- **[AdeptDev](https://www.adeptdev.io)** — web developers / founders. Kanban board integrated with GitHub, deployments, and web analytics providers. $10/month flat. - **Linear** — best for teams that want Shortcut's developer focus but faster and more polished. - **Jira** — best for large engineering orgs that have outgrown Shortcut's structure. - **Plane** — best open source alternative. Free self-hosted, no user limits. - **ClickUp** — best for mixed teams that need PM beyond engineering. - **Asana** — best for non-technical teams or cross-functional workflows. - **GitHub Projects** — best free alternative. No setup, already in GitHub. - **Monday.com** — best for dev and business teams sharing one workspace.

## Why Teams Look for Shortcut Alternatives in 2026 Shortcut (formerly Clubhouse) was built specifically for software development teams. Stories, Epics, Milestones, sprint planning, and GitHub integration out of the box — with less overhead than Jira and more structure than Linear. For many teams it hits a good middle ground. For others, specific gaps push them toward alternatives. **It can feel dated.** Shortcut was founded in 2014 and while it receives regular updates, some teams find the interface feels less modern than Linear or newer tools. ([source](https://efficient.app/best/project-management)) **No deployment visibility.** Shortcut connects to GitHub for branch and commit linking, but has no concept of a deployment pipeline. Tasks don't update when a build succeeds or fails. **Limited integrations.** Shortcut integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Zapier, and Bitbucket — confirmed from verified reviews. That covers the essentials but is narrower than Jira's 3,000+ Marketplace or ClickUp's 1,000+ integrations. **Per-user pricing at scale.** Shortcut Team is $8.50/user/month. Business is $12/user/month. For teams growing past 20 to 30 engineers, the cost compounds. Plane self-hosted at zero recurring cost becomes increasingly attractive at that scale. (Worth noting: Shortcut offers 12 months free for startups with fewer than 50 employees — worth checking if you qualify.) If any of these sound familiar, the best Shortcut alternative in 2026 is the one built for your specific frustration.

## Quick Comparison: Best Shortcut Alternatives in 2026 | Tool | Best for | Pricing | |---|---|---| | [AdeptDev](https://adeptdev.io) | Web developers / Founders | $10/mo flat | | [Linear](https://linear.app) | Speed and polish for engineering teams | Free / $8/user/mo | | [Jira](https://atlassian.com/software/jira) | Large engineering orgs at scale | Free to 10 / $7.91/user/mo | | [Plane](https://plane.so) | Open source, self-hosted | Free / $6/user/mo cloud | | [ClickUp](https://clickup.com) | Mixed teams beyond engineering | Free / $7/user/mo | | [Asana](https://asana.com) | Non-technical or cross-functional teams | Free / $10.99/user/mo | | [GitHub Projects](https://github.com/features/project-management) | Free, already in GitHub | Free | | [Monday.com](https://monday.com) | Dev and business in one workspace | From $9/user/mo |

## 1. AdeptDev: Best Shortcut Alternative for Web Developers ![AdeptDev](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/www.adeptdev.io_.png) **AdeptDev is the best Shortcut alternative for web developers who want more than issue tracking.** Shortcut handles sprint planning and GitHub branch linking well. Shortcut handles sprint planning and GitHub branch linking well. It has no concept of deployment status, build tracking, or product analytics. AdeptDev closes all three gaps in one workspace. When you push code, the task moves automatically via GitHub webhooks. When the Vercel build succeeds, you see it alongside the task. When the feature ships, analytics from PostHog or Google Analytics surface in the same workspace. That's the full development loop Shortcut can't complete. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs AdeptDev comes down to sprint management vs development workflow. Shortcut gives you Epics, Stories, and iterations — strong for structured Agile. AdeptDev gives you a Kanban board that moves automatically when code moves, deployment status without tab switching, and analytics in context. For web developers managing their own product, AdeptDev covers more of the actual workflow at $10/month flat versus Shortcut's $8.50/user/month that scales with headcount. **Main features:** - Two Kanban boards: Roadmap (features) and Bug Tracker (GitHub Issues) - GitHub webhook integration — tasks move automatically on push, PR open, or issue close - Vercel deployment tracking — build status and logs in the same workspace - PostHog and Google Analytics integration - Multiple workspaces per organization | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Built for** | | $10/month flat regardless of team size | Web developers and technical founders | | Tasks move automatically from GitHub events | Products built on GitHub and Vercel | | Deployment visibility without switching tabs | Teams who want less context switching | | Analytics alongside tasks and deploys | Solo devs and small teams up to 10 | | 7-day free trial, full access | Founders managing their own product | **Pricing:** $10/month flat after a 7-day free trial. Try it at [adeptdev.io](https://adeptdev.io).

