Jira vs Mattermost Comparison
Compare Jira vs Mattermost features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Jira
7.3/10
Atlassian's work and issue-tracking platform for planning, tracking, and shipping projects, with scrum and kanban boards built mainly for software and technical teams.
Mattermost
6.7/10
Self-hostable, open-source team messaging and workflow platform with playbooks, kanban boards and AI agents, built for security-conscious and regulated organizations.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.3/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $8/user/mo Standard | $10/user/mo Professional |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | Free Team Edition |
| Features | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Collaboration tools | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Dashboards | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Reporting | Not listed | |
| Task management | Not listed | |
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| Time tracking | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
Jira vs Mattermost cost by team size
Jira and Mattermost cost the same up to 10 users; Mattermost costs less from 25 users.
| Team size | Jira | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | FreeTeam Edition |
| 5 users | FreeFree | FreeTeam Edition |
| 10 users | FreeFree | FreeTeam Edition |
| 25 users | $212/moStandard | FreeTeam Edition |
| 50 users | $424/moStandard | FreeTeam Edition |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Jira
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for small business (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Mattermost
- Higher Ease of Use score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Security score (10/10 vs 8/10)
Pros & Cons
Jira
Pros
- The free plan supports up to 10 users and includes scrum and kanban boards.
- Reviewers highlight deep customization of workflows, boards, and fields.
- Sprint and agile management are strong, and Jira integrates with GitHub and Git tools.
- It links closely with Confluence and other Atlassian products, so tickets can be referenced across those apps.
- Time tracking is built into every plan, including Free.
Cons
- Reviewers report a steep learning curve and an interface that overwhelms non-technical users.
- Users report slow issue loading and laggy boards in large deployments.
- Paid Marketplace apps can add hidden costs for reporting, CRM, and helpdesk needs.
- The free plan is limited to 100 emails per day and community support only.
- Troubleshooting failed automation rules can be frustrating.
Mattermost
Pros
- Can be fully self-hosted or air-gapped, which suits defense, government and regulated industries
- Enterprise tiers include strong compliance tooling: FIPS 140-3 builds, legal hold, compliance export and granular RBAC
- Playbooks give incident and DevOps teams repeatable checklists with automated triggers inside chat
- Built-in Jira, GitHub and GitLab integrations, plus an open API for custom bots
- Open-source core under MIT and AGPL licenses avoids full vendor lock-in
Cons
- The Boards kanban plugin is in maintenance mode and has been removed from the in-product marketplace
- Since v11 the free Entry plan shows only the last 10,000 messages and Team Edition is capped at 250 users, which drew community criticism
- The vendor publishes no prices, licenses are annual prepaid only, and every server needs its own license
- No Gantt charts, time tracking or project reporting, so it cannot replace a dedicated project management tool
- Self-hosting requires admin time and server upkeep
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Jira scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.3/10 against 6.7/10 for Mattermost. The largest gap is in Analytics: 7/10 for Jira and 3/10 for Mattermost.
Both are free for 10 users.
Yes, both Jira and Mattermost have a free plan.
Jira is the better fit for startups: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for Mattermost.
