Free & Sovereign Jira AlternativeEverything Jira does, plus what it doesn't.
A complete agile platform plus budget tracking, risk registries, and portfolio governance without purchasing half a dozen Marketplace add-ons.
An honest comparison: we also list what Jira does better.
Why Agile Teams Choose Manifst Over Jira
Jira is a solid issue tracker, and its starting entry price isn't the problem. The challenge comes later with questions Jira doesn't address natively: what does this project cost, where will it land financial-wise, what risks are open, how do we consolidate six teams?
The standard workaround is app stacking: Tempo for time & costs, BigPicture for Gantt & EVM, one app for retrospectives, another for estimation, plus Excel spreadsheets to stitch everything together. Each add-on bills per user.
For a 20-person team, Jira alone costs from $9.05 to $18.30 per user depending on plan, plus extra per-user charges for every Marketplace app. Manifst ranges from €0 to €24 with all features built-in.
Manifst offers the alternative path. One platform, one predictable price. You keep full agile execution, exchange Jira's hyper-custom complexity for simplicity, and gain real alignment between developers and executives.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison: Manifst vs Atlassian Jira
Comparing Manifst to standalone Jira alone would be incomplete: nobody manages a multi-team portfolio with vanilla Jira alone. The third column shows Jira augmented with typical Marketplace apps.
| Capability | Manifst | Standalone Jira | Jira + Marketplace Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backlog, Sprints, Kanban | Native | Native | Native |
| 3-Level Hierarchy | Super Epic, Epic, Ticket | Epic, Issue | Requires Advanced Roadmaps |
| In-Session Planning Poker | Native | No | Requires Marketplace App |
| Structured Retrospectives | External guests without accounts | No | Requires Marketplace App |
| Sprint Review Presentations | PowerPoint export with velocity charts | No | Requires Marketplace App |
| User Story Template Library | 87 stories, 17 themes | No | No |
| Time Tracking per Ticket | Native | Basic logging | Requires Tempo App |
| Actual Cost & Daily Member Rates | Native | No | Requires Marketplace App |
| Earned Value (EVM, CPI, SPI, EAC) | Calculated in story points | No | Requires BigPicture App |
| Risk Register & 5×5 Matrix | Native | No | Requires Marketplace App |
| RACI Governance Matrix | External stakeholders included | No | Requires Niche App |
| Gantt, Milestones, Dependencies | Native | Partial | Requires BigPicture / Structure |
| Portfolio Consolidation | Financial totals via API & Power BI | No | Requires Multiple Apps |
| Data Hosting & Storage in France | Native | EU Data Residency only on higher plans | No |
| Custom Workflows & Heavy Custom Fields | Configurable types & statuses | Advanced customization | Advanced customization |
| Marketplace Add-on Ecosystem | GitHub, Slack, Jira, REST API | Thousands of apps | Thousands of apps |
| Cost per User per Month | €0 to €24All-inclusive, no apps needed | $9.05 to $18.30Standard to Premium (20 users) | Jira base + app feesEach app bills per user |
Atlassian pricing based on 20 users. We intentionally do not publish a total figure for "Jira + apps" as Marketplace app pricing varies based on tier and combination.
What switching takes
Import
CSV backlog import, or bi-directional Jira connector sync. Statuses and ticket types map easily to your project workflow.
Onboarding
Teams instantly recognize familiar agile concepts. Governance features deploy progressively at the project manager's pace.
Data Reversibility
CSV exports and full REST API access. Your data remains yours and recoverable without assistance.
"We migrated our entire backlog from Jira to Manifst in under 10 minutes using their built-in connector, completely autonomously."
Anthony Tinson
Founder of Seikai & Koushin, Data Engineering Expert & Solutions Architect
Manifst isn't for everyone
Choose Manifst if...
Stay on Jira if...
Third Option: Manifst features a bi-directional Jira connector. Many teams keep Jira for developer execution and add Manifst for budget, risk, and portfolio governance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Manifst as good as Jira for daily agile workflows?
For daily Scrum team delivery, yes. In fact, native features like Planning Poker, retrospectives, exportable sprint reviews, and user story libraries are built-in, whereas Jira requires paid Marketplace apps. Jira retains the advantage on hyper-custom workflows. Explore agile platform details.
Can we run Manifst and Jira side-by-side?
Yes, this is a common transition scenario. Our Jira connector syncs tickets bi-directionally, providing the budget, risk, and portfolio layers Jira lacks.
Is Manifst open source or self-hostable?
No. Manifst is a SaaS platform hosted and stored in France. If self-hosting is a strict requirement, open source tools like Taiga or OpenProject are suitable alternatives.
What happens to our Jira history during migration?
Tickets, epics, descriptions, and comments import seamlessly. Custom workflow histories and highly specific custom fields are mapped during onboarding.
Is the free plan really free?
Yes, forever free without duration limits or credit card requirements: 1 project, 5 members, full agile features, and EVM budget included. View pricing details.
Test on a real project, not a canned demo.
Import a backlog, start a sprint, invite 3 teammates. You will know within a week if Manifst fits your team.