Exalate Alternatives in 2026: 7 Tools for Cross-Platform Issue Synchronization Compared

Last updated: October 2026

The main Exalate alternatives in 2026 for Jira, ServiceNow and Azure DevOps synchronization are ZigiOps, Getint, Unito, ONEiO, Backbone and Workato. ZigiOps by ZigiWave is the closest fit for teams that want Exalate-level bidirectional sync without Groovy scripting, as a standalone no-code platform that stores no transferred data and has no transaction limits. Getint and Unito suit simpler UI-driven syncs, ONEiO suits fully managed integration services, Backbone suits Jira-to-Jira only, and Workato suits broad enterprise automation.

Exalate is a capable tool, and plenty of teams are happy with it. People usually start searching for Exalate alternatives for one of four reasons: the Groovy scripting has become a maintenance burden, the active-items pricing model no longer fits their volume, they want a tool that does not need an app installed on each side, or they need to connect systems beyond the ones their current setup covers.

This guide compares seven tools, Exalate included as the baseline, on criteria you can verify in each vendor's own documentation. No adjectives were harmed in the making of the comparison table.

What makes a good Exalate alternative?

Exalate is a cross-platform issue synchronization tool. It keeps work items, tickets and issues in sync between systems such as Jira, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, Zendesk, Salesforce and GitHub. To be a genuine alternative, a tool needs to do the same core job:

• Bidirectional, near real-time sync of records between different platforms.
• Sync of related data such as comments, attachments and status changes, not just a few fields.
• Field mapping and transformation for values that do not match one to one.
• Correlation and loop prevention, so updates go to the right record exactly once.
• Enterprise security and a deployment model your security team can approve.

Generic automation tools that only push one-way triggers ("when X happens, create Y") are useful, but they are not like-for-like Exalate alternatives for ongoing two-way sync.

Exalate alternatives compared: the 2026 summary table

Sources: each vendor's documentation or Atlassian Marketplace listing, plus Capterra and GetApp listings for deployment and pricing models where vendors do not publish them. Pricing details change often, so confirm current terms with each vendor.

1. Exalate: the baseline

It is only fair to start with the tool everyone is comparing against.

Exalate synchronizes work items across platforms including Jira, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, Zendesk, Salesforce, Freshdesk and GitHub. Its core idea is that each side of a connection controls its own sync rules. According to Exalate's Atlassian Marketplace listing for ServiceNow, you need to install Exalate on both sides of the connection.

Exalate's documentation describes the "New Exalate" experience, with a unified web console, Test Run for simulating configuration changes, script versioning with rollback, and Aida, an AI assistant that generates Groovy code from plain-language descriptions. Exalate states that the Groovy-based scripting engine remains the core of the product.

On pricing, Exalate's documentation says New Exalate uses subscription tiers based on the number of active items in sync across all connections: Starter up to 25 active items, Scale up to 100, Pro with custom limits, and Enterprise with unlimited active items.

Where Exalate shines: highly customized, script-driven sync, especially cross-company scenarios where each party wants independent control.

Why teams look elsewhere: Groovy expertise is required for anything beyond the defaults (AI-assisted or not, someone still owns the scripts), and active-item pricing grows with the number of records you keep in sync.

2. ZigiOps by ZigiWave: the no-code, standalone Exalate alternative

ZigiOps, from ZigiWave, is a standalone, 100% no-code integration platform that connects ITSM, ITOM, DevOps and CRM tools in real time, without storing any of the transferred data. It is ISO 27001 certified and has no limit on the number of transactions.

How ZigiOps differs from Exalate

• Architecture: ZigiOps is a single standalone application that connects to each system through its API. You do not install an app inside Jira, ServiceNow or Azure DevOps.
• Configuration: everything is configured in a guided UI. Instead of writing scripts, you choose entities from schema-aware dropdowns, map fields, and apply conditional mapping and expressions such as Last Time, Pattern (regular expressions), Replace Text and date formatting.
• Pricing: according to the ZigiOps licensing documentation, one license point enables unlimited integrations between a specific pair of system instances, for example ServiceNow instance 1 and Jira instance 1. There is no per-item or per-transaction charge.
• Data handling: ZigiOps does not store transferred data. It keeps only a few kilobytes of runtime state to track synchronization.
• Deployment: on-premises on Windows Server or Linux, or in the cloud, with a documented high-availability setup using primary and backup servers.

