Basecamp vs. Jira Software

As businesses struggle to meet project goals during the health outbreak, project experts offer some advice on how to manage projects and keep remote teams in sync. One of the recommendations is the right use of online project collaboration tools like Basecamp and Jira Software.

This Basecamp vs. Jira Software article shows the similarities and differences of the two project management (PM) solutions. We can help you find the right PM software quickly with the required set of features you need. Use our Product Selection Tool to get a short list of recommendations.

Basecamp

Basecamp LLC is a privately held software company based in Chicago, IL, but employees work remotely from 32 cities around the world. The company began as 37signals in 1999, co-founded by Jason Fried, CEO, and it changed to Basecamp in 2014 to focus on its most successful product. It continues to invest in its infrastructure, design, and customer service, so that customers will always find it simple to use, reliable, and responsive. Customers include Shopify, 121 Captions, and NASA.

Basecamp is a cloud-based project management and team communication software. It provides a central workspace where companies can organize their teams and projects. The software includes several tools that can be enabled or disabled per project. List tasks and assign them to a team member, set important dates on a shared calendar, organize files and documents, and choose from a number of ways to communicate with one another. Basecamp lets you work in your browser and across devices with apps for desktops and mobile devices.

Jira Software

Atlassian Corporation Plc is the software company that owns Jira Software. It was co-founded in 2002 by Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar in Sydney, Australia. The company went public in December 2015 and raised more than $460 million at its initial public offering at NASDAQ. Today, it has 11 offices in seven countries. Some of its customers are Square, eBay, and Cisco.

Jira Software was launched in 2002 as a simple issue tracking software for teams. Over the years, it has become one of the leading software development tools. The software added new and improved existing features so teams can plan projects and sprints, track and prioritize issues, and release software and products on time. It has built-in communication tools to help users discuss work and report on performance. It integrates with other Atlassian products and hundreds of third-party applications from its apps marketplace.

Features comparison of Basecamp vs Jira Software

Project and task management

Basecamp has To-dos for writing your task lists. Assign each task to one or more team members and set due dates for each task. The software will monitor how many tasks on the list are completed or not. It can automatically follow up tasks that are overdue. Keep everything in context by attaching notes and related files with the task. You can also look at all documents and files on a single page that you can sort, reorder, and color-code for better organization.

Jira Software is ideal for software development projects. It has several workflow boards that are customizable for teams using agile development methods. For example, it has a Scrum view that supports sprint planning and iterative development. It has a Kanban board view that promotes work visibility with drag-and-drop functionality. Jira Software also has a Roadmap view to help teams and organizations plan features and products. Track issues from start to completion from any of these available views.

Communication and collaboration

Basecamp has several communication tools. Message boards are based on a specific topic and can include anyone involved. Collaboration is quicker because anyone can read and reply about a central topic in an organized post within a single page. All related files and images can be attached on the board. The software also has a dedicated chat room for every project. Directly @mention a colleague to ask a question. It also supports attachment of documents, images, and codes. Lastly, have a 1-to-1 private conversation with any co-worker in real time.

Jira Software allows you to comment on any issue or card or task. Comments can be visible to the entire team, external partners, and clients. The available views provide information at a glance, so there is less need for email among team members. Boards can have custom stages and status and other visual indicators such as flags. Integration with other Atlassian products make it easy to link or attach files to any issue or comment. Jira Software also has a powerful search that goes through all issues and projects.

Progress reporting

Basecamp has automatic check-in features that can effectively replace lengthy status meetings. Team members can answer the questions regularly to provide an updated picture of projects. It also provides the latest information on all or selected activities, assignments, overdue or completed to-dos, and upcoming dues with a click of a tab. The project management software also has a unique project tracking report called a Hill Chart superimposed on a to-do list. It groups tasks as uphill, top, or downhill, shows progress over time, and provides a big picture view of all the work.

Jira Software provides teams with a variety of ready-to-use reports that show real-time information. These include burn-down charts, burn-up charts, sprint reports, control charts, CF diagrams, epic reports, velocity charts, release reports, and version reports. Most of these are specific to agile development.

Ready to make a decision on Basecamp or Jira Software?

Basecamp and Jira Software are both mature and reliable applications. They are modern tools that support task management, project tracking, and work collaboration.

Basecamp is preferred for general project management but is flexible enough for a wide array of use cases regardless of business size or sector. It provides excellent communication tools whether for internal company use or for clients. It integrates to applications in several software categories for different business processes. A single pricing scheme offers greater value to larger teams, and a free 30-day trial is available.

Jira Software is preferred by software development teams for its greater support for agile methods. It is also a great application for issue tracking. It can be integrated with a lot of products and services. The software offers several plans and flexible pricing depending on the number of users. A 7-day free trial is offered for its standard and premium versions.

Ready to find the right project management software for your needs? Use our Product Selection Tool to get a list of recommended vendors that meet your requirements. It’s free and only takes five minutes.