Jira is for tracking work: tasks, projects, sprints and goals moving through boards, timelines and backlogs. Confluence is for documenting work: pages, wikis, databases and whiteboards where a team keeps plans, decisions and how-tos. They aren't rivals, they're two halves of Atlassian's system, and both are free for up to 10 users, so most small teams can try them together.
People search this pair because the two names always appear side by side, yet they answer different questions. I read Atlassian's Jira and Confluence product pages and both plans pages.
Jira tracks the work, Confluence explains it
| Jira | Confluence | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Plan and track tasks and projects | Write, organise and share knowledge |
| Core building block | Work items on boards and backlogs | Pages, folders and databases |
| Views | Backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar, summary | Pages, databases, whiteboards |
| AI | Rovo reports and dashboards | Rovo answers, summaries, audio briefings |
| Free plan | Up to 10 users | Up to 10 users |
| Free plan limits | 2 GB storage, community support | 3 active whiteboards per user, 50 automation steps a month |
| Typical owner | Project and engineering leads | Whole team |
The free plan limits that matter
Atlassian's plans pages set the free tiers out clearly. Jira Free covers up to 10 users with 2 GB of storage and support from the Atlassian Community. Confluence Free also covers up to 10 users, with up to 3 active whiteboards per user and 50 automation steps per subscription per month. If your eleventh person joins, both move to paid plans at the same time.
Atlassian also says 85% of Fortune 500 companies use Atlassian products, which is why these two keep turning up in job ads and client projects.
What Jira is good at
Jira turns goals into work you can track. You'll break goals into projects and tasks, collect requests with forms, automate repetitive steps and switch between backlog, board, timeline and calendar views. Rovo builds interactive charts and summaries, and Jira now positions itself for teams working alongside AI agents, with an audit trail of what each one did.
What Confluence is good at
Confluence is the team's memory. You'll write pages from templates, group them in folders, organise structured information in databases and brainstorm on whiteboards. Rovo searches across your connected knowledge to answer questions, and can turn pages and comments into summaries or audio briefings so people catch up without reading every update.
Signs you need one, the other or both
- Tasks slip because nobody can see who owns what: start with Jira.
- People keep asking the same questions: start with Confluence.
- Specs live in documents but tasks live elsewhere: use both and link them.
- You have more than 10 people: check both paid plans together.
- You want one search across tasks and docs: look at Rovo.
My guide to knowledge base software compares Confluence with other wikis, and this piece on Kanban in project management explains the board style Jira uses.
How Rovo links Jira and Confluence
Atlassian's answer to 'which one?' is increasingly 'both, joined up'. Its Teamwork Graph lets you search across Jira, Confluence and any connected app from a single search bar, and Rovo's AI teammates can research, draft and take action inside Jira. If you're already on one, adding the other keeps tasks and docs searchable in one place.
For the wiki half of the pair, see how Confluence compares with SharePoint.
My advice on Jira and Confluence
If you only pick one first, choose the one that fixes your loudest problem: Jira for missed deadlines, Confluence for lost knowledge. Because both are free for up to 10 users, most small teams should set up both on the same site, link Confluence pages to Jira work items from day one, and only then decide what to pay for.
Do you make project management or knowledge base software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Jira and Confluence?
Jira tracks work such as tasks, projects and sprints. Confluence stores knowledge such as pages, wikis, databases and whiteboards.
Is Jira free?
Yes. Atlassian says Jira Free covers up to 10 users, with 2 GB of storage and community support.
Is Confluence free?
Yes. Confluence Free covers up to 10 users, with up to 3 active whiteboards per user.
Do I need both Jira and Confluence?
Not always. Many teams start with one, but they're built to work together: docs in Confluence, tasks in Jira.
Does Jira have AI?
Yes. Atlassian's Rovo adds AI reports, dashboards and search across Jira, Confluence and connected apps.
Can Confluence replace Jira for task tracking?
Not well. Confluence is built for pages and knowledge; Jira has the boards, backlogs and timelines for tracking work.
Can I search Jira and Confluence together?
Yes. Atlassian says its Teamwork Graph searches across Jira, Confluence and connected apps from a single search bar.
How many whiteboards does Confluence Free include?
Atlassian lists up to 3 active whiteboards per user on Confluence Free.
