Jira vs Easy Redmine: Comparison of project management software

6/26/2025

7 minutes

Still not sure if Jira is the right fit for your projects? Read this comparison to discover why more and more teams are switching to Easy Redmine—and why it could save you time, money and frustration.

Table of contents

Common and significant issues with Jira

Before you commit to Jira, it’s worth understanding the common issues many teams face when using it. Jira may be powerful, but there is:

Complexity and learning curve: Jira is often criticized for its complexity in administration and configuration, leading to a steep learning curve and time wasted on setup instead of development.
Customization challenges: Jira's flexibility supports various workflows, but can result in unmanageable custom setups and user frustration due to client-imposed restrictions on customization.
Usability and user experience: Jira's UX is often seen as clunky, with its feature-rich but unintuitive interface, excessive required fields, and rigidity making simple tasks overly complex compared to tools like Trello or GitHub.
Performance and reliability: Some users have reported that Jira can be slow and unreliable, particularly when using cloud-hosted solutions. These performance bottlenecks can hinder productivity and frustrate users who rely on the tool for daily operations.

Why Jira vs Redmine battle matters for your project success

Are you torn between Jira vs Redmine for your next project management solution? You're not alone. The wrong choice could mean wasted resources, frustrated team members, and missed deadlines.

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Waterfall project management

If your team relies on traditional project management methodologies, Easy Redmine provides superior out-of-the-box functionality.

Waterfall project management tools comparison Jira vs Easy Redmine

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Agile project management

While Jira is popular for Agile, Easy Redmine combines Agile and classic project tools in a single interface tailored for project managers who need flexibility.

Anyway, analyse it using the overview in the table:

Agile project management tools comparison Jira vs Easy Redmine

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Business processes

Obviously, Easy Redmine covers more business process needs out of the box, offering extras like Attendance tracking, Time sheets and Template creation, which are either limited or missing in Jira.

Table of processes: comparison Jira vs Easy Redmine

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Integrations and automation

Both Easy Redmine and Jira support key automation platforms like Zapier, Make.com and n8n.io, but Easy Redmine goes further with a built-in Jira integration for smoother tool switching.

Integration comparison table of Easy Redmine vs Jira

Jira vs Easy Redmine: ITSM & helpdesk

When it comes to IT Service Management, both Jira and Easy Redmine offer solid capabilities, but with key differences. Easy Redmine is giving project managers a ready-to-use ITSM toolbox that includes built-in:

HelpDesk (alternative to Service Desk)
Knowledge management (by Knowledge Base)
Assets & Configuration management

Jira matches these features through Jira Service Management and Confluence, but often requires additional setup or plugins. Neither platform covers Inventory or Warehouse management natively, so third-party solutions may be necessary for that.

Jira vs Easy Redmine: On-premises

The future of on-premises Jira is uncertain, as Atlassian ended Server support in February 2024, meaning users will no longer receive essential updates or security patches. Atlassian's alternative, Jira Data Center, is not a perpetual server installation but a subscription model requiring annual payments, and it becomes unusable if the license lapses.

This poses significant challenges, especially for companies with fewer than 500 users, and industries with regulatory requirements to host data on-premises are particularly affected, as they are forced to purchase more licenses than needed for Jira Data Center.

On the other hand, Easy Redmine on-premises is a great choice for organisations that require full data control, enhanced privacy, and the ability to customise their project environment to specific internal policies and infrastructure.

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Security & governance

In terms of security and governance, both Easy Redmine and Jira meet GDPR compliance.

Easy Redmine stands out with its open-source core and detailed security architecture including encrypted backups, two-factor authentication, role-based permissions, and ISO 27001 compliant hosting.

Jira, while not open-source, offers strong governance through certifications like SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and integrates deeply with Atlassian’s ecosystem for compliance and auditing.

For organisations valuing transparency and control, Easy Redmine provides more flexibility, especially with its open-source nature and customisable security layers.

Jira vs Easy Redmine: Pricing

Taking a closer look at pricing, there are these 3 conclusions:

Small company (50 users): Easy Redmine’s Essentials ($ 5.90 per user/month) undercuts Jira Standard ($ 7.16 per user/month)
Mid-market (150 users): Easy Redmine’s Business ($ 11.90 per user/month) is roughly 28% cheaper than Jira Premium ($ 16.66 per user/month).
Enterprise scale (500+ users): Both solutions require direct sales consultation at this level, with Easy Redmine Business/Platform and Jira Enterprise plan offering customised pricing based on your specific business requirements and implementation needs.
On-premises: Easy Redmine self-hosted starts at just 25 users ($ 5.90 per user/month), whereas Jira Data Center requires a 500-user minimum and carries a significantly higher annual license fee.

Overall, Easy Redmine delivers comparable feature coverage at 20–30% lower list-price per user, for large enterprises 30-50% cost saving.

How to switch from Jira to Easy Redmine

Already decided to switch from Jira to Easy Redmine? It is simple with a clear migration process, professional support, and advanced import tools for Jira. Find out more in this article.

