Jira Align vs TFS comparison

Atlassian and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category. Atlassian is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.7, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.7. Atlassian holds a 1.5% mindshare in ALM, compared to Microsoft’s 4.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Atlassian users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Jira Align

Read 41 Jira Align reviews

1,004 Views
630 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

TFS

Read 98 TFS reviews

4,604 Views
2,281 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Jira Align

TFS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

TFS and Jira Align compete in the application lifecycle management and project management category. TFS seems to have the upper hand for organizations prioritizing development integration and lifecycle management while Jira Align is preferred for strategic planning and high-level project alignment.

Features: TFS offers user-friendly features that integrate seamlessly with Visual Studio, providing comprehensive application lifecycle management, version control, and agile workflow management. Its reporting services, collaboration capabilities, and customization options support dynamic development environments. Jira Align focuses on strategic alignment with capabilities in program and portfolio management, insightful reporting, and robust planning tools that aid team alignment with business objectives.

Room for Improvement: TFS users suggest enhancements in stability, interface intuitiveness, and complex permission management. They seek improved merging features and administrative control. Jira Align requires better integration capabilities, a more intuitive interface, and clearer pricing structures. Users find the navigation system complex and express a need for enhanced synchronization and customization.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: TFS is flexible, available across on-premises, private, and hybrid environments whereas Jira Align primarily uses public cloud settings. TFS users report mixed reviews on customer service, ranging from superb to needing improvement, while Jira Align's adaptability suggests adequate user support, although specific feedback is limited.

Pricing and ROI: TFS is considered costly, mostly due to its integration with Visual Studio, but its robust feature set provides good value through volume licensing. Users highlight the potential complexity of its licensing. Jira Align is expensive, particularly for smaller businesses, though large enterprises may find the pricing aligns with its extensive capabilities. Some organizations note significant ROI with its strategic planning features.

To learn more, read our detailed Jira Align vs. TFS Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Jira Align vs. TFS

June 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 859,129 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Jira Align

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

8th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (4th), Value Stream Management Software (1st)

TFS

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Test Management Tools (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category, the mindshare of Jira Align is 1.5%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of TFS is 4.2%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

Featured Reviews

ShyiamaKishun

Senior Manager, Technology & Delivery at S&R TECHNOLOGY

Has a straightforward setup process and efficient project management features .

Jira Align supports program increment planning by facilitating the planning aspect, including team setup, dependency management, and defining the layout for each step or stage in a project. The platform aids in breaking down targets into parts, aligning with Agile principles, and ensuring a structured layout. The most impactful feature of Jira Align for project management lies in its capabilities related to planning and setting up projects. The platform visually understands targets, offering a clear and detailed layout. We can determine when to speed up the process or access the project. We can address the issues related to planning and development efficiently. It is a great product to use, aiding in project planning and alignment. I recommend it to others and rate it a ten out of ten.

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Pmurki@Micron.Com Praveen

VP & GM, Client Storage at Micron Technology

Version control is excellent and good for code review, branching, merging strategies and more

I've worked with TFS for source control and Agile project management. We also used TFS for seamless team collaboration and tracking. I used TFS for a couple of years. Now, we use Azure DevOps. It's a wonderful tool for source control and CI/CD pipelines It's a really valuable tool for…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Jira Align is an intuitive tool that features a roadmap view...The initial setup was straightforward...Jira Align is definitely worth the money."

"In our workflow, we utilize a dashboard. Our product development backbone relies on two-week sprints. At the beginning of each sprint, we conduct a planning meeting to discuss and challenge the backlogs. Throughout the sprint, we conduct daily sessions to review code, ensure alignment with coding standards, and address any issues. Once all tasks are completed, we proceed with the deployment process."

"What I like about Jira is that I can easily keep tabs on the status of different issues and what the team is working on."

"Jira Align's most valuable feature is the view of strategic control reports for high-level directors."

"I joined the company because they had a large project, and as a startup company, they needed to scale up efficiently. My task was to review the current baseline, assess the team's capabilities, and propose solutions to increase production capacity. Upon observing the process in Jira Align, I realized we didn't need to invest heavily in expanding capacity."

"Jira is one of the most widely used tools in the market, and it has a vast amount of data already stored in it. Jira Align is crucial in orchestrating this data and providing valuable views and insights. However, it's essential for tools like Jira Align to offer configurable features. While complete customization might not always be feasible for enterprise-level tools, configurable features allow organizations to drive transformation accordingly."

"The technical support team responds quickly and resolves issues effectively."

"It's easy to set up."

More Jira Align pros

"The work item feature is most valuable. It allows us to store all product requirements. We can also link the test cases to those requirements so that we know which feature has already been tested, and which one is waiting for testing. We can also couple the code reviews, unit tests, and automated tests into these requirements. It is reliable. It has all the features and good performance. It also has reporting tools or analysis tools."

"Build definitions and releases within the product. allow us to put our latest applications in the field."

