🧠 Fun Fact: The project management software industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate or CAGR of 18.48% to $15.06 billion by 2032!
No wonder choosing the right project management tool is daunting.
You have countless options with overlapping features. Then there’s the pressing question of budget.
While free project management software offers a good way to learn formal project management, premium software has advanced functionalities that encourage your organization to grow by shifting the focus to strategic work.
In such an expansive space, and YouTrack cater to diverse needs across the tech industry, from agile teams to developers. In this blog post, we’ve compared both across different parameters to help you make an informed decision.
YouTrack vs : A Detailed Head-to-Head Comparison
⏰60-Second Summary
| is best for | YouTrack is best for |
| Teams seeking a versatile project management tool with extensive customization and real-time collaboration features. | Agile teams and developers focusing on robust issue tracking and project management. |
| Agile development with support for sprint planning, user stories, and bug tracking. | Organizations that need integration with a wide range of applications (over 1,000 apps). |
| Organizations that need integration with a wide range of applications (over 1,000 apps). | Organizations requiring a helpdesk solution for managing customer support tickets. |
| Teams looking for AI assistance to automate tasks and gain workspace insights. | Teams that benefit from built-in time tracking linked to issues. |
What Is ?
is the everything app for work designed to help teams easily plan, collaborate, track, and execute projects. It combines project management, knowledge management, and chat—all powered by AI that helps you work faster and smarter.
Whether you’re leading a small team, in charge of a large-scale operation, or your team is colocated or geographically dispersed, is an equalizer that brings everyone on the same page. It is a powerful tool that streamlines workflows to support project managers in meeting goals and objectives.
Plus, it hosts a variety of project management templates for different applications and use cases, saving you the time and effort of starting from scratch.
features
Here are some key features that make it a powerhouse in the project management tool market:
1. Agile software development
supports Agile teams with powerful features tailored for iterative workflows and continuous delivery.
Plan and manage sprints, build user stories, and track bugs in one place using for software development.
Sprint Automations in automatically update tasks, streamline workflows, and keep your team aligned on priorities. Custom Fields and templates ensure your project requirements are documented in a clear and actionable manner.
Stay on top of your progress with Agile dashboards and reports, such as burndown charts, velocity tracking, and workflow analytics. These give your team full visibility into performance and timelines.
With all these tools in one place, helps you deliver high-quality software faster while maintaining seamless collaboration across teams in an Agile environment.
💡Pro Tip: Choose your project management approach wisely! Traditional methods suit long-term, structured projects, while Agile planning excels in short-term, complex projects that thrive on frequent stakeholder feedback and adaptability.
2. Project management
Designed to offer end-to-end project tracking, is the one app you need for all your project requirements. With tools like task prioritization and progress-tracking, project visualization using 15+ Custom Views, and workflow optimization, simplifies every project lifecycle, from planning to execution.
Use features like Goals to track key objectives, Docs for centralized knowledge sharing, and Whiteboards for collaborative brainstorming and strategy planning.
Using for project management provides unmatched versatility as you transform the platform depending on your specific requirements while keeping everything centralized.
3. Real-time dashboards
’s Dashboards offer a detailed overview of your project. In seconds, you can monitor tasks, deadlines, workflows, and budgets in a single view. Choose from multiple cards and charts, including line charts, pie charts, bar charts, and custom calculation cards, to track KPIs and trends that matter for your projects.
This data visualization makes insights readily available while keeping stakeholders informed and aligned. Moreover, such ready access to data also supports effective decision-making. 💯
4. Bug and issue tracking
Addressing bugs and resolving defects is challenging, but the Bug & Issue Tracking Template is designed to help your teams solve them promptly.
With customizable workflows, automated processes, flexible views, and custom intake Forms, this advanced template enables smooth cross-functional teamwork. As a result, you can fix bugs and issues to enhance communication, optimize processes, and deliver high-quality products faster and more efficiently.
provides access to an exhaustive library of beginner-friendly templates that help jumpstart your project, such as the Bug Tracking Template or the Issue Tracker Template, saving you time and standardizing processes.
5. Integrations
seamlessly integrates with 1000+ productivity apps, tools, systems, and platforms, making it easier to bring the tool into your workflow.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using GitHub, GitLab, Slack, or Google Drive— runs effortlessly throughout. Such native integrations boost productivity without cumbersome manual data transfers. 🖇️
Additional features:
- Knowledge management: Centralize company knowledge with features like Docs, wikis, and AI-powered search, making it easy to access and share information
- Collaboration tools: Share ideas and empower team communication with the built-in Chat, task comments, and real-time editing, ensuring alignment and reducing the need for external tools
- Workflow automation: Save time and eliminate repetitive tasks with Brain and AI-powered Automations, allowing teams to focus on higher-value work
- Task management: Organize tasks with Custom Fields, statuses, priorities, and dependencies to create a seamless workflow tailored to your team’s needs
Pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7/month per user
🔎 Did You Know? Artemis, launched by Metier Management Systems in 1977, is often celebrated as the pioneering tool for what we today know as project management software.
