features and pricing alongside the potential requirements of a user who wants an alternative to Jira. It was a mix of testing the Jira alternatives through free trials and free plans as well as getting insights by aggregating user reviews and official product pages and documentation to determine the seven best alternatives to Jira for 2023.

If you’re not sure if any of these tools are right for your business, check out our list of the best software development project management tools.

The 13 Best Free PDF Editors (May 2023)

Use these PDF editors and online tools to change your PDF files absolutely free

Looking for a truly free PDF editor that lets you not only edit and add text but also change images, add your own graphics, sign your name, fill out forms, and more? You came to the right place: We've researched these types of apps to come up with a list of exactly what you're looking for.

Some of these are online editors that work in your web browser, so all you have to do is upload your PDF to the website, make the changes you want, and then save it back to your computer. That's ​the quick way—but do bear in mind that, typically, a web-based editor isn't as fully featured as its desktop counterpart, plus the file is exposed to the internet (which might be of concern if it contains sensitive content).

Because not all of these editors support the same features, and some are restricted in what you can do, remember that you can process the same PDF in more than one tool. For example, use one to edit the PDF text (if that's supported), and then put the same PDF through a different editor to do something supported in that program (e.g., to edit a form, update an image, or remove a page).

If you don't need to change the contents of the file but instead just need to change it to another format (such as .docx for Microsoft Word or .epub for an eBook), see our list of free document converters for help. On the other hand, if you have a file you created yourself that you want to save as a PDF file, learn how to print to PDF.

If you already own a modern version of Microsoft Word (2021, 2019, 2016, etc.), then skip all the suggested programs below: you have a great PDF editor at your disposal right now. Just open the PDF as you would any Word document, give the program a few minutes to convert the PDF, and then edit away. This also works in WPS Office and Google Docs.

Featured Link: How to Change a PDF to a Word Document

Don't want to work in Word? Then check out our list of favorites to find an option that better suits you.

Sejda PDF Editor is one of the very few PDF editors that actually lets you edit pre-existing text in the PDF without adding a watermark. Most editors only let you edit the text you add yourself, or they support text editing but then throw watermarks all over the place.

Plus, this tool can run entirely in your web browser, so it's easy to get going without having to download any programs. You can get the desktop version if you'd rather use it that way.

There are some differences between the online and desktop versions that you should know about. For example, the desktop edition supports more font types and doesn't let you add PDFs by URL or from online storage services as the online editor does (which supports Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive).

Another neat feature is the web integration tool that lets PDF publishers provide a link for their users that they can simply click to automatically open the file in this editor.

All uploaded files are automatically deleted from Sejda after two hours.

This tool works no matter which operating system you use. Sejda PDF Desktop runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit Sejda.com

You can use the online or desktop version to convert PDF to Word, and vice versa.

PDFgear is a full toolkit for doing pretty much anything you could want to do with a PDF.

Beyond basic PDF viewing and full text editing are options to add a signature, convert the file to other formats, extract text, annotate and insert your own watermark, rotate and delete pages, add a password, compress the PDF, and more. You can even present the PDF as a slideshow if you want to.

Something we really like is the Extract Text tool. It lets you highlight any part of the page to pull out text into an easily usable text box so you can copy that content. This is great for lists and other situations where selecting PDF text is usually difficult.

This program runs on Windows and macOS.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Download PDFgear

Featured Link: How to Use Canva

Canva is a very capable website for creating unique, high-quality designs. While you could create a project from scratch or a template, another way you can use its editing tools is on a PDF.

Unlike most free tools, Canva lets you fully edit text. Click into any text area to change what the text says and to adjust the font type, size, and color. You can also add hyperlinks to text and other objects, and special fonts are available to easily type out your signature.

Of course, because this is a full graphic design platform, it has a wealth of other tools so you can also edit images, add shapes, edit and build PDF pages, include charts, etc. If you have most of your media on another site like Google Photos or Dropbox, you can connect to those services to easily copy files into your PDF.

PDFs can't exceed 15 MB or 15 pages. When you're done, you can save back to PDF or choose from various image and video formats.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit Canva

PDF-XChange Editor offers some great tools, but not all of them are free to use. If you use a non-free feature, the PDF will save with a watermark on every page.

