Guide · Jira

Jira checklist: what to look for in a checklist app

Checklist Flow for Jira 3.1.1 is the production version (1 November 2026). Last updated 1 November 2026. On the Atlassian Marketplace.

By Bartosz Stankiewicz, founder, Stanki Guild.

A Jira checklist is a list of small steps inside one work item: the Definition of Done, a release checklist, a code review list. Jira Cloud has a native version, action items, so the real question is when that is enough and when you need a Marketplace checklist app. This guide answers it, then lists what to check before you install one and which checklist apps we track, with their prices.

Start with the native Jira checklist: action items

Type [] in a description and Jira Cloud gives you a checkbox. Atlassian closed the long-standing request for checklists in text fields as fixed when action items shipped (JRACLOUD-47605; announcement).

Action items are good for personal to-dos. They have limits that matter once the list is a control:

They cannot be marked as required, and nothing stops a transition while one is open.
The built-in workflow validators do not read them.
Jira Automation cannot read or tick them; the request is open as JRACLOUD-96783.
There is no checklist field type (JRACLOUD-94964).

If your checklist is a reminder, action items may be enough. If it has to hold a work item back, or you want the same list on many work items, read on.

What to look for in a Jira checklist app

Required items. Can you mark which items must not be skipped, as opposed to advice?
A workflow validator. The only native mechanism that refuses a transition is a validator, and the built-in ones cannot count checklist items. An app that ships one lets the checklist gate the move to Done. Ask what the validator does when its own check cannot complete: a validator that lets the transition through on an error disappears during an outage.
Your project type. Forge app validators work in company-managed projects by default and in team-managed projects only when the app opts in.
Templates. The same checklist on many work items, ideally applied by work type, so a work item with no checklist is not simply waved through.
Automation. Whether a Jira Automation rule can apply a template, add an item or tick one.
Item detail. Some apps let an item carry its own assignee or due date, though an item is not a Jira work item. If a step needs its own estimate and status, it is a subtask; see Jira checklists vs subtasks.
Search. Checklist state in JQL or a report, to find work that slipped through.
A record. Who checked each item and when, and whether anyone can clear it. See Jira checklist history and audit.
The price at your size. Listed below at 10, 50 and 100 users.

Jira checklist apps on the Marketplace

Checklist apps in our tracked list, as read from the Marketplace data:

App	Installs	Reviews	10 users	50 users	100 users
Checklists Free (HeroCoders)	30,194	1,026	no price data	no price data	no price data
Checklists Pro (HeroCoders)	7,782	278	$0	$410	$820
Smart Checklists Free	4,927	84	no price data	no price data	no price data
Smart Checklists for Jira	4,643	151	$0	$450	$900
Checklists Enterprise (HeroCoders)	4,547	149	$50	$500	$1,000
Checklist Flow (ours)	not shown	none yet	$0	$400	$800

Read from the Atlassian Marketplace data on 31 October 2026. Prices are the annual list price in USD for the first year at 10, 50 and 100 users. The rows are the 5 most-installed of the 7 checklist apps for Jira in our tracked list, ordered by installs; this is not the order of the Marketplace search results, and apps outside our list are not shown. A blank install figure means the data held none. Star ratings are left out on purpose: the star field in the Marketplace data does not always match the rating shown on the listing, so open the listing for the current rating.

Using Smart Checklist Free? Its vendor ends support on 15 December 2026; see Smart Checklist Free end of support: what to do for the dates, the vendor's two paths and the other options.

The Marketplace data does not say which of these apps has a workflow validator, templates by work type or a history nobody can clear, so check each listing against the points above before you install. Checklist Flow is ours and is the last row; its listing is Checklist Flow on the Atlassian Marketplace.

How our app helps

Checklist Flow is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. It adds a checklist panel to Jira work items with sections, Required items, N/A, and per-item due dates, assignees and notes. The Checklist Definition of Done validator blocks the transition while a Required item is open, and if the check cannot be completed the transition stays blocked. The template library has 49 templates in 18 categories; with a paid licence, templates can be applied automatically by issue type. Progress shows in a glance on the work item, the state is searchable in JQL, and every check and uncheck is kept in an append-only, hash-chained history that no role can clear in the app.

Checklist Flow is free for up to 10 users with every feature, then from USD 0.80 per user per month for the first 100 users. Without an active paid licence it still offers the same 2,000 items per work item as with a licence, 10 saved templates, the validator and the full history and export. See the documentation and the comparison with other checklist apps.

Common questions

Does Jira have checklists?

Yes, in a limited form: action items, a checkbox you create by typing [] in a description. They cannot be required, the built-in validators do not read them and Automation cannot tick them, so for a checklist that gates a transition you need a Marketplace app.

Which apps add a Jira checklist?

Several. The table above lists the five most-installed checklist apps in our tracked list with their annual list prices. Checklist Flow is ours.

Can a Jira checklist block a transition?

Native action items cannot. A checklist app with a workflow validator can: the transition is refused while a required item is open. Test it on a sandbox work item before you rely on it.

Is a checklist the same as subtasks?

No. Use subtasks when a step is real work that someone plans, estimates and owns, and a checklist when the steps are the parent's own quality or process bar. The decision table compares them.