The Strong Trio. This is how we can title the review in which we have Jira vs Youtrack vs Worksection. Agile teams often face the choice: Jira or Youtrack?
Both systems attract attention due to their free access for up to 10 users, but during testing, surprises may “pop up” in the form of unexplained glitches, limited functionality, or the need to pay for additional integrations to customize the system capabilities specifically for your team.
Our review of project management systems will be informative and detailed. Experienced developers say that Youtrack is an alternative to Jira. And Youtrack itself states that migrating from Jira to them can be done in just one click, with a discount of up to 25%.
Well, let’s see if that’s really the case. Additionally, we will explain why Youtrack and Jira significantly limit project and task management capabilities.
We will choose project management software based on the following criteria:
- Comparison table
- General information about each system
- Pricing
- Native functionality and interface structure
- Reporting options
- Technical support
- Security
First: Jira and Youtrack offer the functionality of their systems for FREE and forever for teams with no more than 10 members. So, as an option for a small agile team, a team of software developers, or IT specialists, this is perfectly fine, and we will highlight the main points.
Jira and Youtrack are for IT, software developers, and managing agile projects. They are not suitable for any other teams that do not work with code, for example.
Second — Jira’s interface is only in English. If there are team members who do not have sufficient English proficiency to use English-language software, working in Jira will be too problematic for both individual employees and the team as a whole.
A Little About Each Project Management System
Jira — a bug tracking system, task management, agile project management with both cloud and server versions. Open-source code available for download. Developer: Atlassian (Australia).
Jira — the choice of IT specialists and software developers. Interface language: English only. The interface structure is complex, but it’s not a problem for IT. Three pricing plans and an online calculator for calculating the cost of using the software for 1 to 5000 users.
Youtrack — a bug tracking and flexible project management system for software developers (as the company positions itself on its official website). Developer: JetBrains (with headquarters in Prague).
There are cloud and desktop versions. A free version forever for a team of up to 10 people. The pricing plan is flexible and the cost depends on the number of users. The more users, the cheaper the price of the plan. Languages: Russian and English (also German, Japanese, etc.).
Worksection — a mobile and multilingual project management system. Development country: Ukraine, 2009. The interface is translated into 8 languages, including Russian and Ukrainian. Currently, the task manager serves over 1300 companies, among which are the leaders of the global market and large network companies.
A worthy “filling,” hundreds of possible integrations. Transparency and accuracy of reports (by tasks, by people, detailed, etc.). Built-in time tracking that calculates not only the time spent but also in a time/money format (ideal for companies with hourly rates). Five pricing plans (for a team of 3 – 4 people as well as for a team of 50+ employees).
Conclusion
Jira — for IT and software developers, Youtrack — also for IT specialists, software developers, and managing agile projects.
Worksection — for small teams, medium, and large businesses without regard to the specific industry. We provide convenient management of projects/tasks with detailed reporting and built-in time tracking in the time/money format.
Pricing
Jira
- Free forever for 10 users.
- Standard. $7.00 per user per month. Up to 5000 users can be connected.
- Premium. $14.00 per user per month. Up to 5000 users can be connected.
Youtrack
- Free forever, no more than 10 users.
- $3.67 per user for teams of 11 or more with annual package payment. The cost for 11+ individuals is calculated using the online calculator.
Worksection
- Free. Free forever, for a team of up to 5 users.
- Basic. $69/month and access for 20 employees.
- Business. $149/month and access for 50 employees.
- Premium. $299/month and access for 50 employees.
- Enterprise (by individual request).
And just a little math:
Let’s calculate the costs for a team of 20 people.
Jira — $140/month, Youtrack — $73.4/month, Worksection — $69/month
Thus, we have a price leader, and it’s Worksection. A bit ahead, we will say that this task manager will lead not only in pricing.
How to figure out the functionality on your own and teach employees?
To ensure that work processes in the system start quickly and painlessly for all employees, they need to be provided with quality training resources. This is the concern of each individual system.
Since Jira and Youtrack have specific interfaces, training may take a considerable amount of time. To simplify the process, both systems have prepared a solid training base.
One thing is theory. And something completely different is practice.
Starting with Jira
This is difficult for everyone (except for IT specialists and developers, of course). Let’s remember that the software interface is in English. For training, Jira has prepared: a knowledge base, tutorials, FAQs, a blog, and even created a community for clients. While blogs, FAQs, and knowledge bases exist in 99% of task managers, the Atlassian Community is an interesting addition.
In the Atlassian Community, one can find answers to their questions from customers who are already users of Jira with considerable experience.
Starting with Youtrack
In terms of training newcomers, the Youtrack developers have prepared superbly. To start with, there is a video tour available on the website. This is a five-minute overview of the system. What else is available? Something for everyone: free training webinars (on YouTube), demos, screencasts, a forum, a brief user guide, training documentation.
For each specific question, there is a separate guide. For example: “create a project,” “manage the project team,” “agile development with Youtrack,” and much more.
Starting with Worksection
Softly, comfortably, with a general understanding of the functionality and each detail separately. What does the task manager provide for this: technical support via chat and email, FAQs, online consultations, training videos, articles with answers to the most common customer questions, and a blog.
By the way, the blog contains detailed cases analyzing the experiences of various companies using Worksection.
Projects, Tasks, and Subtasks. The Structure of Task Managers
The Structure of Jira:
- Project
- Tasks
- Subtasks
In Jira, everything “revolves” not around projects or tasks, but around workflows. The workflow shows the path of the task: from the moment of its creation to the final resolution. There are several additions here: conditions, triggers, post-functions can be created. Working with workflows is more important for large companies. This will provide precise understanding of the stage of each specific task.
The software developers themselves say that they do not recommend editing active workflows, for example, to avoid confusion.
The Structure of Youtrack:
- Project
- Tasks
- Agile Boards
Essentially, the core of Youtrack (like in many other task managers) is projects and tasks. However, we highlighted Agile Boards in the structure as they deserve special attention.
So, what are Agile Boards? They are designed for flexible project management. Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban boards can be created. This is what developers particularly appreciate in Youtrack. The boards allow for detecting problems and resolving them as quickly as possible.
Sprints are used for planning. With the help of a sprint, one can focus on one goal, manage it, change dates, the name of the sprint, archive or delete it. Tasks in Kanban can be moved across the board, and in the “cumulative flow” diagram, bottlenecks (customizable filters can be set) can be identified, and the progress indicator will show the status of each specific task on the board.
The developers themselves refer to Youtrack as flexible, and indeed, it is. The functionality can be fully tailored to your needs and those of the company.
The Structure of Worksection:
- Company
- Project
- Tasks
- First-level subtasks
- Second-level subtasks
All projects in Worksection can be grouped into folders (team and ordinary). Projects are assigned to specific teams. There is a feature called “Add to Team,” where required employees can be added with one click.
Tasks can be created from both the “main” interface and the “tasks” section. In the top right corner of the “main” section, the subdivisions “My Projects” and “My Tasks” are displayed. Creating new tasks and managing them is maximally convenient. Tasks can also be sorted using filters: by people, Kanban, closed, and open.