Best Issue Tracking Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Backlog is ranked #1 of 37 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of GitHub Codespaces and OpenProject. The best-ranked option with a free plan is GitHub Codespaces. The lowest first paid tier on this page is GitHub Codespaces at $0.07/mo.
When bugs, requests, and other work need to move through a shared process, issue tracking software can help teams keep the details organized. Compare custom workflows and workflow automation for how work is handled, then weigh roadmaps and time tracking against deployment options and single sign-on. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide further points for comparison. Backlog, GitHub Codespaces, and OpenProject are among the named options, alongside Bugsee and Linear. Consider how much process structure your team wants, which capabilities belong in daily tracking, and whether the listed deployment and access details suit your working environment.
37 issue tracking software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Backlog Top pick · 7.9 Free plan · $35/mo
#2 GitHub Codespaces Runner-up · 7.7 Free plan · $0.07/mo
#3 OpenProject Also great · 7.7 Free plan · €5.95/mo
- Free planFree trial AndroidapiiOSself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$35/mofirst paid tier About BacklogVisit site - Free plan AndroidapiextensioniOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$0.07/mofirst paid tier About GitHub CodespacesVisit site - Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms€5.95/mofirst paid tier About OpenProjectVisit site - Free planFree trial AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$8.25/mofirst paid tier About BugseeVisit site - Free plan AndroidapiiOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 10 /user/mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$10/mofirst paid tier About LinearVisit site - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 4.5 /user/mo
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$5.40/mofirst paid tier About YouTrackVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 6 /user/mo
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$6/mofirst paid tier About PlaneVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 8.5 /user/mo
- Time tracking
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$8.50/mofirst paid tier About ShortcutVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Time tracking
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms€5/mofirst paid tier About TaigaVisit site - Free trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatformsFree About TracVisit site - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- No
- Roadmaps
- No
- Time tracking
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - api
- Free plan
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$195.76/mofirst paid tier About KronoDeskVisit site - WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- No
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- No
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$45/mofirst paid tier About DoneDoneVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$62/mofirst paid tier About FogBugzVisit site - WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 1 /user/mo
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$24/mofirst paid tier About CodetreeVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$39/mofirst paid tier About Marker.ioVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Roadmaps
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Custom workflows
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
- Time tracking
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Workflow automation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which issue tracking software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Backlog is ranked #1 of 37 with a score of 7.9. GitHub Codespaces is second and OpenProject third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, GitHub Codespaces has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.07/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.