Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ZenHub VS Jira

Compare ZenHub VS Jira and see what are their differences

ZenHub logo ZenHub

ZenHub is how the world's best software teams work together. Trusted by NASA, Docker, and Rackspace. Start free today!

Jira logo Jira

The #1 software development tool used by agile teams. Jira Software is built for every member of your software team to plan, track, and release great software.
  • ZenHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-11
  • Jira Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-09

ZenHub features and specs

  • GitHub Integration
    ZenHub integrates seamlessly with GitHub, enhancing the native capabilities of GitHub Issues and Pull Requests without requiring users to leave the GitHub interface.
  • Agile Project Management
    Provides robust agile project management tools like Kanban boards, backlogs, sprints, and Epics to help teams manage their workflows efficiently.
  • Customization
    ZenHub allows extensive customization of boards, workflows, and issue templates, making it adaptable to various project management styles.
  • Real-time Updates
    Offers real-time updates and collaboration, ensuring that all team members are on the same page instantly.
  • Advanced Reporting
    Includes advanced reporting features like burndown charts, velocity tracking, and roadmaps to help measure team performance and project progress.
  • Cross-Functional Usability
    Suitable for various team types, including developers, project managers, and designers, providing a unified platform for cross-functional collaboration.

Possible disadvantages of ZenHub

  • Cost
    ZenHub is a paid service with pricing plans that might be expensive for smaller teams or startups.
  • Complexity for New Users
    The wide array of features and customization options can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, particularly with larger projects or extensive boards, causing slowdowns or lags.
  • Limited Standalone Usage
    ZenHub is highly dependent on GitHub, making it less useful for teams not using GitHub as their primary version control system.
  • User Interface
    While integrated into GitHub, some users criticize ZenHub’s UI as cluttered or not as intuitive compared to standalone project management tools.
  • Feature Gaps
    Certain advanced project management features might be missing or less robust compared to specialized tools like Jira or Asana.

Jira features and specs

  • Robust Feature Set
    Jira offers a comprehensive suite of tools for project management, including issue tracking, agile reporting, and workflow automation, which can handle both small and large projects effectively.
  • Customizability
    Organizations can customize Jira extensively, tailoring workflows, fields, and issues to meet their specific requirements, which enhances productivity and alignment with business processes.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Jira integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian products like Confluence, Bitbucket, and more, as well as third-party tools such as GitHub and Slack, ensuring a connected and efficient workflow.
  • Agile Methodologies Support
    With built-in support for Scrum, Kanban, and other agile frameworks, Jira helps teams to manage their agile processes efficiently, offering features like sprint planning, backlog grooming, and burndown charts.
  • Strong Community and Support
    Jira has a large, active user community and extensive documentation, along with professional support options, which can be invaluable in troubleshooting and optimizing its use.
  • Comprehensive Task Management
    Jira Core provides a robust set of features for managing tasks and projects, including customizable workflows, forms, and dashboards, which are beneficial for tracking progress and enhancing productivity.
  • Integration with Other Atlassian Products
    It integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian tools like Confluence, Bitbucket, and Trello, enabling streamlined collaboration and improved visibility across teams.
  • Customizable and Flexible
    Jira Core allows a high degree of customization for workflows, task types, and notifications, making it adaptable to various business processes and team needs.
  • Scalability
    It supports scalability, which makes it suitable for both small-scale teams and large enterprises, evolving as the organization grows.
  • Strong Reporting Capabilities
    The software offers comprehensive reporting tools to gain insights into project progress and team performance, helping in making informed decisions.