What Is YouTrack?
JetBrains developed YouTrack as an issue tracker and a project management tool for teams of all sizes.
The tool simplifies task tracking and enhances collaboration, making it ideal for software project management. YouTrack offers specialized features to meet the requirements of agile teams, developers, and help desk operations. However, its user-friendly design and flexibility make it versatile beyond software and tech applications.
YouTrack has a cloud version (hosted by JetBrains) and a server version (self-hosted).
YouTrack features
Here are some of the features of YouTrack that stand out in terms of business management:
1. Agile boards
YouTrack features agile boards that simplify planning and executing tasks in an iterative workflow. They are designed for flexibility and support Kanban, Scrum, and hybrid approaches to match the agile project plan.
YouTrack Agile boards deliver smooth sprint management and prioritization with their drag-and-drop functionality and customizable columns. 🧩
2. Workflows
This YouTrack feature allows project managers to automate repetitive tasks and streamline operations. It sports a workflow editor enabling teams to define custom rules and triggers with zero coding required, ensuring tasks move efficiently through the pipeline.
From automatic task assignment to dependency management, Workflows drive efficiency in several ways. 🔀
3. Helpdesk
YouTrack also provides a helpdesk solution by allowing teams to deliver customer support. This feature has built-in tools to manage tickets, customize queues, and respond to emails for handling customer inquiries.
The dual function allows project managers to extend exceptional support in the software development cycle.
4. Gantt charts
YouTrack allows you to visualize your project timeline as a Gantt chart. This gives a clear view of the task, its dependencies, start and end dates, and resource allocation, helping you stay on schedule.
Gantt charts offer an intuitive way to monitor progress and introduce dynamic changes to the project to keep everything on track. 📊
5. Knowledge base
Create a centralized repository of your documentation, FAQs, team resources, etc., using YouTrack’s knowledge base feature.
The knowledge base integrates directly into the platform, making critical information accessible to authorized stakeholders. This feature is great for maintaining project records, optimizing onboarding, and sharing insights. 📜
YouTrack Pricing
Cloud version:
- 1-10 Users: Free
- 11+ users: $4.40/month per user
- Helpdesk: $5/month per support agent
Server version:
- Free for up to 10 users
- Starts from $600 for 15 users
Vs. YouTrack: Features Compared
Now that you have a broad idea about both platforms, let’s compare the two in detail.
| Feature | YouTrack | |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple views | Offers Gantt charts, Boards, Lists, Calendars, Timelines, and Mind Maps for flexible project views. | Limited to Kanban boards, Scrum boards, and Gantt charts. |
| Task management | Advanced task hierarchies, subtasks, dependencies, recurring tasks, and automations. | Focused on issue tracking with features like tags, issue linking, and auto-assignment. |
| Team collaboration | Includes Chat, threaded comments, Docs, Whiteboards, and @mentions for seamless collaboration. | Collaboration limited to task comments, reactions, and updates; external tools needed for chat. |
| AI assistance | Brain automates tasks, recommends improvements, and provides workspace insights. | AI assistant drafts text, summarizes updates, and answers queries within tasks. |
| Time tracking | Built-in time tracker with integrations, detailed timesheets, and user-friendly reports. | Built-in time tracker logs hours and links to issues seamlessly. |
| Reporting | Customizable dashboards with widgets for task progress, workloads, and productivity tracking. | Agile-focused reports like burndown charts and velocity charts for sprint tracking. |
| Templates | Extensive library of customizable templates for diverse needs and industries. | Limited templates focused on issue tracking and task management. |
| Integrations | Over 1,000 integrations, including GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Google Drive, and Zapier. | Integrates with JetBrains tools, GitHub, GitLab, and other developer-focused tools. |
vs. YouTrack: Multiple views
Multiple views allow you to visualize your project in different formats. Having variety here grants flexibility to your project team while viewing the project in their preferred way.
offers diverse views, such as Gantt charts, Boards, Lists, Calendars, Timelines,and even Mind Maps. It supports detailed workflows that are helpful for specialized tasks like sprint planning in agile teams.
YouTrack has limited view options, such as Kanban boards, Scrum boards, and Gantt charts. While these views are helpful, they lack the depth and versatility of other views.
🥇 Winner: for its sheer variety of project views to match different team preferences.
vs. YouTrack: Task management
Task management capabilities are the core offerings of any project management tool, making them a key consideration when evaluating your options.
lets you build and manage task hierarchies with subtasks, dependencies, and automation options. It supports recurring tasks, priority tagging, and multiple assignees for seamless task management even while working on complex projects. Whether you assign tasks or set priorities, gets the job done.
YouTrack focuses on issue tracking, offering features like tags, issue linking, and auto-assignment. While these features are excellent for development teams, they may feel restrictive for other projects and applications.
