Which open-source Jira alternative fits your team and your deadline
The right open-source Jira replacement depends on which Jira you run today and on how much time you have to move. Jira Server support ended on February 15, 2024, and Atlassian's Data Center licenses become read-only on March 28, 2029. Atlassian also ended new Data Center subscriptions for new customers on March 30, 2026, and stops new licenses and expansions for existing customers after March 30, 2028. Those dates set the outer limit for a self-hosted plan, so start by confirming your current deployment type and license end date.
OpenProject suits teams that want a broad project and work management platform and can run a migration from Jira Data Center 10.x or 11.x, because its Jira Migrator is in beta and does not support Jira Cloud. Its SSO, LDAP synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans, and the migrator is listed under those plans from Basic upward. Plane suits teams that want a self-hosted tool with a Jira importer, but the importer is available on Plane Cloud and the self-hosted Commercial Edition, so confirm which edition you need before you commit. Redmine suits teams that want a long-established GPL v2 tracker with issue tracking, Gantt charts, wikis, time tracking and LDAP authentication, and version 7.0.2 was released on September 30, 2026. Confirm Redmine's Jira import options with the project before you plan the move.
Open-source licensing removes the license fee from the comparison, but it does not remove cost. Recurring spend sits in hosting, Enterprise subscriptions and support. Hosting runs in your own cloud or data center, and any Enterprise plan you need for SSO, LDAP or SCIM is an ongoing subscription. The migration itself is mostly one-time work: mapping workflows, permissions, custom fields and integrations, then testing. Atlassian's cloud backup covers work items, boards, sprints, comments, users and project configuration, but excludes automation rules, third-party apps and Assets, so inventory those first using Atlassian's export documentation. When you request quotes, ask each provider which Jira versions its importer supports, which edition includes it and what it leaves out.
OpenProject, Plane and Redmine compared as self-hosted Jira replacements
OpenProject, Plane and Redmine each replace Jira's core tracking with self-hosted software, but they differ in license, edition structure and migration support. The main decision is whether your data has to move from Jira Data Center or Jira Cloud, and which features sit behind paid tiers. Use these cards to shortlist, then confirm feature parity against your own workflows.
OpenProject under GPL-3.0
OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ships as a free Community edition, with Enterprise on-premises and Enterprise cloud plans above it. Single sign-on, LDAP synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans. For a Jira replacement, map your identity and provisioning requirements to those plans before you assume the free edition meets them. Ask the vendor to confirm in writing which features each plan includes.
OpenProject Jira Migrator limits
The Jira Migrator is in beta and supports only Jira Data Center 10.x and 11.x. It does not support Jira Cloud, so a cloud-hosted instance needs a different export path before any import. It brings over projects, versions, issues with history, comments, attachments, basic custom fields, users, statuses and types. Anything beyond that list, such as automation rules and third-party app data, must be rebuilt or checked by hand. The Migrator is listed under Enterprise plans from Basic upward, so include that tier in the cost comparison.
Plane under AGPL-3.0
Plane's Community Edition is licensed under AGPL-3.0, which requires source disclosure for modified versions run as a network service. Legal and compliance teams should review that obligation before any internal modification. Plane's project model uses work items, cycles and modules, so Jira teams will recognize the flow. Confirm that your custom workflows, permission schemes and field types map cleanly before committing, and check the changelog for the release you deploy.
Plane importers need Commercial Edition
Plane provides importers for Jira, Linear, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Confluence, Flatfile and CSV. These run on Plane Cloud and on the self-hosted Commercial Edition, so a team that wants the Jira importer on its own servers must plan for that edition. Price the Commercial Edition license alongside your hosting costs before the pilot begins. Ask Plane which Jira versions the importer accepts and exactly what it maps, because the importer documentation is the authority for those details.
