Alternatives to
What are the 7 best alternatives to Jira?
7 alternatives to Jira for effective project management in 2025
Jira is a benchmark for project management, but its cost, complexity and ease of use put off many organisations. Fortunately, there are several alternatives suited to different needs, from SMEs to large enterprises. Here are 7 solutions to discover to manage your projects better.
Why look for an alternative to Jira?
If Jira remains a benchmark, it also has limitations that justify looking for different solutions:
Complexity of use and heavy configuration for non-technical teams.
High licence costs that rise quickly with team size.
An unintuitive tool, which slows team onboarding
Current challenges in project management
Tools that have become essential for productivity
According to a study by McKinsey, employees spend on average nearly 20 % of their time searching for internal information or looking for colleagues who can help them with specific tasks. Project management software can drastically reduce these wasted time losses.
Hybrid working accelerates adoption of collaborative tools
Since the pandemic, hybrid working has become the norm. In 2023, 35 % of employees worked at least partly from home, compared with 25 % before the crisis (BLS). At the same time, the use of collaborative platforms jumped by 44 % between 2019 and 2021, reaching nearly 80 % of employees (FutureCIO).
Data sovereignty and security as decisive criteria
Digital sovereignty is now one of Europe's priorities: it means keeping control over your data, infrastructure and technologies. The GDPR, adopted in 2018, is one of the pillars of this approach by imposing strict rules for data processing and governance (Oodrive)
Tool | Main positioning | Key benefits major | Main limitations | Ideal for… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jira | Project management for IT | Powerful for development teams, agile management (Scrum, Kanban), multiple integrations | High complexity, significant cost, not well suited to creative teams | Large IT companies, software development teams |
Notion | Collaborative and customisable workspace | Simplicity, flexibility and task management | Less robust on large multi-team projects | Freelancers, Startups, with few external collaborators |
Redmine | Open source project management-oriented | Free, highly customisable | Outdated interface, extensive technical configuration | Technical teams, self-sufficient with few external collaborators |
Smartsheet | Advanced spreadsheet-style project management | Excel familiarity, powerful reporting, enterprise integrations | High cost, can seem rigid | Large companies, managers used to spreadsheets |
ClickUp | Versatile alternative | Multiple views, automations, competitive pricing | Complex tool, requires adoption time | technical SMEs and mid-sized enterprises in growth, multidisciplinary teams |
Basecamp | Simple and streamlined collaboration | Clear interface, integrated communication, no unnecessary complexity | Limited functionality for complex projects | Freelancers, SMEs, teams who want to focus on the essentials |
Airtable | Collaborative and visual database | Flexibility, automations, many integrations | Less structured for project management as such | Cross-functional teams, content- and data-driven projects |
Smartevo | Sovereign platform for multidisciplinary organisations | Centralisation, integrated AI (briefs, metadata, analysis), local support <15min, ideal for creative teams | / | Communications and marketing departments, brands, agencies, public bodies, media |
Notion
Born as a simple note-taking tool, Notion has become an essential collaborative workspace. Startups and small teams love it for its simplicity, customisation and ability to centralise documents, tasks and databases in one place.
However, once projects become complex and involve many stakeholders, Notion shows its limits. Its project management functions remain basic and often require bespoke templates.
Redmine
Created as a free open-source tool, Redmine has established itself over time as an open-source benchmark for project management. Highly customisable thanks to a wide library of plugins, it offers great flexibility and adapts to very specific needs.
However, its dated interface and high technical requirements can be off-putting. Without solid admin skills, deployment and maintenance quickly become restrictive.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet has won over large companies thanks to its familiar approach: an “improved Excel” that integrates task management, reporting and automations. Managers used to spreadsheets find a powerful and reassuring tool there.
But this power has a downside: the solution is expensive, and some users find it rigid or too close to a classic spreadsheet, without the user-friendliness of a modern collaborative tool.
ClickUp
ClickUp became known as a very feature-rich tool, with many views (list, calendar, gantt, kanban) and automations. Its competitive price attracts certain SMEs and mid-sized enterprises.
But this abundance of features can quickly backfire. The tool is often considered too complex, cumbersome to configure, and difficult to adopt for teams looking for clarity and simplicity in day-to-day work.
Basecamp
Basecamp appeals to teams that want to focus on the essentials: tasks, files, discussions and calendar brought together in a streamlined interface. For an SME or freelancer, it is a way of working without getting lost in complex features.
However, this simplicity becomes a weakness on more ambitious projects. Basecamp lacks reporting and advanced management tools, making it poorly suited to large organisations.
Airtable
Airtable has transformed the concept of a spreadsheet into a modern collaborative tool. Its strength: flexibility. It can be used to manage content, marketing campaigns or projects, with Kanban, calendar or gallery views. Integrations and automations make it very powerful for varied use cases.
But Airtable remains above all a “super spreadsheet”. For very structured projects, it sometimes lacks project management features and requires add-ons. Moreover, its scalability can become complex for large organisations.
Smartevo
Founded in 2021 in France, Smartevo is designed for complex, multi-brand and multi-team organisations. The platform centralises briefs, projects, content and approvals, while integrating AI to automate the generation of briefs, metadata and reporting.
Unlike the other tools, Smartevo is hosted in Europe, GDPR-compliant and deployable in two hours. With local support and a promise of increased productivity (up to 30%), it stands out as the sovereign and sustainable alternative to Jira.
Does this approach speak to you? Visit our website or book a free demo.
How to choose the best alternative to Jira?
What criteria for a company?
The fit with the needs of marketing and communications teams as well as security and data governance are key points. Smartevo stands out with its sovereign hosting and its focus on brands, public bodies, media and agencies.
Which solution for simple use?
Some platforms appeal with their simplicity, but quickly show their limits once several teams are involved. Smartevo combines an intuitive interface with a genuine ability to scale, making it suitable for both small and large organisations.
Free or paid alternative?
The free versions are enough to get started, but lack robustness. Smartevo offers a quick return on investment, notably by allowing:
The centralisation of all your marketing and communications projects
The solution is ready to use because it can be configured in only 2h.
Integrated AI: automatic generation of briefs and metadata, reducing coordination time by 30%.
Local support: support based in France, compliant with the GDPR, with an average response time of less than 15 minutes.
A combination that makes Smartevo a sustainable and high-performing alternative to Jira.
Jira remains a benchmark, but its limitations push teams to look for better. Notion, Redmine, Smartsheet, ClickUp, Basecamp and Airtable offer partial alternatives. SmartEvo, with its centralisation, integrated AI and data sovereignty, stands out as the most complete and sustainable solution.