Possible disadvantages of Jira

  • Complexity
    Due to its extensive feature set and customizability, Jira can be overly complex for new users or small teams, requiring a steep learning curve and potentially making simple tasks time-consuming.
  • Cost
    While Jira provides robust features, it comes at a cost. Subscription fees can be high, especially for larger teams or organizations requiring advanced capabilities.
  • Performance Issues
    On occasion, users might experience performance issues, particularly with large datasets, causing slowness and reduced efficiency in managing tasks.
  • Overhead
    Maintaining and configuring Jira can require significant administrative overhead, needing dedicated resources to manage its setup, customization, and updates.
  • User Interface Complexity
    While powerful, Jira's user interface can be overwhelming and cluttered, which may hinder usability and speed for those not already familiar with the platform.
  • Complexity for New Users
    Jira Core's wide range of features and customization options can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • High Configuration Overheads
    Setting up and configuring the software to fit specific project needs can be time-consuming, especially for teams without dedicated administrative resources.
  • Cost Considerations
    For smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets, the costs associated with Jira Core licenses and potential add-ons might be a constraint.
  • Limited by Internet Connectivity
    As a primarily cloud-based solution, its functionality can suffer in environments with poor or inconsistent internet connectivity.

ZenHub videos

How To Write & Manage User Stories with ZenHub || Crema

More videos:

  • Review - Using ZenHub Issues, Milestones, and Epics
  • Review - ZenHub How-To: Project Management Inside GitHub

Jira videos

Jira Core Walkthrough and Review

More videos:

  • Review - JIRA Core: Business Team Use Cases
  • Review - (2018) The NEW Jira Begins Now - Modern Software Development
  • Demo - JIRA in a Nutshell demo video
  • Review - (Re)Discover JIRA Core: Tricks That Make a BIG Difference - Atlassian Summit 2016

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ZenHub and Jira)
Project Management
7 7%
93% 93
Task Management
9 9%
91% 91
Productivity
14 14%
86% 86
Business & Commerce
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare ZenHub and Jira

ZenHub Reviews

We have no reviews of ZenHub yet.
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Jira Reviews

  1. Luminous Valentine
    my experience

    Jira may be extremely sluggish and require a large amount of memory on the client side.

    👍 Pros:    Affordable price|Affordable
    👎 Cons:    Super simple|Scalable

10 Best Canny Alternatives and Competitors in 2025
Jira is an issue-tracking tool that flags and tracks bugs, creates product roadmaps, and collects user insights. Beloved by SaaS companies and startups, it’s a great tool for gathering and analyzing what your customers say about your products. Plus, it highlights areas for improvement to target pressing issues instantly. ✍️
Source: clickup.com
25 Best Asana Alternatives & Competitors for Project Management in 2024
Jira is a bug-tracking and project software. Compared to Asana, it’s geared towards agile teams and technical power users. With advanced reporting options, including user workload, average issue age, and recently created issues, project managers can make informed decisions to plan smarter sprints.
Source: clickup.com
The 10 best Asana alternatives in 2024
Unlike Asana, Jira was built specifically for teams that use Scrum and Agile workflows. When you sign up, you'll answer a few questions about your preferred methodologies, project types, and deadlines. Then, Jira will suggest a project template and methodology to fit your team's needs.
Source: zapier.com
16 Best Asana Alternatives of 2024 (Free + Paid)
Jira is a software product of Atlassian and is often used for tracking issues in software development. But Jira has grown to be used outside of the IT segment for tracking a range of issues, tasks and work items. What it might lack in features is made up on the Atlassian Marketplace where many plugins can be purchased to extend the tool’s features.
The Ultimate List of 20 Best AI Work Management Tools
Atlassian Intelligence (preregistration): Jira leverages artificial intelligence to automate various tasks, including summarizing meeting minutes, answering questions, converting natural language queries into JQL or SQL, and offering instant assistance through virtual agents in Slack and Microsoft Teams, accelerating work and enhancing user experience.
Source: ppm.express

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ZenHub and Jira, you can also consider the following products

Nifty - Manage projects, work, and communications in one place.

Asana - Asana project management is an effort to re-imagine how we work together, through modern productivity software. Fast and versatile, Asana helps individuals and groups get more done.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

Basecamp - A simple and elegant project management system.

Wrike - Wrike is a flexible, scalable, and easy-to-use collaborative work management software that helps high-performance teams organize and accomplish their work. Try it now.

monday.com - The most intuitive platform to manage projects and teamwork