## 2. Linear: Best Shortcut Alternative for Speed ![Linear](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/linear.png) **Linear is the best Shortcut alternative for speed.** Same developer focus, cleaner interface, sub-100ms performance. Shortcut and Linear serve similar audiences, but Linear's sub-100ms UI, keyboard-first design, and more opinionated structure tend to drive higher daily engagement among developers. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs Linear comes down to structure vs speed. Shortcut's Milestones, Epics, Stories, and Iterations hierarchy gives you more organizational layers than Linear's flatter model. Linear gives you a faster, cleaner interface that developers actually want to open every morning. Teams that feel Shortcut has become a maintenance burden tend to find Linear liberating. Honest take: if your engineers open Shortcut once a week to groom the backlog and call that "using the tool," Linear is probably the right move. Both have strong native GitHub integration. **Main features:** - Sub-100ms UI, keyboard-first interface - Cycles (sprints), backlog management, and roadmaps - Native GitHub integration — branches and PRs link automatically - Velocity tracking and cycle analytics - AI-powered issue creation and triage | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Faster and more modern than Shortcut | 250-issue cap on free tier | | Native GitHub integration | No Vercel or deployment tracking | | Keyboard-first, developer-optimized | Per-user pricing at scale | | Sprint planning and velocity built in | Less organizational hierarchy than Shortcut | | Strong roadmapping features | No docs, goals, or time tracking | **Pricing:** Free (250 issues, 2 teams). Basic $8/user/month. Business $14/user/month.

## 3. Jira: Best Shortcut Alternative for Large Engineering Orgs ![Jira](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/jira.png) **Jira is the right Shortcut alternative when you've outgrown Shortcut's capacity.** That usually means 50+ engineers, complex multi-team dependencies, or compliance requirements. Shortcut is excellent for teams of 5 to 30. Jira handles hundreds of engineers across multiple teams with complex dependencies, compliance requirements, and deep cross-tool integrations. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs Jira comes down to simplicity vs scale. Shortcut keeps things clean — fewer configuration options, faster onboarding, less admin overhead. Jira allows nearly unlimited customization: custom issue types, fields, workflows, and permission schemes. For engineering organizations past Series A with a dedicated Scrum Master, Jira's complexity is worth it. For teams under 30 engineers without a dedicated admin, it almost never is. The configuration overhead is a full-time job. **Main features:** - Native Scrum and Kanban with sprint velocity - Advanced roadmaps for cross-team planning - 3,000+ Marketplace integrations - Full Atlassian ecosystem integration - Enterprise compliance and audit trails | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Best-in-class Agile at scale | 2 to 3 week learning curve | | 3,000+ integrations vs Shortcut's ~10 | Requires a dedicated admin | | Deep Atlassian ecosystem | True cost is 2 to 3x base price | | Enterprise compliance features | Heavy for teams under 20 engineers | | Handles complex multi-team dependencies | No deployment tracking | **Pricing:** Free up to 10 users. Standard $7.91/user/month. Premium $15.25/user/month.

