Bug tracking is sold in three shapes: self-run trackers, per-user cloud tools and reporting widgets that feed other trackers.
This guide ranks twelve products on the ninety-day cost of running them, what the bill looks like with guests and integrations added, how the data leaves, and whether a small independent supplier stands behind the tool.
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry
says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a
vendor. How that works.
In short
What bug tracking software does
Bug tracking software records software defects, assigns them to people, moves them through workflow states and keeps the history, so teams can see what is broken and who owns it.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each bug tracking tool is built for. One rule sits on top of those tests:
Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Free plan with 30 Jams a month; per-creator Team plan, published; 14-day trial
Yes
Developers and QA who want reproducible reports without back-and-forth
Teams looking for a tracker that stores and prioritises the backlog
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
A PHP issue tracker you run yourself or rent hosted
Ranked #1 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
Pick the open source download if you have someone to run PHP and a database, and MantisHub if you do not. The hosted tiers start at 15 users and 5 GB, with extra users sold in blocks of five, so growth is predictable.
The product offers email notifications, per-project roles and custom fields; it does not offer planning views, which is why larger product teams outgrow it.
What stands out
Open source
Self-hosted
Hosted option
Where it costs you
The project page names no company, address or country, so you cannot tell who stands behind it commercially.
MantisHub plans carry set user and storage allowances, and moving data into the hosted service needs an annual plan plus a one-off fee.
Right for
A team that wants a plain bug queue without project-management layers on top
Wrong for
Teams that need sprint boards, roadmaps or time tracking
Not stated by the vendorOpen source GPL licence, self-hosted; hosted MantisHub plans published per tier
Issue tracking with Git built in, priced flat rather than per user
Ranked #2 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingAsia-Pacific
The pricing model is the reason to look: each plan has one price, and Standard lifts the user limit while allowing 100 projects and 30 GB. Bugs sit beside Git and Subversion repositories and a board view, so code and tickets stay in one place.
Backlog also lists importers for Redmine and Jira. The weak point is that AI credits for the assistant are sold as separate monthly add-on packages.
What stands out
Flat-rate pricing
Built-in Git
Issue tracking
Where it costs you
The free plan allows one project and 100 MB of storage, so it works as a trial and not as a home.
Starter caps at 30 users and 5 projects; unlimited users arrive only from Standard upwards.
Right for
Mixed teams of developers and non-developers who want one flat monthly bill
Wrong for
Teams that want deep customisation or a self-hosted install
JapanFree plan for 10 users; flat monthly price per plan, published; 30-day trial
The long-standing defect tracker, now run by a small nonprofit
Ranked #3 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestNorth America
Mozilla still uses Bugzilla on its own site, which tells you the design copes with a large public bug database. The features that matter in practice are workflow management, security visibility rules and custom fields.
The cost is operational: there is no vendor to call, and the interface follows its own conventions instead of those of newer trackers. Choose it when control matters more than polish.
What stands out
Open source
Self-hosted
Custom fields
Where it costs you
The project sells no hosted version, so installation, upgrades and backups are your job.
Development is by volunteers and a young nonprofit, so there is no commercial support contract to buy.
Right for
Engineering teams with a sysadmin who need strict control over who sees which bug
Wrong for
Teams that want a hosted service and a support contract
United StatesOpen source under MPL 2.0, self-hosted; no licence price
A self-hosted tracker with wiki, Gantt and time logging included
Ranked #4 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Redmine suits organisations that treat their tracker as infrastructure. Statuses and issue types are yours to define, workflows can differ per role, and repositories for Git, Subversion and Mercurial attach to each project.
It stores data in MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite, which keeps exit simple. What you give up is a vendor: the project page promises no service levels, and backing it means finding a third-party host.
What stands out
Open source
Self-hosted
Gantt and wiki
Where it costs you
The site lists no commercial support or official hosted service, and its only hosted demo is a third party.
Setup is a Ruby on Rails deployment you maintain yourself, so the first ninety days cost admin time.
Right for
Teams that want issues, wiki and time logging in one self-run application
Wrong for
Teams without anyone to administer a Rails server
Not stated by the vendorOpen source GPL v2, self-hosted; donations invited, no hosted plans listed
Plane is the one entry here that offers an AGPL codebase and a paid cloud service side by side, so you can start hosted and move to your own server later.
Pro is billed per user and includes five guests per paid member; Business adds more AI credits. Self-hosted Pro includes SAML and OIDC, which cloud Pro does not. The free tier ends at twelve people.