"Since it is a robust solution, I face no performance issues. Also, considering how well the implementation process of the solution was carried out, we never faced any issues while using the solution."

"It's user friendly. We haven't had any issues so far. It's flexible. If we need something, we can always contact the owner in our headquarters to make a configuration."

"It has great functionality: work items, backlogs, source code, build releases, and it's easy to use."

"User alerts are very helpful for knowing when work is required."

"Microsoft's technical team is supportive."

"The most valuable features are test case writing and bug tracking."

More TFS pros

Cons

"Lacks sufficient reporting capabilities."

"One of the biggest issues I found in the new version was once we clicked on one of the tasks that were specifically for our group and went to look at the other portfolios in other areas we had to browse all the way back to the beginning. If you click the back button, it would not work, it stayed the same place. Additionally, if you click on page B, but then you wanted to go back to page A it would not go back to page A. You would have to browse back to the portfolio and then find your group again and open it. This was the only issue that I had with it and I am not sure if it is a Jira issue or it was because of the way the site was laid out."

"One area for improvement is that Jira Align's double menu and multiple menus can be difficult for new users."

"Jira Align can improve the visibility of executive teams."

"There are fewer customization options in Jira Align due to how it was designed."

"We have experienced errors with the internal server that occurs frequently."

"One feature that needs improvement is the tool's ability to change schedules automatically. Users can't simply drag and drop tasks to reschedule them without notifying the entire team. This lack of functionality can hinder project management control, as changes should be communicated transparently to all team members."

"Jira Align's setup process could be more straightforward, and they could make training and educational documentation more accessible."

More Jira Align cons

"There is room for improvement from reporting point of view."

"TFS's CI/CD, project pipelines, and management development could be improved."

"There might be some complexity in its off-cloud versions."

"TFS needs to be stable."

"The user interface could improve and test management was not useful in TFS."

"The dashboard needs more enhancements."

"The product access management features and connectivity need improvement. Rights management is also complex and could be simplified."

"There are glitches, such as runners getting stuck, deployments generating errors, and it's becoming outdated."

More TFS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My company pays approximately 399 USD per month for the solution."

"Jira Align's pricing is reasonable."

"The license for Jira Align is priced fairly."

"At our company, we were concerned about the cost of Jira Align, which is expensive"

"The tool is moderately expensive."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Jira Align a seven out of ten."

"I would rate this solution a nine out of ten for pricing. The price of the solution depends on the number of people using it and the projects you are working on."

"The software is very good, but the price is expensive. Our licensing costs are on a monthly basis, but there are no additional costs to the standard license fees."

More Jira Align pricing and cost advice

"There is a yearly licensing fee that needs to be paid."

"TFS is not cheap."

"Microsoft products are always expensive. Obviously, they are quality products, but it would be helpful if there was a reduction in price. But compared to other vendors, I think the cost is high."

"I wouldn't say that this tool is cheap or expensive but in the middle."

"The overall price of TFS is good."

"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."

"I was working with the engineering team, and that was not under my umbrella. From what I can remember, its license was yearly. They had the licenses on a per-user basis, and they included MTM."

"It's just as expensive as HPE ALM, without many of the features, best used for development tool only to avoid higher costs."

More TFS pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Insurance Company

Educational Organization

44%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Jira Align?

I joined the company because they had a large project, and as a startup company, they needed to scale up efficiently. My task was to review the current baseline, assess the team's capabilities, and...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Jira Align?

The platform's communication features could be more robust for better team integration.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Jira Align?

We use Jira Align for business strategies, collaboration, and reporting. The solution allows us to manage the various products and features delivered on that platform.

See all answers

Which is better - TFS or Azure DevOps?

TFS and Azure DevOps are different in many ways. TFS was designed for admins, and only offers incremental improvements. In addition, TFS seems complicated to use and I don’t think it has a very fri...

See all answers

What do you like most about TFS?

Microsoft's technical team is supportive.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for TFS?

While I do not know the exact pricing, TFS is likely more expensive than GitLab.

See all answers

Comparisons

OpenText Core Software Delivery Platform vs Jira Align

Compared 37% of the time

ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management vs Jira Align

Compared 26% of the time

Microsoft Azure DevOps vs Jira Align

Compared 6% of the time

Jira vs Jira Align

Compared 5% of the time

Rally Software vs Jira Align

Compared 5% of the time

More Jira Align Competitors

Microsoft Azure DevOps vs TFS

Compared 28% of the time

Jira vs TFS

Compared 23% of the time

Rally Software vs TFS

Compared 8% of the time

TestRail vs TFS

Compared 7% of the time

OpenText Application Quality Management vs TFS

Compared 5% of the time

More TFS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Jira Align

June 2025

Download Jira Align product report

Buyer's Guide

TFS

March 2025

Download TFS product report

Also Known As

AgileCraft

Team Foundation Server

Overview

Jira Align is a cloud-based agile planning tool designed to help enterprises visualize, manage, and carry out large-scale software and IT projects. Jira Align’s features are designed to align the activities of your company’s development team with the overall goals of the organization by helping you achieve the following results:

Connect and coordinate enterprise-level business teams.
Make your entire enterprise’s work visible to drive and improve business outcomes.
Improve product quality with a fully aligned organization.
Shorten delivery cycles by increasing operational efficiency.