## 4. Plane: Best Open Source Shortcut Alternative ![Plane](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/plane.so_.png) **Plane is the best open source Shortcut alternative.** Free self-hosted, covers Shortcut's core feature set, and cheaper on cloud. It is the closest open source equivalent to Shortcut — issues, cycles (sprints), modules (epics), Gantt charts, time tracking, and roadmaps all work out of the box. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs Plane comes down to SaaS convenience vs open source control. Plane's self-hosted Community Edition covers everything Shortcut's paid plans include — sprint planning, backlog management, Epics, and roadmaps — at no recurring cost. For teams that need data residency or want to escape per-user pricing as headcount grows, Plane self-hosted is the most credible option. Pro cloud at $6/seat/month is cheaper than Shortcut Team at $8.50/user/month for any direct comparison. **Main features:** - Issues, cycles, modules, Gantt charts, and Wiki - Time tracking on Pro plan - GitHub integration - Self-hosted Community Edition, unlimited users - Multiple views: Kanban, list, calendar, spreadsheet | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Free self-hosted, no user limits | Self-hosting adds infrastructure overhead | | Pro cloud cheaper than Shortcut | Some features less polished than Shortcut | | Full data ownership and control | No Vercel or deployment tracking | | Covers Shortcut's core feature set | Setup requires technical knowledge | | 40,000+ GitHub stars, active development | Smaller ecosystem than Jira | **Pricing:** Free self-hosted. Pro cloud $6/user/month. Business $13/user/month.

## 5. ClickUp: Best Shortcut Alternative for Mixed Teams ![ClickUp](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/clickup.png) **ClickUp is the best Shortcut alternative when engineering isn't the only team that needs a PM tool.** Shortcut is focused. ClickUp handles everything. Shortcut is focused on software development. ClickUp handles multi-disciplinary workflows. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs ClickUp comes down to specialization vs breadth. Shortcut does software development PM exceptionally well. ClickUp does it adequately while also covering docs, goals, time tracking, dashboards, and workflows for non-engineering roles. For companies where a single PM tool needs to serve the whole company — not just the engineering team — ClickUp replaces several tools at once. The free plan includes unlimited tasks and unlimited members, more accessible than Shortcut's free tier. **Main features:** - Tasks, docs, goals, time tracking, and dashboards - Sprint management with story points and velocity - Kanban, list, Gantt, and calendar views - 1,000+ integrations including GitHub and Slack - AI writing and task generation | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Works for engineering and non-engineering teams | 1 to 2 day onboarding curve | | 1,000+ integrations vs Shortcut's ~10 | AI costs $9/user/month extra | | More generous free plan than Shortcut | GitHub integration is shallow | | Time tracking and goals included | Feature overload for dev-only teams | | Unlimited tasks and members on free | No Vercel or deployment tracking | **Pricing:** Free. Unlimited $7/user/month. Business $12/user/month.

## 6. Asana: Best Shortcut Alternative for Non-Technical Teams ![Asana](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/asana.com_.png) **Asana is the best Shortcut alternative when non-technical adoption is the problem.** Shortcut's terminology is natural for developers. Completely alien to everyone else. Shortcut's terminology — Stories, Epics, Iterations, Milestones — is natural for software developers and meaningless to marketing, ops, and client services. Asana is immediately legible to anyone. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs Asana comes down to developer-first vs team-first. Shortcut was designed for software engineers and the mental model reflects that. Asana was designed for any team type, making it the natural choice when the PM tool needs to span the whole company. Teams that use Shortcut for engineering but Asana for the rest of the business often find consolidating onto Asana reduces the cross-team visibility problem. **Main features:** - List, board, timeline, and calendar views - Goal and portfolio tracking - Workflow automation without code - AI-powered task creation and summaries - 300+ integrations including GitHub and Slack | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Immediately intuitive for non-technical users | Not built for developer-specific workflows | | Strong cross-team visibility | GitHub integration requires app install | | Automation without configuration | No Vercel or deployment tracking | | Goal and portfolio tracking | Sprint features less mature than Shortcut | | AI features across all paid plans | Per-user cost adds up at scale | **Pricing:** Free up to 10 users. Starter $10.99/user/month. Advanced $24.99/user/month.