Easy Software ensures a smooth transition through pre-configuration, user training, and data verification—whether you're moving to cloud or on-premises, both offer the same feature set.

Still hesitating? Read the project management case study of Aspecta and see how the migration from Jira to Easy Redmine was carried out.

Why is Easy Redmine better than Jira

The Jira vs Redmine debate ultimately comes down to your team's specific needs. Both platforms offer robust project management capabilities, but they serve different project management philosophies.

Easy Redmine stands as the top open-source Jira alternative, that delivers true hybrid project management—seamlessly combining Waterfall and Agile methodologies—alongside a built-in Knowledge Base (rember Jira's Confluence?), HelpDesk (alternative to Jira's Service Desk), AI integrations and data-driven AI agents, all within an open-source Jira alternative.

Easy Redmine also offers on-premises deployment starting at just 25 users and far more affordable pricing, whereas Jira’s self-hosted option kicks in at 500+ users with a significantly higher cost.

Book an Easy Redmine demo or start a free trial of Easy Redmine project management software to see how it can transform your technology projects with Agile & Waterfall project management, HelpDesk and software development.

Book a demo

Frequently asked questions

Jira’s flexibility and depth come with a steep learning curve and significant administrative overhead, as teams must master complex configurations and dedicate resources to ongoing maintenance. Large instances can suffer performance bottlenecks and require disruptive re-indexing, while licensing and add-on costs quickly escalate.

Over-customization risks process fragmentation and upgrade headaches, and native reporting tools are limited without additional plugins or BI integrations. Finally, the crowded UI and integration complexity can hinder adoption and create data silos if not carefully managed.

Jira is a proprietary, enterprise-grade issue tracking and agile project management platform developed by Atlassian, featuring built-in Scrum and Kanban boards, advanced reporting, and seamless integration with the wider Atlassian ecosystem under commercial licensing.

Redmine is a free, open-source, Ruby on Rails–based project management and issue-tracking tool emphasizing self-hosting flexibility, hierarchical projects, built-in Gantt charts and calendars, and extensibility through community-driven plugins.

As a result, organizations seeking polished UX, enterprise support, and rich analytics tend to choose Jira despite licensing costs, while teams prioritizing customizability, budget-friendliness, and open-source control often opt for Redmine.

Redmine and Easy Redmine are both project management tools, but they differ significantly in features, user experience, and support.

Download free Redmine comparison

Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

User interface

Redmine: Has a traditional and simplistic interface that may feel outdated to some users.
Easy Redmine: Offers a modern, user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation and drag-and-drop functionality, making it easier for users to manage projects effectively.

Installation and setup

Redmine: Requires manual installation and configuration, which can be complex and time-consuming.
Easy Redmine: Provides a one-click installation option, simplifying the setup process and reducing the technical knowledge required.

Features and functionality

Redmine: Offers basic project management features including issue tracking, project planning, and basic reporting.
Easy Redmine: Includes all features of Redmine but adds many advanced functionalities such as: Enhanced Gantt charts (Easy Gantt), Resource management tools, CRM integration, Time tracking capabilities, dashboards with customizable metrics and AI powered Assistants for all users of the application.

Support and updates

Redmine: Users rely on community support for updates and troubleshooting, which can be inconsistent.

Easy Redmine: Offers dedicated customer support and regular updates as part of a subscription model, ensuring timely assistance and feature enhancements.

Costs

Redmine: Free to use under an open-source license, but organizations may incur costs for plugins, customization, or support.
Easy Redmine: A paid solution that includes additional features, support, and updates in its pricing plans. The cost varies based on the number of users and selected features.

Integration options

Redmine: May require additional plugins for integration with other tools.
Easy Redmine: Provides seamless integration with popular applications like Microsoft Office, Google Calendar, and Dropbox, enhancing workflow connectivity.

In summary, while both tools serve similar purposes in project management, Easy Redmine is designed to enhance the user experience with additional features, better support options, and a more modern interface compared to the standard Redmine platform.

Redmine remains an actively maintained open-source project management tool with regular releases and a vibrant community, evidenced by version 6.0.5 being released just two months ago and nearly 19,000 commits on its GitHub mirror.

Despite its niche position, 2.9 % of developers reported using Redmine in the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, demonstrating a steady, if modest, user base among professional teams.

The platform’s ecosystem continues to grow, with community analysis in 2024 registering 60 new plugins and active contributions across forums and the core codebase. Moreover, over 250 user reviews on G2 in the past quarter reflect ongoing deployment and feedback from organizations of various sizes.

Since its launch in 2006, Redmine has been adopted across diverse sectors—including software development firms, educational institutions, government agencies, and non-profits—thanks to its flexible, Rails-based architecture and extensive customization options. Notably, even the Ruby language project itself uses Redmine for its issue tracking, further validating its suitability for technical teams that require deep control over workflow and data.

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