A Jira alternative for agencies and client work
Jira is built for software teams tracking issues. If your sprints are client projects, Mono gives you scrum and kanban boards with sprints and a backlog, plus client contracts, time tracking and invoicing in the same place.
Jira knows your sprint. It doesn't know which client is paying for it.
Jira is very good at planning and tracking development work: sprints, backlogs, workflows and reports. But for an agency, the questions that matter to the business sit outside it. How many days did the client agree to? How many are used? Has this month been invoiced? Those answers end up in Marketplace apps, spreadsheets and an accounting tool.
Mono keeps the sprint board and builds the client side in. Every board belongs to a client contract with its dates and agreed days, your team logs time against the tasks, and invoices are linked to the same client.
Using simpler boards? See how Mono compares with Trello, or read how tasks and tickets work in Mono.
The sprint tools you use in Jira, plus the client side
Scrum and kanban boards
Plan work in sprints from a backlog on a scrum board, or move cards across columns on a kanban board (a board where work flows column by column). Set a limit on how many tasks each column can hold.
Epics, stories, tasks and sub-tasks
Break work down four levels deep. Each task gets a short number like ACME-121, a priority, an estimate, one or more people assigned, and files or links attached.
Linked tasks
Mark that one task blocks another, relates to it or duplicates it. The link shows on both tasks, so it is clear which work is waiting on something else.
A contract behind every board
Each board belongs to a client contract, and the Board overview shows how many of the agreed days are already used by finished tasks.
Time tracking with no add-on
Start a timer from a task or its card on the board, or add time by hand. Every hour lands on the Timesheet, already tied to the client.
Sprint reports and invoices
Follow each sprint on burndown and velocity charts, and invoice the client from the same workspace. Invoicing and advanced reports are included in the Pro plan.
The same client sprint, in Jira and in Mono
In Jira, an agency runs a two-week sprint for a client's app. The board and backlog are in Jira, the hours are logged through a Marketplace timesheet app, the contract with its 40 agreed days is a PDF, and the invoice is made in an accounting tool. To see whether the client is over their days, someone adds up exports by hand.
In Mono, the same sprint runs on a scrum board that sits under the client's contract. The team logs time against the tasks as they work, and the Board overview shows the days used by finished tasks against the 40 agreed. The invoice is linked to the same client.
The sprint looks the same. The difference is that Mono knows which client it is for and how much of their agreement it has used.
Mono and Jira side by side
Where each one fits, including where Jira does more.
- Scrum and kanban boards
- Mono: Yes, with sprints and a backlog
- Jira: Yes, it's Jira's core feature
- Sprint reports
- Mono: Burndown and velocity charts for each sprint
- Jira: Burndown, velocity and many more reports
- Workflows
- Mono: Your own board columns, with rules that run when a task enters one
- Jira: Fully customisable workflows and built-in automation with many triggers
- Code integrations
- Mono: None
- Jira: Deep integrations with tools such as Bitbucket, GitHub and GitLab
- Time tracking
- Mono: Built in: timer, Timesheet and CSV export
- Jira: Basic work logging built in; timesheets usually through Marketplace apps
- Client contracts
- Mono: Built in; every board belongs to one
- Jira: Not built in
- Invoicing
- Mono: Built in (Pro plan)
- Jira: Not built in; through Marketplace apps or other tools
- Free option
- Mono: 90-day free trial
- Jira: A free plan for small teams
Based on each product's publicly documented features as of October 2026. Products change, so check their websites for the latest details.
Choosing between Jira and Mono
When Jira is the better choice
If you are a product or engineering team building your own software, Jira's workflows, reports and links to your code are hard to match. It also has a free plan for small teams and a large Marketplace of add-ons.
When Mono is the better fit
If your sprints are client projects and the contract, the hours and the invoices live somewhere else, Mono replaces that patchwork. You keep sprints and a backlog, and the client side is built in rather than added on.
How teams usually switch
There is no Jira import yet. Teams usually move one active client project first: add the client and contract, create a scrum board, and carry over only the open backlog. Finished work stays in Jira as a record. For a bigger move, talk to us and we will help.
Moving a client project over
Add the client and contract
Enter who the work is for, the contract dates and the days agreed. That's the part Jira never held.
Set up the board
Create a scrum or kanban board under the contract and add the open stories. There's no Jira import yet, so we help with bigger moves.
Run a sprint with the numbers
Plan the sprint from the backlog, log time as you go, and watch the days used against the contract.
Part of one workspace
Each piece reads the same client, contract and task records, so delivery and billing never drift into separate systems.
Project boards tied to contracts
Kanban and scrum boards that belong to a client contract, so every task carries its scope, deadline and day allowance.
Time tracking
A timer and weekly timesheet where every hour is logged against a task — and so against a client contract.
Invoicing and finance
Invoices linked to the client and contract, PDF downloads, payment tracking and a finance dashboard with per-client ROI.
Frequently asked questions
Not yet. There's no import tool. Most teams start with one active client project. If you have a bigger move in mind, talk to us and we'll help you bring your work in.
Yes. Scrum boards have sprints planned from a backlog, with burndown and velocity charts for each sprint. Kanban boards have no sprints.
Probably not for your own product work. Jira's links to your code and its developer reports go further than Mono's. Mono fits teams whose sprints are delivered for clients.
Boards, tasks, sprints and time tracking are on every plan, including the free trial (with trial limits). Advanced reports, invoicing and the finance dashboard are included in the Pro plan.
Keep the sprint. Add the client side.
Run one client sprint on Mono and see it against the contract. The trial is free and needs no credit card.