🥇 Winner: , for its advanced and user-friendly task management capabilities that span use cases and functions.
vs. YouTrack: Team collaboration
Collaboration and communication are the cornerstones of project success. The objective is to keep teams and stakeholders aligned to achieve short—and long-term goals for wider success.
encourages team collaboration across multiple channels. You have Chat for real-time interactions, threaded discussion comments with @mentions for contextual engagement, Docs for live editing and file sharing, and Whiteboards for brainstorming. Such depth and diversity make a perfect all-in-one tool for team collaboration.
YouTrack allows teams to collaborate through task comments, reactions, and automatic updates baked into Workflows. However, it lacks built-in communication tools, so you’ll have to integrate with Telegram or Slack for these features.
🥇 Winner: , for its power-packed communication tools across different forms and formats.
vs. YouTrack: AI Assistance
Artificial intelligence has gradually become a staple in project management platforms. Given AI’s popularity in software development, let’s explore what and YouTrack offer.
Brain is a powerful tool that automates tasks, recommends improvements, and shares personalized insights from your workspace to improve productivity. It functions as a project management, knowledge management, and writing assistant in one, delivering value quickly. Simply input questions or prompts in natural language, and Brain will get things done for you!
YouTrack also features an AI assistant that can draft text, summarize updates, and answer user queries directly within tasks. This assistant can be used for internal work management or integrated with the helpdesk to improve customer support.
🥇 Winner: While and YouTrack offer feature-rich AI assistants, Brain stands out for its more extensive functionality and ability to provide context-rich insights.
vs. YouTrack: Time tracking
Time tracking not only gives you an overview of the time spent on tasks, but it’s also helpful for resource allocation and workload management. It can even resolve billing and invoicing disputes.
has a built-in time tracker and extensive integrations to complement it. It populates detailed timesheets and time reports that are visual and user-friendly.
YouTrack also has a built-in time tracker within the task management system, allowing teams to log hours and link them to issues seamlessly.
🥇 Winner: YouTrack for its ability to track time more precisely in varied circumstances.
vs. YouTrack: Reporting
Reporting allows project managers and teams to gain data-driven insights for informed decision-making. The goal is to generate qualitative and quantitative reports while making them highly actionable.
offers highly customizable dashboards with customizable cards for effective workload management, task progress tracking, and team productivity management. These dashboards are easy to use, visually pleasing, and highly informative.
YouTrack generates agile-focused reports, such as burndown charts, velocity charts, and cumulative flow diagrams. This makes the reporting tool more geared for sprint reviews and performance tracking.
🥇 Winner: It is difficult to pick a winner here as both tools offer solid reporting features. ↔️
vs. YouTrack: Templates
Templates reduce the time and effort required to start a project. Platforms that offer templates prevent project managers from reinventing the wheel and allow them to deliver value immediately.
features an extensive library of templates for different needs where you’ll get everything from sprint planning to issue tracking templates. Additionally, these templates are easy to use and highly customizable.
YouTrack also offers project templates. However, these are designed primarily for issue tracking and task management.
🥇 Winner: for its more comprehensive selection of templates for diverse projects and industries.
💡 Pro Tip: Software development templates simplify software project management. While they don’t replace coding, the right templates streamline workflows, reduce project manager workloads, and keep your team focused on what matters—delivering better software on time and within budget.
vs. YouTrack: Integrations
Integrations allow you to use the tool within your existing tech stack. Smooth integration entails the platform fitting seamlessly and permitting boundaryless movement of data and information.
integrates with over 1,000 tools, including GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Google Drive, Zapier, and every other app you may need for efficient software development.
YouTrack offers integrations with JetBrains tools, GitHub, GitLab, and developer-focused tools. This makes it a good fit for technical teams.
🥇 Winner: Again, both tools integrate with key tools, apps, and platforms required for software development. However, has a slight edge due to its broader ecosystem.
Vs. YouTrack on Reddit
We took to Reddit to get more insights into the user experience of and YouTrack!
📢 Let’s start with what a Reddit user had to say about :
📢 On the other hand, here’s what another user had to say about YouTrack in the r/selfhosted subreddit:
However, a user who switched from YouTrack to felt that the former was a little easier to figure out for them. This is in complete contrast to another user who was considering and YouTrack and found YouTrack rather confusing to use.
In short, the consensus is that ranks higher in public opinion than YouTrack.
The verdict is in, and we have a champion! 🏆
In the ultimate showdown between YouTrack and , the latter emerges as the winner.
Even though YouTrack has carved a niche for itself in issue tracking and agile workflows, it falls short when addressing modern teams’ diverse and evolving needs. Its specialized focus limits flexibility and scalability, leaving room for improvement in features like collaboration, automation, and integrations.
However, surpasses expectations in every area where YouTrack falls behind and offers much more.
’s comprehensive suite of features, from workflow automation and reporting to rich integrations and customizable templates, ensures it grows with your business. Its versatility makes it the go-to solution for teams across industries, offering unmatched flexibility and scalability.
Curious to see the difference?
Sign up for now and experience why it’s the ultimate choice for project and task management!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