With Jira Align’s integration with Jira Software, businesses can simplify governing large-scale software development efforts by translating their strategy and goals into the technical execution and delivery of work.

Jira Align uses the aggregated data from Jira Software to produce reports on every aspect of the development process. Product stakeholders are granted immediate visibility into the progress that has been made and can easily identify delays and their causes.

The solution also assists in budget planning by assigning expenses to various work items and giving management real-time insights into ongoing expenditures and performance against set budgets.

Jira Align Features

Some of the top features and benefits of using Jira Align include:

Strategy management: Jira Align provides a clear visualization of where your enterprise is holding via strategic snapshots. The snapshot helps guide teams throughout the product. With the snapshot in view, it becomes easier to see and track the goals your company wants to carry out.

Progress monitoring: View a progress bar that provides indication of the level of completeness of your projects. The interface is populated with live data, which assists with planning and execution reporting.

Reporting and metrics: Jira Align creates valuable insights using the aggregated data it collects, ensuring that changes are tracked across teams and results are made visible early on in the process. These metrics allow managers to quickly determine what actions need to be taken.

Scalability: Jira Align is designed to work within organizations with hundreds of technical staff members and it can scale to support tens of thousands of users.

Backlogs and workflows: Effectively manage your work utilizing backlogs and workflow boards.

Customizable dashboard: Lay out key data points to help management keep tabs on important items. Easily make decisions based on active live consolidated data along with forecasting, risk tracking reports, and more. To help lower risks, Jira Align provides you with a visualization of program cross dependencies. It also displays a comprehensive view of resource utilization across projects, and highlights inefficiencies so that they can be resolved quickly.

Reviews from Real Users

Jira Align stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its program-level planning options and its reporting capabilities.

A project manager at a consultancy notes, “I like how things can be sorted out, and it shows the different objectives one can do. You could also create a team view that would allow your team to see work outcomes. Jira Align also helps with the reporting, because we can export data to Excel or another format.”

Atlassian

Visual Studio’s Team Foundation Server (TFS) is a powerful application development lifecycle management solution. It aids developers in managing every aspect of their DevOps and application creation. TFS combines many different types of solutions into a single powerful platform.

Visual Studio TFS Benefits

Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy TFS include:

Build automation. TFS enables users to create definitions that can easily automate any and all tasks that are critical to the development of their applications. Businesses can utilize features that are built into TFS to accomplish preset tasks that can help them create the application of their choice. This can include enabling them to run automated tests when the need arises. Additionally, users can create custom tasks that will run automatically and allow users to focus their attention on the areas that most demand their focus.

Security. TFS is designed with the security of a user’s DevOps in mind. It enables an organization to restrict user permissions so that only developers that are meant to have access to particular parts of the development process can perform tasks related to those sections. It segments the development process to reduce the possibility of sensitive data being stolen.

Enables product rollbacks. TFS keeps copies of past versions of the organization’s application. Users can sift through the different versions that are available and can redeploy the version that best fits their needs should it ever become necessary to do so.

Visual Studio TFS Features

Source code management. TFS comes with all of the tools that developers need to completely manage their source code. They can share their code so that multiple developers can work on the same project. Additionally, TFS enables them to do things like review the history of a particular piece of source code.
Project management. Organizations can leverage the wealth of project management features that TFS offers and ensure that their projects run as smoothly as possible. Project managers are able to use TFS to control every aspect of their project, from the planning stage until the application’s development has reached its conclusion.

Reporting. TFS enables users to generate reports that leverage critical metrics and provide them with important insights into the applications that they are creating. These comprehensive reports can be secured so that only users with the proper level of clearance can access them.

Reviews from Real Users

TFS is a highly effective solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two major advantages it offers are its source code management capabilities and its powerful integration suite.

Carl B., the vice president of engineering at Vertex Downhole Ltd, writes, “The most valuable features are related to source code management. Using TFS for source code management and being able to branch and have multiple developers work on the same projects is valuable. We can also branch and merge code back together.”

Ashish K., the principal consultant at Wipro, says, “I have found almost all of the features valuable because it integrates well with your Microsoft products. If a client is using the entire Microsoft platform, then TFS would be definitely preferable. It integrates with the digital studio development environment as well.”

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Anthem, nielsen, Homeland Security, NCR, dimension data

Vendex KBB IT Services, Info Support, Fujitsu Consulting, TCSC, Airways New Zealand, HP

Buyer's Guide

Jira Align vs. TFS

June 2025

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