Bug tracking software helps development teams identify and resolve software bugs before they impact users. Using the software within a centralized system like a project management tool enables you to ensure all teams are in sync, streamlining processes and productivity.
In this guide, we’ll compare five of the best bug tracking tools available and show you how to set up a bug tracking system using Pipedrive and other tools.
Why do you need bug tracking software?
Using bug tracker software is essential for staying on top of product issues.
Whether you’re switching from an outdated system or looking into bug trackers for the first time, a modern tracker can be the difference between delighting customers or making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Take the massive global IT outage caused by a Microsoft update in 2024. The disruption affected airports, banks, hospitals and businesses worldwide, bringing critical systems to a halt.
It was caused by a faulty software update, which, once deployed, triggered widespread crashes across systems running Windows PCs.
Incidents like this underscore the importance of robust defect-tracking systems for catching and addressing potential flaws before they reach customers.
Here’s how investing in modern bug tracking software can improve product quality and customer experience:
Prevents costly fixes. The later a bug is found, the more expensive it is to fix. According to IBM’s Systems Science Institute, fixing a defect after release can cost 4 to 5 times more than during design and up to 100 times more if caught in maintenance. Tracking and resolving bugs early helps teams avoid these expenses.
Protects brand reputation. Software glitches can lead to public backlash and damage company reputations. The video game “Cyberpunk 2077” launched with so many bugs that Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Store amid a flood of customer complaints. Proactively managing bugs reduces the risk of making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Delivers a better customer experience. Nest, the smart thermostat, had a hidden bug that didn’t show up for two weeks, leaving users without heat in the middle of winter. Nest’s team had to apologize publicly. Catching bugs before deployment with an adequate tracking system enables businesses to maintain customer satisfaction.
Reduces risk and improves compliance. Undetected bugs can lead to security breaches or compliance failures for businesses handling sensitive data. Equifax experienced this in 2017 when the personal data of 147 million people was compromised in a preventable bug fix. A robust bug tracking system flags these types of issues before they escalate.
Product teams using spreadsheets or outdated tools may struggle to keep up with fast-paced development sprints. Bug tracking software streamlines issue management, leading to a more efficient and agile workflow.
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5 things to look for in bug tracking software
When it comes to monitoring software, a bug tracking system should simplify issue tracking, not make it more complicated. It should be easy to use, make it easy to collaborate, have built-in workflow automation features and integrate with your tech stack.
Here are the key features to look out for in more detail:
Ease of use and intuitive UI. A user-friendly interface ensures that development teams, testers and stakeholders can log and track bug reports without confusion. A cluttered or complex issue tracker slows down adoption and efficiency.
Collaboration features. Effective team collaboration tools like comments, real-time updates and integrations with Slack or email notifications keep team members aligned. Better teamwork prevents duplicate efforts and improves response times.
Automation rules. Automating bug tracking tools reduces manual work. Features like email notifications, task management and auto-assigning bugs help teams focus on fixing rather than tracking issues.
Customizable workflows. Every software development process is different. A customizable issue tracking tool allows teams to tailor custom workflows, set priorities and define custom fields for better organization.
Tech stack integration. Seamless integration with tools like Jira, GitHub, Trello and version control systems ensures that bugs move efficiently through the software development lifecycle without disrupting productivity.
Note: Most bug tracking tools offer a free trial to help you determine whether they work with your existing tech stack.
Top 5 bug tracking software tools
There are many bug tracking tools out there, so picking the right one isn’t easy. Below are five of the best bug tracking software solutions, each offering unique strengths for software development teams.
Note: We reviewed these tools based on real user feedback from Reddit, G2 and Capterra, considering usability, project management automation and integration with tools like CRMs.
We also evaluated how these tools fit into a broader issue-tracking system to help teams streamline bug reports alongside their core workflows.
1. Jira: best for large teams using Atlassian tools
Jira by Atlassian is one of the most widely used bug tracking tools, designed specifically for software development teams. It works for teams using agile project management systems or scrum methodologies, offering advanced issue tracking and project management features.
