Jira is a dedicated project management platform with advanced agile analytics, enterprise compliance at mid-tier pricing, and cross-project reporting, while GitHub Issues is a lightweight, code-integrated issue tracker best for small teams already using GitHub without complex sprint workflows.
Jira vs GitHub Issues — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise project management platform with advanced agile workflows, reporting, and automation.
Native issue tracking system integrated into GitHub repositories
Enterprise Compliance (SAML SSO + SOC 2). Velocity Tracking & Cycle Time Analytics. Cross-Project Reporting. Code Repository Integration. Lightweight Sprint Planning. Best For Team Size. Cost for Teams 15-50 Engineers
Choose Jira if your team needs enterprise compliance, advanced agile analytics, velocity tracking, or manages multiple projects across different teams—the Premium plan ($14.54/user/month) makes it the most cost-effective path to SAML SSO and SOC 2 for mid-sized teams. Choose GitHub Issues if you're a small, code-first team already invested in GitHub, prefer lightweight sprint planning without leaving your repository, and don't require cross-project portfolio reporting or detailed velocity metrics.
Jira: Full Scrum with sprints, backlogs, velocity tracking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 10+ users, enterprise scale | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Highly customizable workflows and fields | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Advanced dashboards, burndowns, velocity charts | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Unlimited custom workflows and fields | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Advanced (SOC 2, HIPAA) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Good (Moderate) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Via Everhour API | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: $20,000-30,000 | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Native & advanced | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Enterprise-grade bug tracking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Deep CI/CD & DevOps integration | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: $14.54/month (Premium) | GitHub Issues: $4-21/month (depends on team size)
Jira: Full agile reporting suite included | GitHub Issues: Not available natively
Jira: Built-in cycle time metrics | GitHub Issues: Absent
Jira: Full cross-project and portfolio reporting | GitHub Issues: Limited to single repository
Jira: External integration via webhooks and apps | GitHub Issues: Native GitHub Actions and seamless linking
Jira: Available at Premium ($14.54/user/month) | GitHub Issues: Enterprise plan only (custom pricing)
Jira: 15-500+ with complex workflows | GitHub Issues: Up to 10 for lightweight tracking
Jira: Steeper learning curve, more heavyweight | GitHub Issues: Lightweight, integrated within GitHub
Jira: 1000+ apps in Marketplace | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Steep (Advanced features require training) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Via marketplace add-ons | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Native with Confluence, Bitbucket, and 400+ apps | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Small (1-10) to Enterprise (1000+) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 60-80% of teams require professional services | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Project Management & Issue Tracking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Full sprint planning with burndown charts and velocity tracking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Limited to issue descriptions and project documentation | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Issue and project-level search capabilities | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Standard mobile interface for viewing and managing issues | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 10+ users for optimal use | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Seamless integration with Confluence for context and documentation | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: iOS, Android, native apps | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Native GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket support | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Pages (limited collaboration) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Advanced with burndown charts | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Code-based scripting and automation | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Up to 10 (limited features) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: ~500 integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Issue tracking, sprint planning, agile boards | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Requires third-party tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Data Center available (enterprise) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Full support (Scrum, Kanban, custom) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Deep two-way integration | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: No (requires external integration) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: No (Bitbucket integration required) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Advanced (unlimited custom fields, swim lanes, automation) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Unlimited (1000+) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Advanced Agile Features (Sprint Velocity Tracking)
Jira: Advanced with historical trending | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Limited offline access | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Native deep integration (GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, etc.) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Automation through scripting only | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Yes - up to 10 users | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Integration only | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 100+ templates | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 20 requests/second | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, Scrumban | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 30+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, etc.) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Native sprint planning, capacity planning, scope management | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Free tier for up to 10 users | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 500+ apps via Marketplace | GitHub Issues: 1000+
Jira: 50+ to unlimited | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: ~3000 integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Varies by plan | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Web app + Jira Mobile (limited) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 1,000+ people | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: $7.16 (Standard) - $29 (Enterprise) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 40+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, sprint) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Unlimited with Jira Automation + Scripts | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: 1000+ (higher tiers unlimited) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: Unlimited in free tier | GitHub Issues: N/A
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: 4 types (labels, milestones, assignees, projects)
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: GitHub Actions + manual triggers
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: 1 (GitHub only)
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: 3 (Open, In Progress, Done)
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: Basic (limited actions)
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: Up to 50 (performance degrades beyond)
Jira: N/A | GitHub Issues: Notifications only
How to choose between Jira and GitHub Issues
Jira vs GitHub Issues — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Jira vs GitHub Issues. Contains 136 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Jira vs GitHub Issues — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Jira vs GitHub Issues.