If you stick to just the free features, however, you can still do some editing to the file and save it back to your computer.

You can load PDFs from your computer, a URL, SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox. You can save the edited PDF back to your computer or to any of those cloud storage services.

There are lots of features, so it might seem overwhelming at first. All the options and tools are simple to understand, however, and they're categorized into their own sections for easier management.

One nice feature is the ability to highlight all the form fields so that you can easily spot where you need to fill in. This is really helpful if you're editing a PDF with lots of forms, such as an application.

Many of the features are free (like editing the text), but some are not. If you use a feature that's not covered by the free version (you're told which ones aren't free when you use them), the saved PDF file will have a watermark attached to the corner of every page. There's a comprehensive list of all the free features on the download page.

Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 users can install PDF-XChange Editor. You can download it in portable mode to use on a flash drive or as a regular installer.

Download PDF-XChange Editor

Inkscape is an extremely popular free image viewer and editor, but it also includes PDF editing functions that most dedicated PDF editors support only in their paid editions.

This is a very capable image editing program. If you're not already familiar with programs like GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other image editors, however, it's probably a bit advanced for you.

In the context of PDF editing, though, you should consider this software only if you want to delete or edit the images or text in the PDF. We suggest you use a different tool in this list to edit PDF forms or add shapes, and then plug that PDF into Inkscape if you need to actually edit the preexisting text.

You can install it on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Related: How to Make Text Adjustments in Inkscape

Download Inkscape

TinyWow is an amazing service with loads of free PDF tools, one of which is this editor.

All the functions you need are available here: Edit text, add text, highlight and blackout items, include shapes and checkmarks, import the date and time, upload images, and add your signature. You can also rotate, delete, and add new pages to your document.

Files can be uploaded from your device or your Google Drive account. All edited documents can be saved back to a .pdf file.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit TinyWow

FormSwift's Free PDF Editor is a very simple online option that you can start using without even making a user account (although, you'll need one when you save).

It's as simple as uploading your PDF file to the website and using the menus at the top of the page to quickly perform some basic PDF editing functions before downloading it back to your computer.

For example, you can add circles, checkmarks, and "x" icons over any text; easily type, draw, or sign on the file; and insert your own images.

When you're done editing, you can download the file as a PDF file, print it directly to your printer, or save as a .docx document.

The .pdf-to-.docx conversion didn't work for every PDF that we tried, but in those that did convert successfully, the images were formatted nicely and the text was fully editable.

FormSwift's Convert Images to PDF page lets you quickly edit or sign PDFs from your phone by taking a picture of a document. You can then share or download the PDF when you're done. It's not perfect: Most things done through a web app are spotty. It does work, however, with a little patience.

You can upload Word documents and images to FormSwift, too, if you need to edit those instead of a PDF. 

All operating systems can use this since it works online.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit FormSwift

Draw is LibreOffice's flowchart and diagram program, but it also lets you open and edit PDFs. Use the File > Open menu to select the PDF you want to edit, and then zoom up to the text to select and change whatever you want.

One of the neat things about editing PDFs with this program is that it's made for creating and manipulating objects, so you can just as easily edit non-text things, too, like images, headings, colors, etc.

When you're ready to save, don't use the typical save option; go instead to File > Export As to find the PDF option.

It works with Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Download LibreOffice

SimplePDF is a website with several PDF editing tools built specifically for editing and filling out PDF forms.

While you can't edit existing text like some of the competition, it does support adding text, as well as checkboxes, signatures, and pictures. This might be enough for you, depending on what you need from a PDF editor.

A few reasons we like this website so much are that it's not cluttered with ads, you can import a PDF from Dropbox or Google Drive, and saving your PDF is fast and easy without a watermark or user account necessary.

If there are multiple PDFs you want to merge into one document, SimplePDF can do that, too. You can also rearrange the pages, rotate them, and delete individual pages.

See the SimplePDF Pricing page if you need more features like unlimited submissions, custom subdomain support, email notifications, and more.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit SimplePDF

PDFescape has quite a lot of features. It's free as long as the document doesn't exceed 100 pages or 10 MB.

You can't truly change text or edit images for free using this editor, but you can add your own text, images, links, form fields, etc. 

