GitHub Issues has become a default choice for developers managing tasks, tracking bugs, and organizing feature work. It’s tightly integrated with code, lightweight to set up, and great for teams that live in GitHub. But as teams grow beyond a handful of contributors, or need visibility across product, design, and engineering, GitHub Issues can start to feel like a half-built home. It handles tickets but not strategy, updates but not outcomes. That’s when many engineering teams start looking for a project management layer that’s purpose-built for how they actually plan, ship, and measure progress.
That’s where Shortcut comes in.
Shortcut gives engineering and product teams the structure and visibility GitHub Issues lacks, while staying tightly integrated with GitHub so developers never lose context.
And for teams already using GitHub Issues, Korey, an AI project management agent from Shortcut, connects to both Shortcut and GitHub Issues to automate tedious work like writing specs, breaking down tasks, and tracking progress.
Let’s dig into why so many teams are making the switch.
TL;DR
- Shortcut: The best fit for engineering and product teams that want structure, reporting, and collaboration without leaving GitHub behind.
- Linear: Beautifully designed and fast, but the opinionated design can be restrictive for teams requiring highly specific workflows.
- ClickUp: Highly flexible, but can feel overwhelming for developers.
- Jira: Powerful for large enterprises, but often heavy and complex to manage.
- GitHub Issues: Ideal for small or open-source projects, but not enough structure for product delivery at scale.
- Korey: Works across both Shortcut and GitHub Issues to automate specs, sub-tasks, and updates.
Reasons to Look for GitHub Issues Alternatives
Most teams start with GitHub Issues because it’s already there. It’s free, connected to your repositories, and easy to create an issue or tag a teammate. But simplicity comes at a cost once you need visibility, reporting, or coordination across multiple teams.
Here are the most common reasons teams start looking for an alternative:
1. You need more structure and visibility
GitHub Issues is great for single-layer task tracking but lacks the hierarchy most growing teams need. There are no built-in Epics, Roadmaps, or Objectives. That makes it hard to see how daily work connects to strategic goals.
Shortcut solves this with clear levels of organization: Objectives connect work to strategy. Epics define multi-sprint deliverables. Stories break down actionable tasks. Sub-tasks handle execution details.
Everything stays connected automatically, so progress rolls up in real time—from commits to roadmap goals—without manual reporting.
2. You need collaboration beyond engineering
GitHub Issues was built for developers. Once product managers, designers, or QA join the mix, things get messy. Comments sprawl across threads, file attachments are limited, and non-technical teammates can struggle to navigate the interface.
Shortcut was built for product and engineering teams working together. Discussions, file uploads, checklists, and mentions all live directly alongside the work. That means fewer Slack threads asking for context, and more clarity on what’s actually shipping next.
3. You want progress tracking that doesn’t live in a spreadsheet
GitHub Issues offers basic filters and labels but very little reporting. There’s no velocity tracking, burndown charts, or sprint insights. For teams managing multiple sprints, it’s easy to lose track of what’s done versus what’s at risk.
Shortcut automatically updates progress as Stories close or commits merge. Cycle time, velocity, and objective progress are all tracked natively, so you can see how much work is moving and where bottlenecks appear, without maintaining a separate dashboard.
4. You want integration, not duplication
Teams don’t want to give up GitHub, they just want better context.
Shortcut’s GitHub integration links every Story to commits, branches, and pull requests. Developers can close Stories with commit messages or PR merges, and Shortcut updates automatically.
5. You’re ready to scale your product org
GitHub Issues works perfectly for a handful of developers. But as you scale, the lack of workflows, reporting, and hierarchy becomes a blocker. Managing multiple teams, projects, and releases in Issues starts to feel like juggling without a rhythm.
Shortcut is built to scale with your org. Whether you’re managing two teams or twenty, you can group work by Objective, team, or roadmap. The flexibility gives everyone from ICs to execs a shared view of progress without adding complexity.
Best Alternatives for GitHub Issues
There are plenty of tools claiming to replace GitHub Issues. Here’s how the most common options compare for software development teams.
Shortcut: Built for engineering and product teams Shortcut was designed to give developers a better experience than Jira, without losing the connection to GitHub. It brings structure, automation, and visibility while staying lightweight and fast.
Key advantages: Clear hierarchy of work (Objectives → Epics → Stories → Sub-tasks). Real-time reporting for velocity, cycle time, and progress. GitHub, GitLab, and Slack integrations built in with optional AI assistance through Korey for generating specs and sub-tasks. For teams that want to plan, track, and deliver software in one place, Shortcut keeps everyone aligned while engineers stay in flow.
Linear: Sleek and fast, but limited for broader collaboration Linear is a strong contender for small engineering teams that prioritize speed and design polish. It’s fast, minimal, and integrates nicely with GitHub. However, its opinionated design can be restrictive for teams requiring highly specific workflows.
ClickUp: Flexible but complex ClickUp is one of the most flexible work management tools available. It supports everything from task tracking to documentation, but that flexibility comes with setup overhead. It can take time to configure and may feel bloated for developers who just want a clear workflow. While ClickUp has GitHub integration, it’s not as deep as Shortcut’s native connection. Teams often use it when they need one workspace for the entire company, but for engineering-heavy orgs, it can introduce friction rather than flow.
Jira: Powerful but heavy Jira has long been the enterprise standard for software project management. It’s deeply configurable and integrates with most tools. However, that flexibility comes at the cost of complexity. Many smaller teams find it overkill, requiring admins to maintain workflows and templates. Shortcut gives you Jira-level visibility with setup that takes minutes, not weeks.
Read about how quickly the team at SummerOS got set up in Shortcut →
Korey: The AI project management agent that works with both Shortcut and GitHub Issues Korey helps product and engineering teams handle the “work about work.” It connects directly to Shortcut and GitHub Issues, automatically turning ideas into structured Stories with descriptions, sub-tasks, and acceptance criteria.
Teams use Korey to:
- Draft specs or PRDs in seconds.
- Generate structured Stories from rough notes or ideas.
- Create sub-tasks and acceptance criteria automatically.
- Summarize release notes and progress updates.
Whether your team uses GitHub Issues or Shortcut (or both), Korey helps reduce manual effort and keeps work consistent.
Why Engineering Teams Switch from GitHub Issues to Shortcut
When teams outgrow GitHub Issues, the switch to Shortcut usually happens for one of three reasons: visibility, scalability, or speed.
Shortcut gives PMs and engineers a shared language for work. It replaces scattered issues and spreadsheets with clear progress tracking. It also integrates tightly with GitHub, so developers don’t have to change their habits to get better reporting and alignment. By connecting the planning and coding layers, Shortcut gives you the control of a project management system with the simplicity of your existing GitHub workflow.
You Should Try Before You Buy
If your team already lives in GitHub, Shortcut is the next logical step. It’s built for product and engineering teams that want visibility without complexity, and it integrates so deeply with GitHub that switching feels natural. And if you’re not ready to move everything just yet, try Korey. It connects to both GitHub Issues and Shortcut so you can start automating specs and issues, sub-tasks, and updates today.
Try Shortcut free, or connect Korey to your GitHub Issues workspace to see how fast your team can move.
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