Best Bug Tracking Software
Track issues without the issue tracker becoming an issue
By Toolradar Editorial Team · Updated
Linear is the modern standard for developer-focused teams—fast, opinionated, and joyful to use. Jira remains powerful for complex enterprises but is often overkill. GitHub Issues works well for open source and small teams. Choose based on your team's workflow preferences and complexity needs.
Bug trackers are deceptively important. A bad one creates friction every day—slow interfaces, confusing workflows, lost context. A good one fades into the background while keeping work organized. The market has shifted: heavyweight tools like Jira are losing ground to streamlined options like Linear. Here's how to choose based on how your team actually works.
What is Bug Tracking Software?
Bug tracking software manages issues throughout their lifecycle—from discovery through resolution. Core features include issue creation and categorization, status workflows, assignment, prioritization, and search. Modern tools extend this with roadmaps, sprint planning, integrations, and developer experience optimizations.
Why Bug Tracking Matters
Without tracking, issues get lost. Duplicates waste effort. Critical bugs hide among noise. Bug trackers provide the system of record for what's broken, what's being worked on, and what's done. Good tracking enables prioritization, reduces context-switching, and ensures nothing falls through cracks. It's foundational to organized development.
Key Features to Look For
Create, categorize, prioritize, and track issues through resolution
Configure statuses and transitions matching your process
Find issues quickly with powerful queries
Link commits, branches, and PRs to issues automatically
Organize work into iterations or releases
Fast navigation without mouse for developer productivity
Visualize and communicate planned work over time
Add team-specific metadata to issues
Key Factors to Consider
Evaluation Checklist
Pricing Overview
Linear Free (250 active issues), GitHub Issues (free for all), Jira Free (10 users) — small teams
Linear Standard $8/user (unlimited issues), Jira Standard $8.15/user — growing teams
Linear Plus $14/user, Jira Premium $16/user — large teams, advanced features
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
Developer teams wanting fast, opinionated, keyboard-first issue tracking
Large organizations (50+ users) needing maximum customization and 3,000+ integrations
Open source projects and small teams wanting code-integrated simplicity
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Over-customizing Jira — teams add 15+ statuses, 20+ custom fields, and 10+ issue types; this complexity slows everyone down; start with 4 statuses and add only when truly needed
- ×
Letting the backlog grow unbounded — 500+ open issues means nothing is prioritized; review monthly and close anything older than 90 days that nobody has touched
- ×
Not linking issues to code — every PR should reference an issue; this creates automatic documentation of why changes were made; Linear and GitHub do this natively
- ×
Too many required fields — every field you require on issue creation adds friction; name and description are enough; add priority and labels later
- ×
Choosing Jira by default — many teams use Jira because it's 'the standard' but would be happier and more productive on Linear; try both for 2 weeks
Expert Tips
- →
Try Linear for 2 weeks before defaulting to Jira — teams that switch report 30-50% faster issue management due to keyboard-first UX and opinionated workflows
- →
Link every PR to an issue — Linear auto-creates branch names from issues; GitHub auto-closes issues on merge; this builds documentation that writes itself
- →
Groom the backlog weekly — close stale issues (90+ days untouched), reprioritize the top 20, and keep active issues under 100; backlogs should be focused, not comprehensive
- →
Use labels/tags consistently — agree on 5-10 labels (bug, feature, tech-debt, P0-P2) and enforce them; inconsistent labeling makes filtering useless
- →
Keep issue templates minimal — title, description, and steps to reproduce; templates with 10 fields ensure nobody fills them out properly
Red Flags to Watch For
- !Page load time over 2 seconds for board views — developers live in this tool daily; slow UX compounds into hours of lost productivity
- !Mandatory fields on issue creation — requiring 5+ fields to create a bug report ensures people will use Slack instead
- !No keyboard shortcuts — power users create, navigate, and update issues 3x faster with keyboard; mouse-only tools feel slow
- !Per-admin pricing or per-project pricing — these models penalize growth; prefer flat per-user pricing
The Bottom Line
Linear ($8/user/mo) is the clear choice for developer-focused teams — the fastest UI, opinionated best practices, and seamless Git integration. Jira ($8.15/user) makes sense for 50+ person orgs needing maximum customization and 3,000+ integrations. GitHub Issues (free) is perfectly adequate for open source and small teams. The best tracker is one your team actually uses consistently — speed and simplicity beat feature count.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jira worth the complexity?
For large enterprises with complex workflows and compliance needs, yes. For most teams, Linear or GitHub Issues do everything needed with less friction. Jira's power comes with significant overhead.
How do we migrate from one bug tracker to another?
Most tools offer import from common sources. Key steps: export issues, map fields to new system, import, verify critical data, redirect old links if possible. Consider migrating only active issues and archiving old ones.
Should bugs and features be in the same tracker?
Yes—they compete for the same resources and should be prioritized together. Separate trackers create silos and make priority decisions harder. Use labels or issue types to distinguish, not separate systems.
Related Guides
Ready to Choose?
Compare features, read reviews, and find the right tool.