Redmine under GPL v2
Redmine is a Ruby on Rails web application under GPL v2 with issue tracking, Gantt charts, wikis, time tracking, LDAP authentication and Git and Subversion integration. It suits teams that want a lean, self-hosted tracker with source control hooks already in place. Its interface follows a traditional web model, and agile boards and sprint views are not core features, so confirm plugin coverage. Redmine does not document a Jira importer in the sources reviewed here, so confirm import options with the project before you commit.
Which open-source option covers each Jira capability
This table maps the main Jira capabilities to OpenProject, Plane and Redmine, with notes on where each option needs a plugin, a paid plan or a rebuild. Treat every entry as a starting point and confirm each capability in the version you plan to deploy. Automation rules, marketplace apps and Assets have no direct equivalent in any of the three, so plan them as separate workstreams.
| Jira capability | OpenProject | Plane | Redmine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work items | Work packages with types, parent-child hierarchy and dependencies | Work items with states, priorities, labels and parent-child relations | Issues with trackers, subtasks and relations |
| Boards and sprints | Board and sprint-style planning; confirm current sprint features | Cycles for sprints and modules for grouping; confirm board views | Issue lists and Gantt charts in core; boards need an agile plugin |
| Workflows and schemes | Statuses and types set per role; map each Jira transition before migrating | Simpler state model; map Jira workflows and schemes to states first | Statuses and transitions set per tracker and role; confirm against Jira schemes |
| Comments and attachments | Comments, attachments and history on work packages; the Jira Migrator imports them | Comments and attachments on issues; confirm size limits and migration fidelity | Journals and attachments on issues as core features; confirm attachment limits |
| Users, SSO and SCIM | SSO, LDAP synchronization and SCIM provisioning sit in paid Enterprise plans | Confirm SSO and SCIM options for the edition you choose | LDAP authentication is built in; confirm SSO and SCIM or plugin options |
| Custom fields | Custom fields on work packages; the Migrator imports basic custom fields only | Custom properties; confirm each Jira field type has a matching type | Custom fields per tracker and project; confirm field types and limits |
| Assets | No direct equivalent; model asset data separately or in a different tool | No direct equivalent; model asset data separately or in a different tool | No direct equivalent; model asset data separately or in a different tool |
| Automation rules | Not in Jira Cloud backups; confirm native options and rebuild the rules you need | Not in Jira Cloud backups; confirm available automations and rebuild rules as integrations | Not in Jira Cloud backups; limited native automation, so plugins or scripts may be needed |
| Marketplace apps | Not in Jira Cloud backups; list each app and its function before choosing a replacement | Not in Jira Cloud backups; list each app and find a matching integration or API route | Not in Jira Cloud backups; check each plugin's compatibility with the Redmine version |
What teams give up when they leave Jira and how to work around it
Moving off Jira rarely fails on the core issue tracker. It fails on the surrounding estate: marketplace apps, Assets, automation logic, linked Atlassian tools, workflows and dashboards. Each item below names what is usually lost, the workaround that holds up, and where that workaround adds effort.
Marketplace apps and add-ons
Many Jira instances depend on third-party apps for forms, approvals, time tracking or reporting. The Jira Cloud backup described in Atlassian's documentation excludes third-party apps, so their data and configuration must be exported separately. Inventory every installed app and its users before choosing a target. Where no equivalent exists in OpenProject, Plane or Redmine, plan for a native plugin, a custom integration through the target's API, or a manual process, and budget that work as a distinct item.
Jira Assets data
Assets holds configuration items, asset inventories and object relationships that often sit outside core issue data. Jira Cloud's backup does not cover Assets, so this data needs its own export path. Plan to move Assets records into a separate store such as a CMDB or a structured database, then link tickets to those records by ID. Confirm with each target vendor whether it offers a comparable object model. If not, the relationships will need redesign, not just transfer.
Automation rule logic
Jira automation rules encode approvals, transitions, notifications and assignments that teams stop noticing until they break. Automation rules are also excluded from the Jira Cloud backup, so they must be documented from the admin console before migration. Rebuild each rule in the target tool using its native notifications, workflow transitions or webhooks, then test each one against a sample project. Expect this to be the largest hidden effort when rule counts are high.
