Shortcut vs YouTrack

Shortcut

• Software teams that plan in stories, epics and sprints
• Teams of up to 10 that can stay on the Free plan
• Early-stage startups and nonprofits that qualify for free access

YouTrack

• Software teams that want issue tracking linked to their IDE and build server
• Teams of up to 10, who can use the Cloud or Server version free
• Organizations that need to keep project data on their own servers

Shortcut

• The Free plan is capped at 10 users, 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage.
• SAML single sign-on and SCIM are paid add-ons on Business and are included only in Enterprise.
• Shortcut's FAQ says it does not offer an on-premises or self-hosted version.
• Shortcut's product and pricing pages list no desktop or mobile app, and the iOS app it announced in 2018 is no longer on the US App Store.

YouTrack

• From 11 users every user is paid: Cloud starts at $4.50 per user / month billed annually, or $5.40 billed monthly.
• YouTrack Server is sold as an annual subscription in fixed user packs; licenses bought since June 23, 2026 are no longer perpetual.
• With 4 or more helpdesk agents, every agent is charged and each one also needs a user license.
• Cloud storage is tied to seats: 30 GB on the free plan and 3 GB per user on paid plans, with no way to buy more separately.

Shortcut

Stories, epics and workflows

Work is tracked as stories grouped into epics. Stories move through workflows a team can customize: 1 on Free, up to 5 on Team and unlimited from Business.

Kanban boards and backlog

Spaces show stories on kanban boards with saved filters, and a backlog is used to sort and prioritize work before it enters a workflow. Work-in-progress limits start on Team.

Iterations

Iterations are time-boxed sprints for a set of stories. On paid plans, automations can create future iterations and move unfinished stories into the next one.

Roadmaps and objectives

Epics are laid out on a roadmap and grouped under objectives. Strategic objectives with key results are part of the Business plan.

Reports

Paid plans open a Reports page with velocity, cycle time and lead time, and cumulative flow charts. Business adds reports that reach back beyond 100 days.

Korey and AI agents

Korey is Shortcut's AI agent for turning rough notes into specs and tickets. An MCP server connects a workspace to coding tools such as Cursor and Claude Code.

YouTrack

Agile boards

Boards support Kanban, Scrum and mixed approaches, for planning at any level from an individual backlog to an enterprise portfolio.

Gantt charts and time tracking

An interactive Gantt timeline schedules tasks with estimates and dependencies. Time is tracked automatically or by hand and reviewed on timesheets.

Knowledge base and whiteboards

Articles hold internal notes and plans or a public knowledge base. Whiteboards gather issues, tickets and notes that can be turned into tasks and articles.

Workflows and apps

Workflows are rules that automate the life cycle of tasks, such as deadline reminders, field updates and recurring tasks. Apps add further features and integrations.

Helpdesk

Helpdesk projects give support agents ticket handling with service-level agreements and unlimited reporters. 3 agents are free; on larger teams each costs $5.50 a month, billed annually.

AI Assistant

JetBrains AI summarizes tasks, articles and tickets, suggests replies and turns text into issues. Free credits, refilled weekly, come with Cloud and with paid Server subscriptions.

Shortcut

• Free$0

  Up to 10 users, 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage, with kanban views, a roadmap, iterations, docs and GitHub, Slack and Figma integrations.

• Team$8.50

  per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)

  Unlimited users, up to 5 teams and 5 workflows, 250 GB of storage, the full Reports page, work-in-progress limits, automations and all integrations.

• Business$12

  per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)

  Unlimited teams, workflows and workspaces, strategic objectives and key results, advanced custom fields and additional charts. SSO is a paid add-on.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Volume discounts, SAML SSO and SCIM included, premier support SLAs, custom terms and onboarding support.

YouTrack

• Cloud: 1–10 users$0

  Hosted by JetBrains. All features except a custom logo, 30 GB of storage, 3 helpdesk agents and free AI Assistant credits.

• Server: 10 users$0

  Installed on your own server from a Linux or Windows Docker image. Free for up to 10 users and 3 agents, including updates.

• Cloud: 11+ users$4.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($5.40 billed monthly)

  The per-user price falls as the team grows, down to $1.53 at 10,000 users on annual billing. 3 GB of storage per user and a custom logo.

• Server: 15-user pack$900

  per year, annual subscription

  Self-hosted instance with a year of updates and technical support. Larger packs include 25 users for $1,500, 50 for $3,000 and 100 for $6,000.

Shortcut

• Annual discount

  Save up to 25% with yearly billing

  Team is $8.50 per user / month prepaid yearly against $10 billed monthly, and Business is $12 against $16. The pricing page describes this as saving up to 25%.

• Nonprofit

  Free for qualifying nonprofits

  The Shortcut Nonprofit Plan gives eligible organizations with valid charitable status a full membership at no cost, on application.

• Startups

  12 months of Business free for startups

  The Shortcut Startup Program gives approved startups the Business plan and SAML SSO free for 12 months. Applicants must be new customers with fewer than 50 employees.

YouTrack

• Annual discount

  Two months free on annual Cloud billing

  Annual Cloud subscriptions start at $4.50 per user / month against $5.40 billed monthly, which JetBrains describes as saving 2 months' worth of costs.

• Startups

  50% off for startup companies

  Private software development companies in business for less than five years may qualify for 50% off up to 10 commercial licenses for JetBrains products, including YouTrack.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for non-profit organizations

  Registered non-profit organizations can apply for a 50% discount on commercial pricing, depending on their business model, by requesting a quote from sales.

• Education

  50% off for universities, free for classrooms

  Universities and accredited educational institutions can get 50% off commercial subscriptions for internal projects, and free classroom licenses for teaching.

• Other savings

  Free licenses for open source projects

  Non-commercial open source projects can qualify for free YouTrack licenses if they meet the requirements of JetBrains' support program.

• Other savings

  25% off when migrating from another tool

  Customers who currently hold a commercial license for a competing tool qualify for a 25% discount on commercial YouTrack subscriptions.