The text tool is very customizable so that you can pick your own size, font type, color, alignment, and apply effects such as bolding, underlining, and italics.

You also can draw on the PDF, add sticky notes, strikethrough text, put white space over anything you want to disappear, and insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, rectangles, and comments.

PDFescape lets you delete individual pages from the PDF, rotate pages, crop out parts of a page, reorganize the order of the pages, and add more pages from other PDFs.

You can upload your own PDF file, paste the URL to an online PDF, and make your own PDF from scratch. 

When finished editing, you can download the PDF to your computer without ever having to make a user account. You need one only if you want to save your progress online without downloading the PDF.

The online version works in all operating systems. There's also an offline editor that runs on Windows, but it isn't free.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit PDFescape.com

One of the quickest ways to add images, text, shapes, or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf.

This website allows you to upload a PDF, make changes to it, and then save it back to your computer, all without needing to make a user account or pay for any anti-watermarking features.

You can open files from your computer or your Dropbox or Google Drive account.

Importing shapes is possible if you want a rectangle, square, circle, arrow, or line. You can change the object's main color and line color, as well as the thickness of its edge.

Text size can be small, regular, medium, large, or extra large, but you can't change the font type, just the color.

When finished editing the PDF, you can decide where you want it saved; to your device or your Dropbox account. You can also generate a share link that anyone can use to download the PDF. Something else you can do is run the document through Smallpdf's PDF splitter tool if you want to extract the pages.

After editing one document, you'll have to wait several hours to keep using the site, or upgrade/pay.

This site works with all operating systems that support a modern web browser.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit Smallpdf.com

This website is incredibly simple, which is good or bad, depending on what you're wanting it to do.

We add this PDF editor to our list because it lets you easily sign your name on any PDF. There aren't any extra features that get in the way, it doesn't put a watermark on your document, and it's just overall very easy to use if you just need a quick way to add your signature to a PDF.

If you want to, you can also include your written name and a date.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit JustSignPDF.com

PDFelement is free, but with a major limitation: It places a watermark on every page of the document. That being said, the watermark is behind everything, so you can still see the content, and it's important to realize that it supports some truly great PDF editing features.

This program would be a truly free PDF editor if it weren't for the fact that the free edition will not save without first putting a watermark on every single page of the PDF.

Depending on what you'll use the PDF for, however, the features it supports might be enough for you to consider living with the watermarks.

When you're done editing, you can save back to PDF or any of the several other supported formats, including Word and other MS Office formats. To export or save, you have to have a Wondershare account.

Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS are supported.

Download For:

Android

iOS

Mac

Windows

PDF BOB is a free online PDF editor that requires no user account. Just upload your file, make the changes you need to, and then export it to PDF again to finish up.

There are several tools here, like a text option that lets you select a custom color and font type, an image picker, a colored pencil/marker, and a few shape tools.

It uses OCR to identify the text, so things like the strikeout and underline tool look great, and all you have to do is double-click the word you want to apply it to.

You can also use this website to delete pages from the PDF and add new ones to it. When you save, there's even a password option to secure the document.

When you're done editing, export to the PDF format or, if you log in, JPG and PNG. Files can be saved back to your computer or imported directly into Google Drive or Dropbox.

Although PDF BOB doesn't let you edit the PDF text, you can convert the PDF to a Word format to do so in a word processor.

Featured Link: EXTERNAL: Visit PDF BOB

How do I edit a PDF on Chromebook?

To edit a PDF on Chromebook, use a third-party app like Sejda, DocFly, or Soda PDF Online. Most Chromebooks do not come with a PDF editor app by default.

How do I edit PDFs on iPhone or iPad?

To edit PDFs on an iPhone or iPad, go to Files, open a PDF, then swipe from the left edge of the screen to open the thumbnail view. Press and hold a page to open the edit menu.

How do I make a PDF file?

To make a PDF file in Word, go to File > Save as > PDF. On Google Docs, go to File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf). On Mac Pages, go to File > Print > Save as PDF.

How do I combine PDF files?

To combine PDF files, use the Soda PDF Online merge tool. Select Choose File, choose a PDF > Open. Repeat for the second PDF and select Merge.