Confluence and Bitbucket links
Jira issues often reference Confluence pages, specifications and Bitbucket commits or pull requests. Those links are text in issue descriptions and comments, and they will point at Atlassian URLs after the move. Decide whether to keep Confluence and Bitbucket running alongside the new tracker, or to replace them. Where you keep them, rewrite links in migrated content and check that Git integration in Redmine or the other target covers the repositories you use.
Custom workflows and schemes
Custom workflows, issue types, screens and permission schemes define how work moves through each project. OpenProject's Jira Migrator documentation lists statuses and types among what it imports, but workflow transition logic is a different question that you must verify. Map each Jira workflow to the target's statuses and roles on paper first, then decide which transitions can be reproduced. Simplifying workflows before migration usually costs less than recreating them one by one.
Reporting dashboards and filters
Jira dashboards, saved filters and sprint reports often feed executive reviews and audit evidence. Saved JQL filters do not translate directly into other tools, and dashboard widgets need to be rebuilt. Export the reports your leadership depends on as a baseline, then recreate them in the target's reporting features, such as OpenProject's portfolio views or Redmine's Gantt and time reports. Confirm which reports can be automated and which will need a periodic manual extract.
Which Jira importers work with which versions and editions
Check two things before you shortlist any platform: the Jira version you run and where it is hosted. The importers differ sharply on both, and the wrong assumption will cost you a migration project before it starts. OpenProject's Jira Migrator is in beta and supports only Jira Data Center 10.x and 11.x. It does not support Jira Cloud at all, so a Cloud tenant needs a different extraction route. Confirm your exact Data Center minor version against the OpenProject Jira migration documentation before you plan around it, and treat the beta status as a reason to run a test migration on a copy of your data.
Edition matters as much as version. OpenProject lists the Jira Migrator under its Enterprise plans from Basic upward, so a Community deployment will not include it. Confirm current edition terms with OpenProject before you budget, because the pricing page is the place where plan contents are published. Plane offers importers for Jira, Linear, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Confluence, Flatfile and CSV, and these are available on Plane Cloud and on the self-hosted Commercial Edition. Plane's Community Edition is licensed AGPL-3.0, so a team that wants to stay on the community code should confirm with Plane whether the Jira importer is available to it, and plan a CSV or API-based extraction if it is not. Redmine has no documented Jira importer in the material we reviewed, so you should ask the Redmine community or a migration partner to confirm whether a plugin or script exists for your Jira version before assuming a path.
Once the version and hosting model are known, map each Jira object to the target before you run anything. Confirm how the chosen importer handles workflows, custom fields, issue history, attachments and users, because the OpenProject migrator documents support for only basic custom fields. Record the gaps in a written list and agree with the business owners how each gap will be handled, whether by rebuilding it on the target, archiving it or accepting its loss.
How to move Jira projects to a self-hosted replacement
This sequence takes a Jira estate from inventory to a decommissioned instance, with each stage producing a checkpoint the migration team can verify. It is built around the documented Jira importers, which carry only part of a project's configuration, so the rebuild work is planned from the start.
Inventory projects, workflows, automations and apps
The Jira administrator and a project lead for each active project list the projects, issue types, workflows, screens, custom fields, automation rules, dashboards, integrations and installed apps. Record which items are actively used and which are stale, since stale projects are often the cheapest to archive rather than migrate. The output is a signed-off inventory with an owner for each project and a yes or no decision on migration. Confirm the current Jira edition and deployment type first, because the export route depends on whether the estate is Cloud or Data Center.
Export data from the Jira source
For Jira Cloud, use the site's backup export described in Atlassian's support documentation. It covers work items, board and sprint data, comments, users and project configuration such as workflows and schemes. It does not cover automation rules, third-party app data or Assets, so those must be exported or documented separately. For Jira Data Center, the source is the instance itself, and the OpenProject Jira Migrator reads from Data Center 10.x and 11.x. Confirm the exact export format and attachment handling with your administrator before running it, and store the export in a restricted location. The check is a complete file set with a record of its size and checksum.
