Bitbucket is a Git repository hosting platform focused on source code management, while Jira is a project and issue tracking tool for agile teams. They serve different purposes but are often used together since both are Atlassian products with deep integration.
Bitbucket vs Jira — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Atlassian's Git repository platform with native Jira integration and enterprise-focused features.
Enterprise project management platform with advanced agile workflows, reporting, and automation.
Primary Function. Pricing Model. Team Collaboration Focus. Learning Curve. Integration Ecosystem. Default Use Case. On-Premise Availability
Choose Bitbucket if your primary need is Git repository hosting with integrated CI/CD pipelines and unlimited free users, especially if you're already in the Atlassian ecosystem. Choose Jira if you need powerful agile project management, sprint planning, and team-wide issue tracking with deeper DevOps integrations—many teams use both products together since Jira links directly to Bitbucket commits.
Bitbucket: ~2,000 integrations | Jira: ~3000 integrations
Bitbucket: Jira integration (external) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Basic PR approvals | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Unlimited (public & private) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Yes (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Jira: No (requires external integration)
Bitbucket: Competitor (not partner) | Jira: Plugin-based
Bitbucket: Native & seamless | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: 2 (Git, Mercurial) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Unlimited | Jira: Up to 10 (limited features)
Bitbucket: ~200 integrations | Jira: ~500 integrations
Bitbucket: Git repository hosting, code review, CI/CD | Jira: Issue tracking, sprint planning, agile boards
Bitbucket: Bitbucket Pipelines included | Jira: Requires third-party tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
Bitbucket: Cloud-only (deprecated Server 2024) | Jira: Data Center available (enterprise)
Bitbucket: Limited (pull request workflow focus) | Jira: Full support (Scrum, Kanban, custom)
Bitbucket: Deep two-way integration | Jira: Deep two-way integration
Bitbucket: Limited (5 users max) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Add-on required (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Jira: Not included
Bitbucket: No (external only) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: $168/year ($14/month) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Native (Atlassian vendor) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Yes (Server Edition paid license) | Jira: N/A
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)
Bitbucket: 50 build minutes/month (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Requires separate Jira subscription | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: 50 minutes (Bitbucket Pipelines free tier) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Requires Premium plan | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Not publicly limited | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Bitbucket Data Center (Enterprise only) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: 50 (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Built-in, zero setup required | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: Yes, at Standard plan ($10/user) | Jira: N/A
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Full Scrum with sprints, backlogs, velocity tracking
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 10+ users, enterprise scale
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Highly customizable workflows and fields
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Advanced dashboards, burndowns, velocity charts
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Unlimited custom workflows and fields
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Advanced (SOC 2, HIPAA)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Native & advanced
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Enterprise-grade bug tracking
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Deep CI/CD & DevOps integration
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: $14.54/month (Premium)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Full agile reporting suite included
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Built-in cycle time metrics
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Full cross-project and portfolio reporting
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: External integration via webhooks and apps
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Available at Premium ($14.54/user/month)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 15-500+ with complex workflows
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Steeper learning curve, more heavyweight
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 1000+ apps in Marketplace
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Steep (Advanced features require training)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Via marketplace add-ons
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Native with Confluence, Bitbucket, and 400+ apps
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Small (1-10) to Enterprise (1000+)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 60-80% of teams require professional services
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Project Management & Issue Tracking
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Full sprint planning with burndown charts and velocity tracking
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Limited to issue descriptions and project documentation
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Issue and project-level search capabilities
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Standard mobile interface for viewing and managing issues
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 10+ users for optimal use
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Seamless integration with Confluence for context and documentation
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: iOS, Android, native apps
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Native GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket support
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Pages (limited collaboration)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Advanced with burndown charts
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Code-based scripting and automation
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: No (Bitbucket integration required)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Advanced (unlimited custom fields, swim lanes, automation)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Unlimited (1000+)
Advanced Agile Features (Sprint Velocity Tracking)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Advanced with historical trending
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Limited offline access
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Native deep integration (GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, etc.)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Automation through scripting only
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Yes - up to 10 users
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 20 requests/second
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, Scrumban
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 30+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, etc.)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Native sprint planning, capacity planning, scope management
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Free tier for up to 10 users
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 500+ apps via Marketplace
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Web app + Jira Mobile (limited)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: $7.16 (Standard) - $29 (Enterprise)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 40+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, sprint)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Unlimited with Jira Automation + Scripts
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: 1000+ (higher tiers unlimited)
Bitbucket: N/A | Jira: Unlimited in free tier
How to choose between Bitbucket and Jira
Bitbucket vs Jira — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Bitbucket vs Jira. Contains 165 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Bitbucket vs Jira — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Bitbucket vs Jira.
Yes—and this is recommended. Bitbucket and Jira have deep native integration as Atlassian products. You can link Jira issues to Bitbucket commits and pull requests, automatically update issue status when code is merged, and view commit history directly in Jira. Many development teams use both: Bitbucket for version control/code review and Jira for sprint planning and team-wide task management.
Which is better for small startups with limited budget?
Bitbucket has a significant advantage for startups: unlimited free users on its Cloud tier. If your team is primarily developers managing code, Bitbucket's free plan covers all your repository needs. Jira's free tier caps at 10 users, so for teams larger than that, costs scale quickly ($7.50/user/month). However, if you need agile sprint management for a small team, Jira's free tier covers basic agile workflows.
No—Bitbucket cannot replace Jira for project management. Bitbucket is version control software; Jira is a project management and issue tracking tool. Bitbucket handles code repositories, pull requests, and CI/CD. Jira handles sprint planning, agile workflows, and team-wide task visibility. They serve complementary purposes, and most professional development teams use both.
Is Bitbucket or Jira better for DevOps teams?
Jira is better for DevOps teams overall due to 500+ integrations with DevOps tools (Jenkins, AWS, Kubernetes, etc.) compared to Bitbucket's 200+. However, Bitbucket excels at CI/CD specifically—Bitbucket Pipelines is built-in and eliminates the need for external CI tools. For comprehensive DevOps workflows across infrastructure and operations, Jira's broader integration ecosystem is more valuable.
Atlassian deprecated Bitbucket Server on March 31, 2024, and ended support. All on-premise Bitbucket deployments must migrate to Bitbucket Cloud. This is a major difference from Jira, which still offers Data Center for enterprise on-premise needs. If on-premise hosting is critical, Jira is the better Atlassian choice.
How to Choose Between Bitbucket and Jira
Primary Function: Bitbucket has Git repository hosting & version control, while Jira has Issue tracking & project management.
Pricing Model: Bitbucket has Free (unlimited users on Cloud), $3/user/month (Pro), while Jira has Free up to 10 users, $7.50/user/month (Standard).
Team Collaboration Focus: Bitbucket has Code review & CI/CD pipelines, while Jira has Sprint planning & agile workflows.
Learning Curve: Bitbucket has Moderate for Git beginners, while Jira has Moderate for non-agile teams.
Integration Ecosystem: Bitbucket has 200+ integrations (weaker than Jira), while Jira has 500+ integrations with DevOps tools.
Default Use Case: Bitbucket has Developer-centric code management, while Jira has Team-wide agile project visibility.
On-Premise Availability: Bitbucket has Server option deprecated (Cloud-only now), while Jira has Data Center available for enterprise.