Ora

Ora is project management software for Agile teams that need sprint planning, Kanban boards and progress reporting. It suits teams that want Scrum tools and several ways to view work, with a free tier for up to 10 users. Its strongest fit is an Agile workflow that benefits from built-in sprint analytics; file limits and the cost of annual billing deserve a close look.

Overview

Ora brings Scrum and Kanban work into one project tool. Epics, sprints and story points support planning, while reports help teams track progress. Automation rules, time tracking and guest access add useful workflow options; they are not, on their own, a reason to choose Ora over another project manager.

When Sprints are enabled, Ora generates sprint, release and epic burndown statistics as well as velocity charts. Those measures can make progress and delivery trends easier to review, particularly for teams already organizing work around sprints. List, table, Kanban and agenda views let people approach the same work in different formats.

Integrations include Slack, GitHub, Google Calendar, GitLab, Bitbucket, Zendesk, Integrately and Zapier, covering team communication, development tools, calendars and automation. Ora says it encrypts data in transit over SSL/HTTPS and at rest on AWS, with automatic AWS backups, point-in-time recovery and daily in-app backups. Users can sign in by email and password or through Google Accounts using OAuth 2.0; passwords are stored with unique salts. Support includes a knowledge base and a coaching call for one-on-one assistance.

Key features

• Agile planning: Epics, sprints and story points provide familiar building blocks for teams using Scrum alongside Kanban.
• Sprint analytics: Burndown statistics and velocity charts can help teams review sprint, release and epic progress, provided Sprints are enabled.
• Multiple views: List, table, Kanban and agenda views offer different ways to organize and review work.
• Workflow support: Automation rules, time tracking and guest access broaden the tool’s use beyond basic task tracking.

Pricing

Basic: free, billed FREE FOREVER. It supports up to 10 users, with unlimited projects, tasks, comments and attachments. The 10mb maximum file size and lack of observers are meaningful constraints: the plan suits small teams with modest file needs, but not work that depends on larger uploads or observer access.

Professional: $5.99 a month, billed annually. It includes unlimited users and a 1 GB maximum file size, removing Basic’s user ceiling and raising its file limit. A 30-day free trial is available, but requires credit card information; it can be canceled before it ends. The annual billing term matters for teams that want the larger limits but are not ready to commit.

Enterprise: $27.99 a month, billed annually, with unlimited users and a 1 GB maximum file size. Those stated allowances match Professional, so the higher-priced plan is difficult to distinguish on the basis of the listed limits alone; teams considering it should confirm that it meets their needs before committing.

Platforms

Ora supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows and the web, and offers an API. That broad platform coverage makes it a candidate for teams working across desktop and mobile devices.

Who it's for

Ora is best suited to Agile teams that want Scrum planning and Kanban work in one place, and that will use sprint analytics or multiple work views. Its free tier makes it a practical starting point for teams of up to 10, especially when 10mb attachments are sufficient. Larger teams or those handling bigger files will need Professional or Enterprise. Teams that require observer access on the free plan should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Basic allows unlimited projects, tasks, comments and attachments for up to 10 users, making the free plan generous in work-item volume.
• Pros: Sprint, release and epic burndown statistics plus velocity charts give Scrum teams dedicated progress measures.
• Pros: Four views and integrations with development, calendar and communication services give teams flexibility in how they work.
• Cons: Basic caps files at 10mb and excludes observers, which can frustrate teams sharing larger materials or involving read-only participants.
• Cons: Professional and Enterprise are billed annually, and Professional’s trial requires card details, so trying the larger limits involves a billing commitment to manage.
• Cons: Enterprise shares the stated user and file-size allowances of Professional, leaving its listed benefit unclear.

Alternatives

For another Agile-focused option, compare YouTrack, which has a free cloud plan for up to 10 users and 30 GB of storage. That storage allowance may suit teams for whom Ora’s 10mb Basic file ceiling is too restrictive.

Linear is worth considering for teams that value a free plan with unlimited members, two teams and 250 issues. Its free plan’s issue cap is a different trade-off from Ora Basic’s unlimited tasks.

Yodiz offers a free Starter plan for three users and unlimited projects, a fit for a smaller team prioritizing project count over Ora’s 10-user allowance.

Choose Kanban Tool if a focused board-based option fits better: its free plan is capped at two boards and two users and excludes file attachments.

OpenProject offers a free Community plan with no minimum users, as well as Linux, web, API and self-hosted platform options; it may suit teams prioritizing those deployment choices.

Zoho Sprints has a free plan for three users, three projects and 500 MB of storage. Its smaller user allowance but explicit storage quota may suit a compact team evaluating those limits.

iceScrum is an alternative for teams seeking open-source software with a self-hosted option.

Plane has a free plan for 12 users, making it another option for teams comparing no-cost user limits.

Verdict

Ora is a strong fit for Agile teams that want Scrum planning, Kanban views and sprint analytics together, especially if they can stay within Basic’s 10-user and 10mb file limits. Its free plan offers ample project and task capacity, while paid plans raise the user and file ceilings. Look elsewhere if observer access is essential on a free plan, or if you need a clearer case for Enterprise over Professional.