Jira is beneficial for teams already using other Atlassian tools like Confluence or Trello. The tools integrate easily, allowing for more cohesive workflows and seamless communication between teams.
Users have reported that while complex to use, it offers extensive customization options that allow teams to create custom fields and workflows.
Key features:
Comprehensive issue tracking system with custom fields and statuses
Agile project management tools, including Kanban and Scrum boards
Automation rules for bug assignments and progress tracking
Third-party integration support for tools like Pipedrive, Slack and GitHub
Robust reporting tool for tracking bug resolution times and backlog
What users are saying:
Who it’s best for: Jira is best suited for agile software development teams managing complex projects and already using other Atlassian tools. Its scalability and advanced features make it ideal for mid-sized to large teams needing structured workflows and bug tracking automation.
Pricing: Jira offers a free plan for up to 10 users, making it accessible for small teams. Paid plans start at $7.53/user per month, with advanced automation, security and analytics features.
Rating: 4.4/5 (average across G2, Capterra and Software Advice)
Note: Jira integrates with Pipedrive for teams looking to bridge the gap between sales and other teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and issue tracking across workflows.
2. GitHub: best for lightweight issue tracking
GitHub is a leading version control platform with built-in issue tracking software, making it a good option for development teams already using Git. With GitHub Copilot, developers can now use AI-powered code suggestions to fix bugs faster and improve overall coding efficiency.
One of GitHub’s main benefits is its ability to connect directly to your code. Developers can link issues to specific code changes or pull requests, making tracking and fixing bugs easy. It’s also user-friendly and easy to set up.
GitHub offers a more basic feature set than advanced tools like Jira or Bugzilla, making it a better fit for smaller teams or projects.
Key features:
Integrated issue tracker for managing bug reports alongside code
Milestones and project boards for task management and prioritization
Team collaboration with discussions, labels and email notifications
API access for customizing workflows and automating tasks
AI-powered code assistance to help you build faster
What users are saying:
Who it’s best for: GitHub’s issue tracker is best for solo or small development teams looking for a straightforward tool that’s easy to use and set up. It’s not suitable for larger teams with more complex projects requiring lots of customization.
Pricing: GitHub offers a free plan with unlimited repositories and basic issue tracking. Paid plans start at $4/user per month, with additional security, automation and access control features.
Rating: 4.8/5 (average across G2, Capterra and Software Advice)
3. Mantis Bug Tracker: best for small teams with customization needs
Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) is an open-source bug tracking software designed for small to mid-sized software development teams. It offers a lightweight approach to issue tracking, with strong customization options for teams needing a flexible solution.
Mantis Bug Tracker is a great mid-way solution for those who need something more advanced than GitHub, but don’t need the advanced customization features of Jira.
Key features:
Customizable issue tracking system with custom fields and permissions
Email notifications for bug updates and team collaboration
Plugin support to extend functionality (e.g., Git, Slack and Jira integrations)
Access control for managing user roles and bug visibility
Reporting tools for tracking bug status and resolution trends
What users are saying:
Who it’s best for: MantisBT is ideal for teams looking for an open-source and customizable bug tracking solution that is also easy to use.
Pricing: As an open-source bug tracking tool, MantisBT is free to use. Self-hosted deployments require a web server, but a cloud-based version is available with paid plans starting at $4.95/user per month.
Rating: 4.1/5 (average across G2, Capterra and Software Advice)
4. Bugzilla: best advanced bug tracker for enterprise teams
Bugzilla is another open-source bug tracking system developed by Mozilla. It’s known for its reliability and powerful bug management features.
Bugzilla’s open-source nature makes it suitable for teams that want to tailor the software to their specific requirements. Its advanced feature set makes it a good choice for large teams managing complex projects.
While it lacks some of Jira’s integration and project management features, Bugzilla excels at bug tracking. It provides metrics like regressions and bug change rates, helping teams assess the quality of releases.
Key features:
Advanced search and filtering options for efficient bug tracking
Customizable workflows, statuses and fields
Email notifications and access control for team collaboration
Integration with version control systems like Git and SVN
Scalability for large teams handling thousands of issues
What users are saying:
Who it’s best for: Bugzilla is best for enterprise-level teams or open-source projects needing a scalable, open-source bug tracking tool with advanced customization options.