Map statuses, issue types and fields
Build a mapping table that pairs each Jira status with a target status, each issue type with a work package or task type, and each custom field with a target field. Plan for Jira workflows that use transitions, conditions and validators, because target tools model status flow differently and those rules rarely carry over automatically. Agree the mapping with the project leads who own the workflows. The output is a reviewed mapping document that names every field the importer will not carry, such as unsupported field types, so the team knows what to rebuild.
Rebuild excluded items by hand
Recreate the items that the export does not carry: automation rules, app-driven workflows, Assets objects, dashboards, filters and integrations. Document each rule as a plain statement of trigger, condition and action, then implement it in the target platform or in a separate integration that you own and can test. Confirm with the target vendor which of these capabilities exist in the edition you plan to run, and treat any gap as a scoped item with a named owner. The check is a rebuild register that marks each excluded item as rebuilt, replaced or retired.
Run a pilot project and verify the import
Choose one active, moderately sized project with clear owners and run the importer against a non-production copy of the target. Compare counts of issues, comments, attachments, users and versions between Jira and the target, then sample issue histories for accuracy. Check that users map to the right accounts and that permissions match the access model you intend to run. The output is a written pilot report listing every discrepancy, its cause and the fix applied, which becomes the acceptance test for the remaining projects.
Run a parallel period with reconciliation
Migrate the remaining projects in waves and keep Jira writable for the teams still working in it during an agreed parallel period. Reconcile counts and recent changes between the two systems at a fixed interval, and route any new work to the target only for projects whose reconciliation has passed. Make sure the change control process names one system of record per project at every point in time. The check is a reconciliation log showing zero unexplained differences for each project before its team moves.
Cut over and decommission Jira
Freeze Jira for each migrated project, run a final delta export, and confirm that the target matches the frozen source. Redirect links, notifications and integrations to the new system, then set the Jira projects to read-only and keep the export archive under your retention policy. Decommission the Jira instance only after the archive has been restored in a test environment and the retention period set by your compliance owners has been agreed in writing. The output is a cutover record and a decommissioning certificate signed by the system owner.
Which Jira alternative fits data residency, cost and customization needs
Teams whose requirement is that project records stay in a specific data center, cloud account or air-gapped network usually need a platform they can install and operate themselves. All three options in this comparison are self-hosted, so the data location is set by where the client deploys them. OpenProject and Plane both publish self-hosted editions, and Redmine is a Ruby on Rails application that runs on infrastructure the client controls. The decision then turns on what the team needs from the product itself.
- OpenProject: Suits teams that want a broad suite with Gantt charts, work packages and a free Community edition to test in their own environment.
- Plane: Suits teams that want a modern issue-tracking interface and a self-hosted Commercial Edition with the Jira importer.
- Redmine: Suits teams that need a long-established, GPL v2 tracker with wikis, time tracking and Git or Subversion integration.
- Ruled out by: a need for a Jira Cloud migration path, because OpenProject's Jira Migrator does not support Jira Cloud.
- Confirm with each vendor: whether any telemetry, license check or update channel reaches an external service, and whether the edition you deploy can run without outbound internet access.
Residency is a property of the deployment, so confirm the exact network and update behavior in a test environment before writing it into a data processing record.
Cost-driven teams should separate the license line from the components that are actually paid for. The Community editions of OpenProject and Redmine and the Community Edition of Plane carry no license fee, so the recurring spend shifts to hosting, database and storage, administration, upgrades and support. Those costs depend on user count, attachment volume and how often the team applies releases. Paid tiers add features rather than replacing the core product.
- OpenProject: Free Community edition. Paid Enterprise on-premises or cloud plans unlock SSO, LDAP synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio management, so price those features separately.
- Plane: Community Edition under AGPL-3.0. The Jira importer is on the self-hosted Commercial Edition, so a team that needs it must price that edition.
- Redmine: GPL v2 with no commercial tier. Cost sits almost entirely in hosting, plugins and administration.