Which tool is better for startups and small teams?
GitHub Issues is ideal for startups and small teams (up to 10 people) because it's integrated directly into GitHub at no additional cost and requires minimal setup. Teams can run lightweight sprint planning without leaving their repository. Jira is overkill for small teams unless you need enterprise compliance or multi-team portfolio reporting.
Can GitHub Issues replace Jira for growing teams?
GitHub Issues can handle basic issue tracking and lightweight sprints, but it becomes a limiting tool as teams scale. GitHub lacks velocity tracking, cycle time analytics, cross-project reporting, and portfolio-level visibility—all critical for teams managing 15+ engineers or multiple projects. Growing teams typically need to migrate to Jira or Linear for advanced agile metrics.
How much does it cost to get enterprise compliance features?
Jira offers SAML SSO and SOC 2 compliance at the Premium tier ($14.54 per user per month), making it the most cost-effective path for teams between 15-50 engineers needing compliance. GitHub Issues only provides these features on the Enterprise plan, which requires custom pricing negotiation and is significantly more expensive for comparable team sizes.
Does GitHub Issues have agile reporting features like velocity tracking?
No. GitHub Issues lacks built-in velocity tracking, burndown charts, cycle time analytics, and sprint metrics. These features are essential for teams practicing Scrum or tracking productivity improvements. Teams needing agile reporting must use Jira, Linear, or integrate third-party tools like Everhour for time tracking.
What's the best approach if we use GitHub but need advanced agile features?
You have three options: (1) Migrate to Jira or Linear for full agile analytics while keeping GitHub as your code repository, (2) Use GitHub Issues for basic tracking and integrate third-party tools like Everhour for time tracking and reporting, or (3) Evaluate Linear as a middle-ground option that consolidates sprint planning, roadmapping, and issue tracking in one tool replacing both Jira and a separate roadmap tool.
How to Choose Between Jira and GitHub Issues
Consider: Enterprise Compliance (SAML SSO + SOC 2)
Enterprise Compliance (SAML SSO + SOC 2): Jira has Premium plan ($14.54/user/month), while GitHub Issues has Enterprise plan only (custom pricing).
Consider: Velocity Tracking & Cycle Time Analytics
Velocity Tracking & Cycle Time Analytics: Jira has Built-in agile reporting with burndown charts, velocity metrics, and cycle time, while GitHub Issues has Not available natively.
Cross-Project Reporting: Jira has Full cross-project portfolio management and reporting, while GitHub Issues has Limited to single-repository scope.
Code Repository Integration: Jira has External integration required via webhooks and third-party apps, while GitHub Issues has Native GitHub Actions and seamless code linking.
Lightweight Sprint Planning: Jira has Requires dedicated Jira workspace, more heavyweight setup, while GitHub Issues has Runs sprint planning directly within GitHub without leaving platform.
Best For Team Size: Jira has 15-500+ engineers with complex workflows, while GitHub Issues has Up to 10-person teams with simple issue tracking.
Consider: Cost for Teams 15-50 Engineers
Cost for Teams 15-50 Engineers: Jira has $14.54/user/month with enterprise features unlocked, while GitHub Issues has $4-21/user/month without compliance features.