How to Migrate from Jira to Plane

Jira's pricing ($8.15-16/user/month) and complexity drive teams to look for alternatives. Plane is the modern, open source project management tool with a cleaner UX and no per-user fees. Here's how to migrate.

What Transfers

Jira Feature	Plane Status
✅ Issues/tickets	Import via Jira integration
✅ Issue titles and descriptions	Full text preserved
✅ Labels/tags	Mapped to labels
✅ Priority levels	Mapped to priority
✅ Assignees	Mapped to members
✅ Status/workflow	Mapped to states
✅ Comments	Imported
⚠️ Attachments	Links preserved, files may need re-upload
⚠️ Custom fields	Partial support
❌ Automation rules	Rebuild in Plane
❌ Boards configuration	Recreate views
❌ Dashboards	Recreate in Plane
❌ Confluence links	Update manually

Step 1: Deploy Plane

# Self-hosted with Docker
git clone https://github.com/makeplane/plane.git
cd plane
./setup.sh

# Follow the interactive setup
# Configure database, Redis, storage
docker compose up -d

Or use Plane Cloud (free for up to 5 members).

Step 2: Import from Jira

Plane has a built-in Jira importer:

1. Open Plane → Settings → Imports
2. Select Jira
3. Enter your Jira instance URL and API token
4. Select the project(s) to import
5. Map Jira statuses → Plane states
6. Map Jira users → Plane members
7. Start import

Generate Jira API Token

1. Go to id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
2. Click Create API token
3. Name it "Plane Migration"
4. Copy the token

Step 3: Map Workflows

Jira Status	Plane State
To Do	Backlog
In Progress	In Progress
In Review	In Review
Done	Done
Won't Do	Cancelled

Plane uses customizable states. Create states that match your team's workflow before importing.

Step 4: Set Up Plane Workspace

Jira Concept	Plane Equivalent
Project	Project
Board	Board view
Backlog	Backlog
Sprint	Cycle
Epic	Module
Component	Label
Version/Release	Module
Filter	View (saved filters)
Dashboard	Analytics

Key Differences

Cycles vs Sprints — Plane's Cycles are similar to Jira Sprints. Create a cycle, add issues, set start/end dates.

Modules vs Epics — Plane's Modules group related issues. Use them like Jira Epics for feature-level tracking.

Views — Plane's saved views replace Jira's saved filters. Create views for your common queries.

Step 5: Invite Team

1. Settings → Members → Invite
2. Set roles: Admin, Member, Guest
3. Share the Plane URL with your team
4. Walk through key differences from Jira

Cost Savings

Team Size	Jira Standard	Plane Self-Hosted	Savings
10 users	$82/month	$10/month (VPS)	$864/year
25 users	$204/month	$20/month	$2,208/year
50 users	$408/month	$40/month	$4,416/year
100 users	$816/month	$80/month	$8,832/year

Migration Timeline

Week	Task
Week 1	Deploy Plane, import Jira data, configure workflows
Week 2	Set up views, invite team, run both tools
Week 3	Primary work moves to Plane
Week 4	Sunset Jira, archive data

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