## 7. GitHub Projects: Best Free Shortcut Alternative ![GitHub Projects](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/github.com_.png) **GitHub Projects is the best free Shortcut alternative.** No extra tool. No new login. No credit card. Already where your code lives. No extra tool, no new login, no credit card. The project board lives where your code lives, with no issue cap and no user limit. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** For developer teams that want to evaluate whether they need Shortcut's structure at all, GitHub Projects is the obvious starting point. Custom fields, board view, table view, roadmap view, and workflow automation that triggers on GitHub events cover the basics without any subscription cost. If GitHub Projects covers your team's needs, Shortcut's $8.50/user/month becomes hard to justify. **Main features:** - Board, table, and roadmap views - Custom fields per project - Workflow automation triggered by GitHub events - No issue cap, no user limit - Native integration with issues and pull requests | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Completely free, no limits | No sprint velocity or burndown charts | | Zero setup for GitHub users | No Vercel or deployment tracking | | Automation from GitHub events | Less structure than Shortcut's Epics/Stories | | Native PR and issue linking | No analytics integration | | No issue cap or user limit | Basic compared to dedicated PM tools | **Pricing:** Free with any GitHub account.

## 8. Monday.com: Best for Dev and Business Teams Together ![Monday.com](https://vyoyxwhjtxsktvvpxdvj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog_images/monday.png) **Monday.com is the best Shortcut alternative for organizations where the whole company needs to see what engineering is doing.** Shortcut's interface works for engineers. Nobody else. In the Shortcut vs Monday.com debate, Monday.com wins on cross-team adoption every time. Shortcut's developer-focused interface works for engineers. It doesn't work for the rest of the company. Monday.com's visual, color-coded boards drive adoption across all roles. **Why it's a good Shortcut alternative:** Shortcut vs Monday.com comes down to dev specialization vs cross-organizational visibility. Monday dev brings sprint planning, backlogs, and release tracking into the same workspace where product, marketing, and ops operate. For companies where the engineering roadmap needs to be visible and understandable to non-engineers, Monday.com bridges that gap more naturally than Shortcut. **Main features:** - Board, Gantt, timeline, and workload views - monday dev for sprint planning and backlog management - AI standup summaries and sprint insights - 200+ integrations - Automation builder for workflow triggers | | | |---|---| | **Pros** | **Cons** | | Best cross-team adoption of any tool here | Expensive at scale | | Visual and intuitive for all roles | 3-seat minimum on Basic tier | | monday dev for engineering workflows | GitHub integration is shallow | | AI sprint summaries and standups | No Vercel or deployment tracking | | Good workload and resource management | Not purpose-built for dev-only workflows | **Pricing:** From $9/user/month (Basic, 3-seat minimum). Standard $12/user/month. Pro $19/user/month.

## How to Choose the Right Shortcut Alternative **One question cuts through every Shortcut replacement search: why is Shortcut not working for your team?** **You want something faster and more modern:** Linear. Sub-100ms UI, keyboard-first, same developer focus as Shortcut with a cleaner interface. **You need deployment visibility alongside your tasks:** AdeptDev. The only tool here that connects your Kanban board to Vercel build status and GitHub events in one workspace. **Your team has grown past 30 engineers with complex dependencies:** Jira. The scale and customization Shortcut can't match. **You want open source and data ownership:** Plane. Self-hosted for free, feature-complete, cheaper on cloud than Shortcut. **Non-technical team members can't use Shortcut:** Asana or Monday.com. Both drive significantly higher adoption across non-developer roles. **You need one tool for engineering and the rest of the company:** ClickUp or Monday.com. Shortcut's developer focus becomes a liability for mixed workflows. **You want free and you're already in GitHub:** GitHub Projects. No issue cap, no user limit, covers the basics at zero cost.

