Atlassian

Jira, Confluence & Trello

Project Management & Productivity
Subscription

For · Software development teams, IT departments and knowledge-intensive organisations

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Atlassian is the provider behind Jira, Confluence, Trello, Bitbucket, and a range of other development and collaboration tools. In 2024, Atlassian fully discontinued the Server variant and forced all customers to migrate to Cloud or Data Center. This led to significant price increases for many organisations still using Server.
Atlassian operates a tier-based pricing model: as the number of users grows, you pay per additional tier. This makes budgeting difficult and often leads to unexpected jumps in the invoice when the team expands.

Procurement considerations

Check your user tiers carefully
Atlassian applies broad user tiers (e.g. 801-1000 users). If you are near the boundary of a tier, removing a few inactive users can lead to significant savings.
Compare Cloud vs. Data Center TCO
Data Center is more expensive upfront but cheaper with a high number of users. Have the Total Cost of Ownership calculated over three years before migrating.
Bundle products through the Atlassian Cloud Enterprise suite
If using multiple Atlassian products (Jira + Confluence + Guard), bundle pricing is available. This is not always proactively offered.

Compliance risks

Mandatory cloud migration and data location
Atlassian Cloud stores data in AWS regions. Organisations with strict data residency requirements must negotiate specific contractual guarantees regarding the EU region.
Increasing dependency on the ecosystem
Many organisations are deeply intertwined with the Atlassian ecosystem via Marketplace apps. Switching therefore becomes increasingly complex and expensive – a deliberate vendor lock-in strategy.

Frequently asked questions about Atlassian

Frequently asked questions about Atlassian licenses and procurement.

Is migration from Atlassian Server to Cloud more expensive?

For most organisations, yes—especially with large user numbers. The move from a one-time perpetual license to an annual subscription model increases recurring costs. SoftVaro helps negotiate migration discounts and optimal contract structures.

How does Atlassian's tiered pricing work?

Atlassian charges per user band (e.g. 1-10, 11-25, 26-50, etc.). You always pay for the entire upper tier. So an organisation with 51 users pays for the 51-100 band. Active user management pays off significantly here.