What is the difference between Plane and Shortcut?

Plane is best for Teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management, while Shortcut is best for Mid-size software teams that find Jira too heavy and Trello too light. Plane starts at Free and Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo.

Is Plane or Shortcut cheaper?

Plane starts at Free and is free. Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Shortcut?

Both Plane and Shortcut offer free tiers.

Plane vs Shortcut

Plane is open-source project management tool for software teams. Self-hostable alternative to Jira and Linear, while Shortcut is project management for software teams with a focus on simplicity and collaboration. The biggest difference up front: Plane is free, while Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo. Plane is built for teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management, whereas Shortcut targets mid-size software teams that find jira too heavy and trello too light.

At a glance

	Plane	Shortcut
Best for	Teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management	Mid-size software teams that find Jira too heavy and Trello too light
Starting price	Free	$8.50/user/mo
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
API	—	✓
Cycles	✓	—
Epics	—	✓
Iterations	—	✓
Milestones	—	✓
Modules	✓	—
Open Source	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Stories	—	✓
Views	✓	—

Plane

Strengths

Open source and self-hostable
Clean, modern interface inspired by Linear
Free for unlimited users (self-hosted)
Active development and growing community

Weaknesses

Less mature than established alternatives
Fewer integrations
Self-hosting requires infrastructure management
Some features still in development

Try Plane → Full review

Shortcut

Strengths

Right balance of features without Jira's complexity
Clean, intuitive interface
Good API and integrations
Generous free tier

Weaknesses

Smaller market share means less community content
Fewer advanced reporting features than Jira
Brand confusion from name change (was Clubhouse)
Limited customization compared to Jira

Try Shortcut → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Plane is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo, but Free for up to 10 users. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Plane offers Cycles, Modules and Open Source that Shortcut lacks. Shortcut brings API, Epics and Iterations that Plane does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Plane is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Shortcut is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Plane's biggest strengths are: open source and self-hostable. clean, modern interface inspired by linear. Shortcut's biggest strengths are: right balance of features without jira's complexity. clean, intuitive interface.

Watch out for: With Plane, users commonly note that less mature than established alternatives. With Shortcut, the main complaint is that smaller market share means less community content.

Choose Plane if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want open-source, self-hosted project management
Budget is a hard constraint — Plane is free, Shortcut is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Cycles and Modules
You care about clean, modern interface inspired by linear

Choose Shortcut if...

You need a tool built for mid-size software teams that find jira too heavy and trello too light
You specifically need API and Epics
You care about clean, intuitive interface
The free tier works for you: free for up to 10 users