What stands out
Open source
Self-hosted
Per-user plans
Where it costs you
The free plan has no integrations, time tracking or wiki, and intake is in-app only.
The terms name Delaware law but give no country of establishment, so jurisdiction needs a question to the vendor.
Right for
Small engineering teams that want an open source tracker with a hosted option
Wrong for
Teams that need integrations on a zero-cost plan
Not stated by the vendorFree plan for up to 12 users; per-user Pro and Business plans, published
Fast issue tracker for product teams, priced per user
Ranked #6 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
Linear is built by Linear Orbit, Inc., whose privacy policy gives a San Francisco address. The strength is an issue model that bug fixes share with feature work, so triage and planning live together.
Pricing is per user on yearly billing, with guests and private teams held back for the Business plan. Reporting inbound defects from customers needs the Zendesk or Intercom integrations, which are Business-only.
What stands out
Free plan
Per-user billing
Cycles and projects
Where it costs you
The free plan stops at 250 issues, which a busy bug queue reaches within months.
SAML, SCIM and invoice billing are reserved for the quoted Enterprise tier.
Right for
Software product teams that want a quick, opinionated tracker for bugs and planning
Wrong for
Teams that need a self-hosted install or flat pricing
United StatesFree plan with 250 issues; per-user Basic and Business plans, published
Issue tracking and sprint planning for software teams, with a free tier
Ranked #7 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Shortcut's pricing page is clear about where the free tier ends: ten users, one workspace, one workflow, 5 GB of storage. Team costs per user per month and allows five workflows; Business removes the workflow cap and adds more workspaces.
The about page lists the founding year and a leadership team but no address. Import options exist from Jira and Trello, which eases switching in.
What stands out
Free plan
Per-user billing
Sprints and docs
Where it costs you
The free plan allows one workflow and one workspace, so separate bug and feature flows need a paid plan.
A team of more than ten users must subscribe when the trial ends.
Right for
Small to mid-sized product teams who track bugs inside sprints
Wrong for
Teams that need a self-hosted tracker or a stated jurisdiction
Not stated by the vendorFree plan for up to 10 users; per-user plans, published; 14-day trial
Clients pin comments to a live website and they become tasks
Ranked #8 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Published pricingAsia-Pacific
The Standard plan includes 5 members and 10 GB, Studio 10 members and 25 GB, Premium 25 members and 50 GB; the trial length is not stated on the pricing page. Clients need no account.
Tasks can be pushed to Jira, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, GitHub and about twenty other tools. The company behind it is Splitrock Studio Pty Ltd, governed by Victorian law.
What stands out
Visual feedback
Browser extension
Kanban board
Where it costs you
Plans price by member count, with extra members billed per user, so growing agencies pay more.
The pages I read do not describe a data export, and there is no plan without payment.
Right for
Web agencies collecting change requests and defects from non-technical clients
Wrong for
Product teams tracking bugs inside a native or backend app
AustraliaFlat monthly plans by member count, published; trial, no plan without payment
Website bug reports with screenshots, sent straight to your tracker
Ranked #9 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Starter allows 3 users and up to 10 projects; Team allows 15 users and 50 projects; Business is custom and billed yearly. Page-view allowances apply, 5k a month on Starter and 25k on Team.
The company is a Belgian SRL registered in Brussels. Its list of integrations spans Trello, Asana, ClickUp, GitHub, GitLab and Linear. Webhooks and SAML single sign-on are held for Business.
What stands out
Widget capture
Issue sync
15-day trial
Where it costs you
It needs an existing tracker, because tickets are sent on instead of stored here.
Jira and Azure DevOps sync begins on the Team plan, and Starter caps at 3 users and 5k page views.
Right for
QA and agency teams that already run Jira, GitHub or Linear
Wrong for
Teams looking for a standalone tracker to replace their current one
Belgium15-day trial; per-plan monthly pricing by user count, published
Feedback widget with screen annotation and session replay
Ranked #10 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingAsia-Pacific
The Team plan covers 5 seats and 5 sites, Business unlimited seats and 25 sites, Business Plus 50 sites, and Enterprise is quoted. A Feature Portal add-on is sold separately.
Discounts of 25 per cent apply to startups in their first year and to education and charities. Userback gathers and organises feedback; developers still need a separate tracker where the work is planned and closed.
What stands out
Free plan
Session replay
Feedback widget
Where it costs you
Feedback older than 7 days is locked on the free plan until you upgrade.
