Shortcut vs Zenhub
We give Shortcut a 3.4 GPA and Zenhub a 3.2, out of 4.0. Shortcut grades higher on the free plan and features. Zenhub grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Shortcut
Issue tracking, sprints and roadmaps for software teams
Zenhub
Agile project management built on top of GitHub issues
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAShortcutVery good | 3.2GPAZenhubVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BTeam is $8.50 per user a month billed yearly, $10 monthly, right at the going rate. It brings unlimited users, the full Reports page, automations and all integrations. Business is $12 for objectives and key results, and SSO is a paid add-on even there. | ATeams is $4.99 per user a month billed yearly, the cheap end of this category, though $7.50 if you pay monthly. It covers up to 50 users, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues, with AI suggested labels and AI sprint reviews. Past those limits it's Enterprise, at a custom price. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree for up to 10 users, with kanban boards, a roadmap, iterations, docs and GitHub, Slack and Figma integrations. A small team could stay here for good. The limits are 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage. Paid features get a 14-day trial with no card. | BFree for up to 50 users, with sprints, planning poker, roadmaps and basic sprint reports. Generous on people. But it's 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues, and a working team gets through 250 issues fast. New accounts start with a 14-day Teams trial. |
| Features | AStories grouped into epics, workflows you customise, kanban boards with saved filters, a backlog, time-boxed iterations, roadmaps and objectives. Paid plans add velocity, cycle time and cumulative flow reports. Korey, its AI agent, turns rough notes into specs and tickets. | BKanban boards that span several repositories, automated sprint planning, estimates, planning poker, real-time roadmaps and a velocity report, all built from GitHub issues. Good for agile planning. But workspace automations and advanced reporting are Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | BNo app rating on record, so a B is the ceiling. It's hosted, with nothing to install, and it's shaped around how software teams already talk: stories, epics and sprints. If your team isn't building software, that vocabulary won't fit. | BNo app rating on record, so a B at best. Setting up means linking your GitHub organization, and Zenhub then syncs issues, pull requests and permissions. The extension puts the boards inside GitHub's own pages, so there's no new place to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt's a web app. The product and pricing pages list no desktop or mobile app, and the iOS app announced in 2018 is no longer on the US App Store. It connects to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Figma, Sentry and Zendesk, and there's an API and an MCP server. | BA web app plus an extension for Chrome and Firefox. No native mobile app is listed, though the FAQ says the web app works in mobile browsers. It connects to GitHub and Slack, with Figma, Loom and Miro on Enterprise only. |
| Best for | software teams that plan in stories and sprints | teams that plan their work on GitHub issues |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Shortcut and Zenhub. How we grade
Where they differ
- Shortcut starts at $8.50 per user / month, billed yearly. Zenhub starts at $4.99 per user / month, billed yearly.
- Only Zenhub lists a browser extension.
- Zenhub is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Shortcut also covers Gantt & timelines, goals and AI agents.
- Zenhub also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Shortcut | Zenhub | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.50 per user / month, billed yearly | $4.99 per user / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Free plan for up to 10 users: 1 team, 1 workspace, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage, with kanban boards, a roadmap, iterations and docs. | Up to 50 users, 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues, with sprints, planning poker, roadmaps and basic sprint reports. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with full access to Business plan features, no credit card required | 14-day Teams trial with every new account; 60-day Enterprise trial through sales |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Shortcut Software Company | Zenhub |
| Price read from | shortcut.com | zenhub.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Zenhub
- Software teams that plan their work directly on GitHub issues
- Small teams: the free plan allows up to 50 users on 2 repositories
- Organizations that need project tooling deployed on their own servers
Worth knowing
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.
Zenhub
- Zenhub works on top of GitHub: setting up means linking a GitHub organization, and boards are made of GitHub issues.
- The Free plan is limited to 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues.
- Teams stops at 50 users, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues; workspace automations, advanced reporting and Figma, Loom and Miro integrations are Enterprise only.
- No native mobile app is listed: the FAQ says the web app also works in mobile browsers, and the extension supports Chrome and Firefox.
Key features
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.
Zenhub
- Boards built on GitHub issues
- Zenhub syncs issues, pull requests and permissions from a connected GitHub organization and arranges them on Kanban boards that can span several repositories.
- Extension for Chrome and Firefox
- The browser extension places Zenhub's boards, planning poker and automations inside GitHub's interface. The same workspace is also available as a separate web app.
- Sprints, estimates and planning poker
- Automated sprint planning, story estimates and planning poker are included on every plan, the free one included.
- Roadmaps and work hierarchy
- Real-time roadmaps sit on every plan, and work can be nested as objectives, projects, epics, tasks and sub-tasks that stay in step with GitHub.
- Agile reports
- Basic sprint reports, a velocity report and sprint insights come with every plan. Advanced reporting and GitHub insights are reserved for Enterprise.
- Zenhub AI
- Teams adds AI suggested labels and AI sprint reviews. AI-written acceptance criteria are listed for Enterprise only.
Plans
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.
Zenhub
Free$0
Up to 50 users, 1 workspace, 2 connected repositories and 250 issues, with the GitHub extension, sprints, planning poker, roadmaps and velocity reports.
Teams$4.99
per user / month, billed yearly ($7.50 billed monthly)
Up to 10 workspaces, 50 users, 50 repositories and 5,000 issues, adding AI suggested labels, AI sprint reviews and private workspaces.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, repositories and issues, up to 10 GitHub organizations, workspace automations, advanced reporting, priority support and a self-hosted option.
Ways to pay less
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.
Zenhub
- Annual discount
33% off with annual payment
Teams is $4.99 per user / month billed yearly against $7.50 billed monthly. Zenhub's FAQ describes this as 4 months free, or 33% off.
