Why Atlassian’s Free Tier for Jira and Confluence Cloud is Huge

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Let’s face it: Most of us are not surprised when we find a SaaS service with a free entry-level tier. In fact, for the most part we have come to expect it. So, why is a free version of Jira Cloud (and Confluence Cloud, too!) such a big deal?

Well, to me it signals three things.

1. Jira & Confluence Cloud products have matured to the point where Atlassian can easily scale these products and accommodate a lot more instances. Personally, I believe the Cloud products have long been stable and fast enough for production use, but Atlassian does seem to err on the side of caution when it comes to their customers. (As they should.)
2. This move is god-send for vendors on the Atlassian Marketplace, such as Jodocus. Even on the free tier, users can install apps, meaning the market is likely getting a lot bigger while lowering the barrier to entry — you don’t even need a credit card.
3. Last but not least, this is great news for startups that now can get started with Jira from day one! Teams are able to use the same great tools that will stay with them up to thousands of users.

By adding a fully-featured free tier to their Cloud offerings, Atlassian have taken a bold step and are making a statement about their commitment to Cloud. Sure, Jira Server and Data Center are not going away anytime soon, but the real focus is going to be on Cloud. And now, there’s no more excuse not to give it a try.