## Wrap Up Shortcut is a solid tool. Teams that leave are usually going in one of three directions: faster (Linear), bigger scale (Jira), or wider company coverage (ClickUp, Monday.com). That's it. Pick the frustration, match it to the tool. The best Shortcut alternative in 2026 is not the most feature-complete one — it's the one that solves the specific thing Shortcut isn't doing. If you are a web developer or founder who wants GitHub integration, Vercel deployment tracking, and analytics in one workspace, check out [AdeptDev](https://adeptdev.io). Free for 7 days.

## What is the best Shortcut alternative for software teams in 2026? For web developer teams who want deployment visibility alongside task management, AdeptDev is the strongest alternative — GitHub webhook integration moves tasks automatically, Vercel deployment status surfaces in the same workspace, and analytics connect from PostHog or Google Analytics. For engineering teams that want Shortcut's developer focus with a faster, more modern interface, Linear is the most direct replacement. For teams that have grown past Shortcut's capacity, Jira handles complex multi-team Agile at scale. For open source and self-hosting, Plane is free with no user limits. ## What is the best free Shortcut alternative? GitHub Projects is the best free Shortcut alternative — included with any GitHub account, no issue cap, no user limit, and workflow automation that triggers on GitHub events. Plane self-hosted is also free with no user limits and covers sprints, epics, Gantt charts, and time tracking. Linear is free up to 250 issues and 2 teams. ClickUp's free plan includes unlimited tasks and unlimited members. AdeptDev offers a 7-day full-access trial at $10/month after that. ## How does Linear compare to Shortcut? Linear and Shortcut serve similar developer-focused audiences but with different trade-offs. Shortcut has more organizational hierarchy — Milestones, Epics, Stories, and Iterations — giving teams more layers to organize complex projects. Linear has a faster, more modern interface with sub-100ms load times and a keyboard-first design that developers tend to prefer for daily use. Both have strong native GitHub integrations. Teams leaving Shortcut for Linear typically cite interface speed and simplicity as the reasons. Teams staying on Shortcut typically cite the organizational structure they've built over time. ## Is Plane a good replacement for Shortcut? Yes. Plane covers Shortcut's core feature set — issues, cycles (sprints), modules (epics), Gantt charts, roadmaps, and time tracking — in both a self-hosted Community Edition (free, no user limits) and a cloud Pro plan at $6/user/month. That's cheaper than Shortcut Team at $8.50/user/month on the cloud plan, and free if you self-host. For teams that need data ownership or want to escape per-user pricing as headcount grows, Plane is the most credible open source Shortcut replacement available in 2026. ## Why are teams looking for Shortcut alternatives in 2026? The main reasons are the interface feeling dated compared to newer tools like Linear, limited integrations (~10 confirmed) versus competitors with 1,000+, no deployment pipeline visibility, and per-user pricing that compounds as engineering teams grow. Some teams also find Shortcut's Milestones-Epics-Stories-Iterations hierarchy creates more maintenance overhead than they need, and prefer Linear's simpler model. Teams with non-technical members often find Shortcut's software-development-specific terminology creates adoption barriers for marketing, ops, and product roles. ## What is the difference between Shortcut and Jira? Shortcut is designed for small to medium engineering teams (5 to 30 engineers) who want Agile tooling without Jira's complexity. Jira is designed for large engineering organizations that need enterprise-grade customization, compliance features, and 3,000+ integrations. Shortcut is faster to set up and requires less admin overhead. Jira handles complex multi-team dependencies and custom workflows that Shortcut can't model. The switch from Shortcut to Jira typically happens when a team grows past 30 to 50 engineers, needs compliance features, or requires deep Atlassian ecosystem integrations. ## Was Shortcut previously called Clubhouse? Yes. Shortcut was originally launched as Clubhouse in 2014. The company rebranded to Shortcut to avoid confusion with the unrelated Clubhouse live voice chat app. If you're searching for "Clubhouse alternatives" for the project management tool, the results for "Shortcut alternatives" cover the same product. The core features — Stories, Epics, Milestones, sprint planning, and GitHub integration — have remained consistent through the rebrand.