- Ruled out by: a requirement for SSO or SCIM on a zero-license budget, which points to a paid OpenProject plan or an identity layer in front of the tool.
- Ask any vendor or partner for: a written split of one-time migration effort from recurring hosting, support and upgrade hours, with the assumed user count stated.
Compare the total of these components over several years, not the first-year license line alone.
Jira estates often carry custom workflows, schemes, automation rules and third-party apps. Those elements do not all move in a single export, so the migration plan must account for each one. Jira Cloud's backup covers work items, board and sprint data, comments, users and project configuration such as workflows and schemes, but it excludes automation rules, third-party apps and Assets. Teams with heavy automation should inventory those items before choosing a target.
- OpenProject: Offers configurable types, statuses and custom fields, and its Jira Migrator carries basic custom fields, statuses and types. More complex field logic will need manual rebuilding.
- Plane: Its importer covers Jira projects on the Commercial Edition, but automation rules and app integrations should be rebuilt and tested after import.
- Redmine: Customization is mainly delivered through plugins, so confirm that each required plugin is maintained for the Redmine version you will run.
- Ruled out by: a dependency on Jira automation rules or Marketplace apps that have no equivalent in the target, which may favor a different migration timeline.
- Confirm with the vendor: how the importer handles your specific custom field types, workflow conditions and attachment limits.
Build a list of every automation rule and app in use, then map each one to a target feature or a rebuild task before scoping the work.
Regulated teams often need centralized sign-on, automated user provisioning and deprovisioning, and directory-backed access control. These needs shape the edition choice more than any other feature. The control expectations should come from the organization's own framework, and the platform must provide the mechanism to evidence them. Preparing that evidence is a readiness exercise, and an independent assessor makes the final determination.
- OpenProject: SSO, LDAP synchronization and SCIM provisioning sit in paid Enterprise plans, so a regulated team will normally need one of those plans.
- Plane: Confirm which identity options are available on the self-hosted edition you plan to run, and whether SCIM is supported.
- Redmine: LDAP authentication is built in. Confirm whether SSO and automated provisioning require plugins and whether those plugins are maintained.
- Ruled out by: a mandate for SCIM provisioning on an edition that does not include it, which should be treated as a hard blocker until the vendor confirms otherwise.
- Ask the vendor for: written confirmation of supported SSO protocols, SCIM scope, audit logging and the edition that includes each one.
Record each identity control in your access review, and include the vendor's written confirmation in the evidence set.
How long and how much effort does a Jira migration take
How long does it take to migrate from Jira to OpenProject or Plane?
No single duration applies to every Jira migration, and no supplied source gives a timeline for it, so ask each vendor or partner for one in writing. The main drivers are the number of projects, the volume of issues and attachments, how much custom workflow and automation logic must be rebuilt, and how many integrations depend on Jira. A small team with one project and simple statuses will finish far sooner than an organization with dozens of projects, shared schemes and many third-party apps. Ask for a phased plan that separates a pilot import, a test cutover and the production move, with a stated end date for each phase.
What cost components should I expect in a self-hosted Jira replacement?
The cost has several parts, and only some of them are software licenses. Community editions of OpenProject, Plane and Redmine are free to download, but you still pay for the infrastructure that hosts them, for backups, for staff time to administer them, and for any Enterprise features you need. OpenProject places SSO, LDAP synchronization, SCIM provisioning and portfolio management in paid Enterprise plans, and its Jira Migrator sits under those plans from Basic upward. Plane's importers are on Plane Cloud and the self-hosted Commercial Edition. Ask each vendor which edition your required features and importer belong to, and request the recurring license cost separately from the one-time migration work.
Can my internal team migrate from Jira without outside help?
A capable internal team can migrate a simple Jira instance alone, provided it has administrator access to both systems, someone who understands the workflows and permission schemes, and time to test imports before cutover. The work becomes harder when the team must rebuild automation rules, Assets data, custom apps or reports, because those do not move through standard exports. Your team should also decide who owns the target platform after go-live, including patching, backups and user provisioning. If those responsibilities are already staffed, an in-house migration is realistic for smaller estates. Otherwise, consider a fixed-scope engagement with a written list of deliverables.
