The Problem
Why teams leave Jira
Essential features require paid marketplace add-ons ($2-$10/user each)
Complexity makes it hostile to non-engineering teams
Cloud migration from Server/Data Center is painful and expensive
Performance issues with large projects (10K+ issues)
Atlassian ecosystem lock-in (Confluence, Bitbucket, etc.)
Admin overhead requires dedicated Jira administrators
What We Build Instead
Your custom project management tool
Issue tracking built for your team's actual workflow
Agile boards, sprints, and backlog management
Built-in time tracking, capacity planning, and reporting
Cross-team visibility without add-ons
Custom fields, workflows, and automation — no marketplace needed
Clean interface usable by engineering and non-engineering teams
The Math
Jira vs. custom build
Based on 100 seats at $15/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Jira
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 100 seats
$8,650
15% less than Jira
Pricing Breakdown
Jira tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Jira's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | Up to 10 users, Scrum & Kanban boards, Backlog management, Community support |
| Standard | $8/mo | $8/mo | Up to 35K users, Project roles, Audit logs, 250GB storage |
| Premium | $15/mo | $15/mo | Advanced roadmaps, Asset management, Change management, IP allowlisting |
| Enterprise | $25/mo | $25/mo | Unlimited storage, Atlassian analytics, Enterprise SSO, 24/7 support |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $25,000–$45,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Jira to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Jira in 6-10 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
1 weekMap Jira projects, custom fields, workflows, boards, and marketplace add-ons. Identify automation rules and integrations.
Architecture & Design
1-2 weeksDesign issue tracking system with agile boards, custom workflows, and built-in features replacing add-ons.
Core Development
3-5 weeksBuild issue tracker, agile boards, sprint planning, time tracking, capacity planning, and reporting.
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksMigrate projects, issues, attachments, comments, and workflow configurations from Jira. Verify sprint data.
Deployment & Training
1 weekDeploy platform, connect CI/CD tools, train engineering and PM teams, validate workflows.
Total build time
6-10 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Jira features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Jira | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issue Tracking | |||
| Agile Boards (Scrum/Kanban) | |||
| Sprint Planning | |||
| Custom Workflows | |||
| Built-in Time Tracking | No Tempo add-on needed — built in from day one | ||
| Advanced Roadmaps | |||
| Custom Reporting | |||
| Cross-Team Visibility | Native — no BigPicture add-on needed | ||
| Capacity Planning | |||
| Non-Engineering Usability | Clean interface usable by all teams, not just developers | ||
| Marketplace Add-ons | All essential features built in — no per-user add-on costs | ||
| Data Ownership | Self-hosted, full data control |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Jira offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Jira to ownership in 6-10 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Jira usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom project management tool with only the features you need. 6-10 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Jira, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.