The site count, not the seat count, drives the price: 5, 25 or 50 sites on the paid tiers.
Right for
Product teams who want bug reports and wider feedback from the same widget
Wrong for
Teams that need a full backlog, sprints or code integration
AustraliaFree plan with 7-day feedback visibility; per-plan monthly pricing, published
Feedback and bug capture priced by projects, with unlimited seats
Ranked #11 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
New accounts get a free trial and can earn a free month of Premium by setting up two channels and collecting twenty feedback items. After that, Starter, Growth, Professional and Premium are billed monthly or yearly.
Limits scale with project count: 2, 10, 20 and 50. Enterprise adds SSO, SAML and a 99.9 per cent uptime guarantee, and is quoted. It sends work to Jira rather than hosting it.
What stands out
Unlimited seats
Project-based pricing
Feedback capture
Where it costs you
Starter is limited to 2 seats and 2 projects.
Higher tiers are structured around product discovery and AI feedback analysis, which a pure bug-reporting team may never use.
Right for
Product teams that want unlimited colleagues submitting and reviewing feedback
Wrong for
Teams that need a backlog or sprint planning in the same tool
AustriaMonthly plans by project count, published; free trial before any plan
Records the bug with console and network logs attached
Ranked #12 of 12 in Best Bug Tracking Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Team adds unlimited Jams, longer recordings, 200 AI summaries, access controls and backend logging. Free users connect Jira and Linear and debug Jams through MCP.
Billing is per creator, so occasional viewers do not take a paid seat. The company appears in its footer as Jam, Inc.; neither the pricing page nor the terms name its country, so no jurisdiction is claimed here.
What stands out
Free plan
Console logs
Browser extension
Where it costs you
The free plan caps at 30 Jams a month and 5-minute recordings.
Backend logging is a Team feature, and the product is a reporter, not somewhere to queue and prioritise bugs.
Right for
Developers and QA who want reproducible reports without back-and-forth
Wrong for
Teams looking for a tracker that stores and prioritises the backlog
Not stated by the vendorFree plan with 30 Jams a month; per-creator Team plan, published; 14-day trial
Bug tracking software records software defects, assigns them to people, moves them through workflow states and keeps the history, so teams can see what is broken and who owns it. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
10 of the 12 tools here publish what they cost; the other 2 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: MantisBT, Backlog, Plane, Linear, Shortcut, BugHerd, Marker.io, Userback, Usersnap, Jam.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 12 vendors are established in 6 countries across 4 regions (Elsewhere 5, Asia-Pacific 3, North America 2, Europe 2). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
03
Consider whether you want the source
4 of these are open source: MantisBT, Bugzilla, Redmine, Plane. Hosting one yourself trades a subscription for maintenance.
Why a bug tracker is not the same thing as bug reporting
Two separate products sit under this heading, and buyers pay for the wrong one. A tracker such as MantisBT, Bugzilla, Redmine or Backlog stores the defect, assigns it, moves it through states and keeps history. A reporting widget such as BugHerd, Marker.io, Userback or Jam captures what the reporter saw, with screenshot, browser details or console logs, and then sends it elsewhere; Marker.io and Jam both list Jira and Linear as destinations.
Count the tools you need. If your testers already have a queue, a widget is a small purchase. If nobody owns the queue, a widget alone leaves bugs scattered between inboxes and chat threads. Work out first who reports, who triages and who fixes, then buy the tool that covers the gap rather than the one with the longest feature list.
Does the product store tickets, or only forward them to another tracker?
Who will file bugs: developers, testers, or clients with no account?
Which existing queue should receive the reports?
Open source trackers cost admin time, not licence fees
Bugzilla, MantisBT and Redmine carry no licence price on their project pages, and Plane publishes its code under AGPL-3.0. The first ninety days cost hours instead: a server, a database, backups, upgrades and someone who owns the install. Bugzilla's maintainers say plainly that it needs to be installed on your server, and Redmine's page lists no official hosting.
MantisBT is the exception with a hosted route through MantisHub, which sells set user and storage tiers, and Plane sells a cloud service. Exit is cheap in every case, because you hold the database. Compare the hours of a part-time administrator with the per-user bill of Linear or Shortcut before assuming the open option is the cheaper one for a team of fifteen.
Who patches and backs up the server, and how often?
Is there a hosted option from the maintainers if that person leaves?
Can you export the database in a format another tool reads?