What does Jira Cloud backup miss that my migration must cover?
Atlassian's documentation for Jira Cloud backup covers work items, board and sprint data, comments, users and project configuration such as workflows and schemes. It does not cover automation rules, third-party apps or Assets. Those items need a separate inventory, an export or a manual rebuild plan before you shut down the source system. Also list dashboards, filters, notification settings and any data held by connected tools. Treat the gap list as a deliverable that the migration scope must close, and confirm each item against your own Jira instance rather than assuming the export is complete.
Which Jira versions does the OpenProject Jira Migrator support?
The OpenProject Jira Migrator is in beta and supports only Jira Data Center 10.x and 11.x. It does not support Jira Cloud, so Cloud customers must plan a different extraction route. It imports projects, versions, issues with history, comments and attachments, basic custom fields, users, statuses and types. Anything beyond that list, including complex custom field types, workflow logic and automation, needs to be checked and rebuilt. Confirm your exact Jira version and deployment type before you plan the import, and ask the vendor to test the migrator against a copy of your data.
What should I include in a written scope for a Jira migration?
A written scope turns an open-ended project into something you can price and check. Ask for an inventory of projects, custom fields, workflows, permission schemes, automation rules, integrations and attachments, with each item marked as migrated, rebuilt or retired. Require a named test plan that compares issue counts, attachment integrity and user mapping between source and target. Include the target configuration, such as SSO, backups and access roles, and the cutover steps with a rollback point. Finally, request a support period after go-live and a statement of who handles defects found during parallel running.
When is outside help worth paying for during a Jira migration?
Outside help is most useful when the migration touches regulated data, many projects, complex permission models, or integrations that your team cannot test alone. It also helps when you need security hardening, documented controls or evidence for a compliance assessment. DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, and it prepares evidence for compliance assessments, although independent auditors issue any audit reports. Most engagements are fixed-scope, with scope and timelines agreed in writing before work starts, and ongoing support is available as a retainer. Ask for a quote based on your written scope.
Why does Jira's Data Center end date change the migration timing?
Atlassian ends new Data Center subscriptions for new customers on March 30, 2026, stops licenses and expansions for existing customers after March 30, 2028, and on March 28, 2029 Data Center licenses expire and become read-only, according to Atlassian's Ascend announcement. Planning backwards from March 28, 2029 gives you a fixed external deadline, but it does not set your internal schedule. Start the inventory and pilot well before any renewal decision that would lock in another term. Confirm these dates with Atlassian for your contract, because licensing terms can differ by agreement.
How DeployOpen scopes and supports a self-hosted Jira replacement
DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside the client's own infrastructure, whether that is the client's cloud account, data center or air-gapped network. For a Jira replacement, that scope usually spans the chosen platform (OpenProject, Plane or Redmine), the identity and access setup, the migration of projects and history, the backup and upgrade routine, and the documentation your operations and security teams will need after handover. The platform choice itself is a decision for your organization, and DeployOpen's role is to make that choice operable in your environment.
Most engagements are fixed-scope. Before work starts, scope, deliverables and timelines are agreed in writing, so you can check what is included against your Jira footprint, including the items that fall outside a standard importer, such as automation rules, third-party apps, Assets and custom workflows. Ask for the written scope to name each Jira component you depend on and state how it will be migrated, rebuilt or retired. Ongoing work after go-live, such as upgrades, patching, backup testing and continuous security testing, is available through retainers, which are a separate written agreement.
DeployOpen does not publish a price list. A quote follows from the written scope, so the figures that move it are the number of projects and users, the Jira sources you are migrating from, the identity integrations required, the hosting target and the support level you want after handover. Ask each vendor you evaluate for the same breakdown: which components are one-time and which recur, who pays for licenses and who pays for implementation, and what an Enterprise edition costs for the features you need. Confirm current edition terms directly with each vendor, since they change.
