MantisBT
Shortcut
| Feature | MantisBT | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $4.95/mo | Free / from $8.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 3.9 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, small-teams, open-source-projects, budget-conscious-teams | software-teams, startups, engineering-managers, product-teams |
| Founded | 2000 | 2016 |
| Bug Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Fields | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email Notifications | ✓ | ✗ |
| Role Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugins | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Stories | ✗ | ✓ |
| Epics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Iterations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Milestones | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ MantisBT Pros
- Free and open-source
- Easy to set up
- Lightweight
- Extensible with plugins
✗ MantisBT Cons
- Dated interface
- Limited agile features
- Small community vs alternatives
✓ Shortcut Pros
- Intuitive UI for engineering teams
- Great API and integrations
- Flexible iteration planning
- Excellent GitHub integration
✗ Shortcut Cons
- Limited reporting on free plan
- No time tracking built-in
- Smaller ecosystem than Jira
The Verdict
MantisBT is built for developers and small teams, with a focus on bug-tracking and custom-fields. Shortcut targets software teams and startups and leads with stories and epics.
Pricing is close: MantisBT starts at $4.95/mo versus $8.5/mo for Shortcut — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Shortcut edges out on user ratings (4.4 vs 3.9). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Shortcut has a slight overall edge — but if free and open-source matters most to you, MantisBT may still be the right call.