Free tiers in this market end at a specific limit
Each free plan stops at a number you can read in advance, and the number tells you who it was built for. Linear's free plan stops at 250 issues and 2 teams. Plane's allows twelve users but drops integrations and time tracking. Shortcut's covers ten users with one workflow. Backlog's gives ten users but only one project and 100 MB.
Userback's locks feedback older than seven days. Jam limits recordings to 30 a month. A bug tracker accumulates records, so the issue and storage limits bite sooner than the user limits. Before you adopt a free tier, count the bugs you file in a quarter and divide by the cap, then ask what the next plan costs when you reach it.
How many issues, projects or recordings will you create within a year?
Does the free plan include the integrations you rely on?
What does the first paid plan cost at your team size?
Per-user, flat and per-project pricing behave differently as you grow
Linear and Shortcut bill per user, so each extra developer or tester raises the invoice. Backlog sells flat plans, and its Standard plan includes unlimited users. BugHerd prices by member count with unlimited clients, which suits agencies. Usersnap prices by project and channel with unlimited seats above Starter, and Userback by site count.
A flat or project-based model rewards a big team that files few bugs, and a per-user model rewards a small team that files many. Contractors who only review tickets deserve a look as well, since guests and reporters are free on some plans and paid seats on others. Model your own team at today's size and at double, then compare totals rather than headline rates.
How many occasional viewers or clients need access?
Is the price driven by seats, projects, sites or storage?
What does the plan cost at twice your current team size?
What goes wrong most often when buying bug tracking software
Buying a reporting widget when the real gap is a shared queue, so reports pile up in a tool nobody triages.
Treating an open source download as free without costing the server, the upgrades and the person who maintains it.
Picking a plan on seat price alone and then discovering that integrations, guests or workflows sit on the next tier.
Starting on a free plan with an issue, storage or retention cap and finding the history locked just when you need an old report.
07
Frequently asked questions
8 answers
What is the best bug tracking software in 2026?
MantisBT leads our ranking of 12. MantisBT does one job: it takes bug reports, routes them through a configurable workflow and notifies the right people, with role-based access per project.
Because the code is GPL you can run it on your own server, or rent MantisHub, whose published plans bundle a user count and storage. The scale is small, and nothing here plans sprints or roadmaps.
Which bug tracking tools publish their pricing?
10 of the 12, with the pricing model each one publishes:
MantisBT: Open source GPL licence, self-hosted; hosted MantisHub plans published per tier.
Backlog: Free plan for 10 users; flat monthly price per plan, published; 30-day trial.
Plane: Free plan for up to 12 users; per-user Pro and Business plans, published.
Linear: Free plan with 250 issues; per-user Basic and Business plans, published.
Shortcut: Free plan for up to 10 users; per-user plans, published; 14-day trial.
BugHerd: Flat monthly plans by member count, published; trial, no plan without payment.
Marker.io: 15-day trial; per-plan monthly pricing by user count, published.
Userback: Free plan with 7-day feedback visibility; per-plan monthly pricing, published.
Usersnap: Monthly plans by project count, published; free trial before any plan.
Jam: Free plan with 30 Jams a month; per-creator Team plan, published; 14-day trial.
The other 2 quote per organisation.
Is there a free bug tracking tool?
Backlog, Plane, Linear, Shortcut, Userback, Jam offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these bug tracking software vendors established?
In 6 countries across 4 regions: Elsewhere 5, Asia-Pacific 3, North America 2, Europe 2.
MantisBT: Not stated by the vendor.
Backlog: Japan.
Bugzilla: United States.
Redmine: Not stated by the vendor.
Plane: Not stated by the vendor.
Linear: United States.
Shortcut: Not stated by the vendor.
BugHerd: Australia.
Marker.io: Belgium.
Userback: Australia.
Usersnap: Austria.
Jam: Not stated by the vendor.
Which bug tracking tools are open source?
MantisBT, Bugzilla, Redmine, Plane.
Which bug tracking tools can you host yourself?
MantisBT, Bugzilla, Redmine, Plane. The other 8 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of MantisBT?
Backlog and Bugzilla are the next two on this page. Backlog is for Mixed teams of developers and non-developers who want one flat monthly bill; Bugzilla is for Engineering teams with a sysadmin who need strict control over who sees which bug.
Who should not buy MantisBT?
Teams that need sprint boards, roadmaps or time tracking. The project page names no company, address or country, so you cannot tell who stands behind it commercially..
If your bug tracking software product belongs among these 12, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
