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Technology · head to head

Jira vs Valispace

Jira logo

Jira

Technology

The #1 software development tool used by agile teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Valispace logo

Valispace

Research

Requirements and systems engineering for hardware teams, with published per-seat pricing

From
$999/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Jira has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Jira free tier strictly limited to 10 users with only 2 GB storage; unsuitable for growing teams; Valispace the three-seat minimum means a solo consultant or a two-person startup pays for a seat nobody uses, roughly 3,000 US dollars a year before anyone logs in.
  • They diverge on capability: Jira covers Scrum boards, Valispace covers Live requirements.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Jira and Valispace actually diverge.

Attributes where Jira and Valispace differ
AttributeJiraValispace
Starting priceFree$999/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloud, WebWeb, On-premise, API
CategoryTechnologyResearch
Founded2002Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Jira

  • Scrum boards
  • Kanban boards
  • Roadmaps
  • Agile reporting
  • Custom workflows
  • Issue tracking
  • Sprint planning
  • DevOps integration

Only in Valispace

  • Live requirements
  • Budgets and margins
  • Component tree
  • Verification and validation
  • Python API and Jupyter
  • ValiAssistant
  • SSO and MFA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Jira

  • Software development teams leveraging AI-powered Rovo for trend analysis and bottleneck identificationnot Valispace
  • Organisations requiring integrated issue tracking, project planning, and team alignment toolsnot Valispace
  • Enterprises with 1,000+ users needing advanced analytics, security controls, and custom deployment optionsnot Valispace

Valispace

  • A small satellite team keeping mass and power budgets live across a design cycle instead of rebuilding spreadsheets before each reviewnot Jira
  • A drone manufacturer that needs requirement traceability for a certification authority but cannot justify an enterprise requirements databasenot Jira
  • A university engineering department teaching systems engineering with real traceability under the flat education ratenot Jira
  • An electronics-heavy hardware startup wanting requirements linked to the PCB design work happening in Altiumnot Jira

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Jira

  • Free tier strictly limited to 10 users with only 2 GB storage; unsuitable for growing teams
  • Per-seat pricing ($7.91–$14.54/user/month) accumulates significantly for large teams; 50-person team costs £3,955–7,270 monthly
  • Enterprise tier requires annual billing and sales contact; no transparent per-user pricing available
  • Premium features (cross-team planning, advanced automation) available only at $14.54/user/month tier or above

Valispace

  • The three-seat minimum means a solo consultant or a two-person startup pays for a seat nobody uses, roughly 3,000 US dollars a year before anyone logs in.
  • Ownership has changed twice in two years, from independent to Altium to Renesas by way of the Altium acquisition, and the technology has been repackaged as the Altium Requirements Portal, so the standalone roadmap is genuinely uncertain.
  • It is not a certified DO-178C or ARP4754 toolchain component in the way established requirements databases are, so highly regulated aerospace programmes may still need a recognised tool alongside it.
  • The parametric model rewards teams who structure their data properly at the start; teams that import a flat requirement list get a slower version of a document tool and none of the budget automation.
  • Integration depth outside the Altium and Jira world is limited, so linking to an existing PLM or a CAD-driven mass properties source usually means writing against the Python API yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Jira

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 users
    • 2 GB storage
    • 100 automation rule runs per month
  • Standard$7.91/user/month
    • Up to 100,000 users per site
    • 250 GB storage
    • 1,700 automation rule runs per month
  • Premium$14.54/user/month
    • Unlimited storage
    • 1,000 rule runs per month per paid user
    • 70 credits per user monthly for Rovo
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 150 credits per user monthly for Rovo
    • Multiple sites (up to 150)
    • Unlimited automation rule runs

Valispace

$999/year
  • Valispace$999/year
    • Minimum three users
    • Requirements, components, V&V and analysis modules
    • ValiAssistant AI beta
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • On-premise deployment option
    • Staging servers with controlled update timing
    • Advanced support terms
  • Education$1000/year
    • Flat annual rate for an institution
    • Unlimited students and professors
    • Non-commercial projects only

Which should you pick?

Choose Jira if

  • You need scrum boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Web.
  • You also want kanban boards.
Jira review

Choose Valispace if

  • You need live requirements.
  • You work on Web, On-premise, API.
  • You also want budgets and margins.
Valispace review

Questions people ask

Is Jira or Valispace better?
Neither clearly leads. Jira starts at Free and Valispace at $999/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Jira or Valispace?
Jira has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Jira and $999/year for Valispace.
Does Jira or Valispace run on more platforms?
Jira runs on Cloud, Web. Valispace runs on Web, On-premise, API.
Can I use Jira for free?
Yes. Jira has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Valispace starts at $999/year.
What is Jira best used for?
Jira is most often used for software development teams leveraging ai-powered rovo for trend analysis and bottleneck identification, organisations requiring integrated issue tracking, project planning, and team alignment tools, enterprises with 1,000+ users needing advanced analytics, security controls, and custom deployment options. Of those, software development teams leveraging ai-powered rovo for trend analysis and bottleneck identification and organisations requiring integrated issue tracking, project planning, and team alignment tools are not what Valispace is typically brought in for.
What can Jira do that Valispace cannot?
Jira covers Scrum boards, Kanban boards, Roadmaps, Agile reporting. Valispace covers Live requirements, Budgets and margins, Component tree, Verification and validation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Jira: What is Jira's free tier?

Jira's Free plan supports up to 10 users, includes 2 GB storage, allows 100 automation rule runs per month, and provides community support only. Ideal for small teams or evaluation.

Source
Valispace: Who owns Valispace?

Altium acquired it in December 2023, and Renesas Electronics acquired Altium in 2024. It is therefore a Renesas-owned product, despite frequent reports elsewhere linking it to defence groups.

Jira: How much does Jira Standard cost?

Jira Standard costs $7.91 per user per month and includes 250 GB storage, 1,700 automation rule runs per month, Rovo Search/Chat/Agents, and 9/5 regional support with 2-hour response time for critical issues.

Source
Valispace: Is it the same thing as the Altium Requirements Portal?

They share a lineage. Requirements Portal is the Altium 365 packaging of Valispace technology. The standalone Valispace product is still sold with its own pricing.

Jira: What is included in Jira Premium?

Jira Premium costs $14.54 per user per month and includes unlimited storage, 1,000 rule runs per user per month, 70 monthly Rovo credits, 24/7 support with 1-hour critical response, and 99.9% uptime SLA.

Source
Valispace: What does it actually cost?

999 US dollars per user per year with a minimum of three users, billed annually. Enterprise with on-premise deployment is quoted separately.

Jira: Does Jira offer an Enterprise plan?

Yes, Jira Enterprise is available with custom pricing (contact sales). It includes up to 150 sites, 150 monthly Rovo credits per user, unlimited automation runs, 24/7 support with 30-minute critical response, and 99.95% uptime SLA.

Source
Valispace: Can it replace a requirements database like DOORS?

For small and mid-sized hardware programmes, often yes. For programmes with contractual tool mandates, no.

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