Pricing: Bugzilla is free as an open-source tool. Organizations may need to invest in hosting and maintenance.
Rating: 4.1/5 (average across G2, Capterra and Software Advice)
5. QA Wolf: best for automating bug testing
QA Wolf is a platform that uses AI to automate bug testing and take QA completely off software teams’ plates. It claims to deliver 80% automated end-to-end test coverage within four months.
The central selling point is its automation capabilities, which can be implemented without extensive coding knowledge. Easy implementation can be beneficial to teams with different levels of technical expertise.
QA Wolf is suitable for both smaller and larger teams and offers pricing structures catered to each.
Key features:
AI-powered automated testing with 80% end-to-end test coverage in weeks
Unlimited parallel test runs to speed up bug detection and resolution
Zero-flake guarantee, ensuring reliable and consistent test results
Seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing
Fully managed testing service, eliminating the need for in-house QA maintenance
What users are saying:
Who it’s best for: QA Wolf is ideal for engineering teams looking to automate software testing without in-house QA resources. It’s beneficial for fast-moving teams that want comprehensive test coverage without maintenance overhead.
Pricing: QA Wolf offers custom pricing based on team needs.
Rating: 4.9/5 (average across G2, Capterra and Software Advice)
How to create a comprehensive bug tracking system
Integrating your bug tracker with project management software is an excellent way to build a comprehensive and holistic bug tracking system. It keeps stakeholders in the loop on release cycles and any bottlenecks that might hold up new product launches.
Let’s look at building a bug tracking workflow with a customer relationship management (CRM) system like Pipedrive.
1. Build a bug tracking workflow in Pipedrive
Before bugs are assigned to developers, they need to be logged, tracked and prioritized. In Pipedrive, you can set up a dedicated pipeline for bug tracking through the pipeline management tool.
Go to “Pipedrive > Settings > Pipelines” and create a new pipeline (e.g., “Bug Tracking”).
Next, customize the pipeline stages to match your process. An example workflow might look like this: Reported → In Review → Assigned → In Progress → Resolved.
2. Automate issue creation
Once you’ve built your bug tracking pipeline, connect Pipedrive with your bug tracking tool to streamline ticket creation. For this example, let’s use Jira.
Pipedrive directly integrates with Jira, so you could set up an automation that triggers a new issue in Jira when a deal is added to the “Reported” stage.
Map Pipedrive fields like deal name, description and priority to corresponding Jira issue fields.
Mapping correctly ensures Jira is automatically updated when new bugs are logged in Pipedrive.
3. Set up Slack notifications
If you’re using Slack, you can set up notifications to alert a team channel whenever a new bug is reported or a status changes.
Go to the Pipedrive Marketplace and install the Dealbot for Slack integration.
Once installed, authorize Pipedrive to access your Slack workspace to allow Pipedrive to send updates to specific channels.
Navigate to “Tools and apps > Workflow Automation” and create a new workflow. Then, set a trigger. For example, the trigger may be when a new deal is created or a status changes.
You can personalize the message as you see fit.
Note: When selecting “Send channel a message”, you’ll be required to choose a channel in the automation editor. If you opt for “Send direct message”, the message will be delivered to the Dealbot by Pipedrive channel.
4. Use Insights for bug reporting
Pipedrive’s Insights feature is a reporting dashboard that lets you track and visualize bug trends and monitor resolution times.
To create a bug report dashboard, go to Insights from the main menu.
Click “Create Report” and select “Deals Report”.
Choose key metrics to track, such as “Total Bugs Reported” or “Average Resolution Time”.
You can customize the report using filters for time period and bug severity.
Click “Save Report” and add it to a dashboard for easy access.
Final thoughts
Bug tracking software helps development teams fix problems faster and more efficiently. Integrate the software with your existing tools for a comprehensive bug tracking system.
Pipedrive connects your bug tracking with project management in one place. Try it free for 14 days to make bug management simpler.