Supported systems relevant to Exalate users

ZigiOps templates and connectors cover the systems Exalate users most often sync, including Jira Software, Jira Service Management, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, BMC Remedy, Cherwell, Ivanti, Freshservice, Freshdesk, Zendesk, TOPdesk, GitHub and Microsoft Dynamics, as well as monitoring and ITOM tools such as Dynatrace, SolarWinds, Zabbix, PagerDuty and OpenText Operations Bridge. That last group matters if you want incident sync and event-to-incident automation in one platform.

Where ZigiOps shines: enterprise ITSM and DevOps synchronization, multi-instance and MSP scenarios, and organizations whose security reviews favour tools that store no ticket data.

Trade-offs: ZigiOps is a separate application to deploy, and teams that genuinely want to write custom code for every rule may prefer a script-first tool.

3. Getint

Getint offers integrations for Jira, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, Zendesk, monday, GitHub, Salesforce and others. For Jira-related integrations sold on the Atlassian Marketplace, Getint's own description on Capterra says pricing follows the Marketplace model, typically tiered by the number of Jira users, while integrations beyond Jira are priced separately. Capterra lists cloud, SaaS and on-premises (Windows and Linux) deployment.

Getint's ServiceNow app on the Marketplace runs on Atlassian Forge, supports one-way and two-way sync of incidents, service requests and change requests, and lists ISO 27001 and SOC 2. Configuration is UI-first, with optional scripting for advanced cases.

Where Getint shines: Jira-centric teams that want a Marketplace-billed app with a quick UI setup.

Things to check: how pricing works for your exact pair of systems, and whether your use case stays within the UI or needs scripts.

4. Unito

Unito is a SaaS two-way sync platform. Connections between two tools are called flows, and each flow has rules that decide what syncs, where and when. Unito supports a wide range of work management tools plus ServiceNow, Jira and Azure DevOps.

Unito's pricing guide says cost depends on the number of items in sync and the features you need. Notably, syncing one work item from one tool to another counts as two items in sync: the original and the copy Unito creates. If you exceed your limit, Unito automatically moves you to the closest appropriate plan at the next payment cycle. Unito's ServiceNow integration pages state that no data is stored by Unito.

Where Unito shines: quick, no-code syncs between project and work management tools, and simpler ServiceNow escalations to product or engineering tools.

Things to check: the item count at your real volume, and whether its field coverage handles ITSM-specific needs such as work notes, state models and SLA fields.

5. ONEiO

ONEiO is a cloud-based integration platform focused on IT service management, offered both as a platform you operate and as a fully managed integration service run by ONEiO's own integration operators. Review site listings describe its pricing model as usage based and its deployment as cloud only. ONEiO connects ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Jira, BMC Helix, Cherwell, Ivanti, Freshservice and other service management tools, and supports multi-endpoint integrations where one integration connects several systems.

Where ONEiO shines: service providers and enterprises that want to outsource integration operations, including monitoring and maintenance.

Things to check: cloud-only routing of your ticket data, and the cost of the managed service compared with running integrations yourself.

6. Backbone (K15t)

Backbone, recently renamed Backbone Work Sync for Jira by its vendor K15t, synchronizes Jira data between two or more Jira instances. It supports any combination of Jira Software, Jira Service Management and Jira Work Management, on Cloud or Data Center, and can exchange data through files to work behind strict firewalls. K15t's FAQ states that Backbone needs to be installed on each Jira instance, with a remote licensing option that lets you sync with an instance that does not have Backbone installed.

Where Backbone shines: Jira-to-Jira collaboration between departments or companies.

Limits: it is a Jira-only tool, so it is an Exalate alternative only if all your synchronization is Jira to Jira. It does not cover ServiceNow or Azure DevOps.

7. Workato

Workato is an enterprise iPaaS that automates workflows across hundreds of business applications using recipes made of triggers and actions. It has connectors for ServiceNow, Jira, Jira Service Desk and Azure DevOps, among many others. Workato does not publish a price list; third-party analyses describe a workspace fee combined with task-based consumption, where each action step in a recipe run counts as a task.

Where Workato shines: organizations that want one platform to automate processes across HR, finance, sales and IT, not just ticket sync.

Things to check: the effort to build and maintain true two-way sync with correlation and loop prevention in recipes, and how task consumption grows with sync frequency.

How to choose the right Exalate alternative

Questions to ask every vendor

1. Does the tool need to be installed inside each system, or does it connect externally?
2. Can a service manager configure and change mappings without writing code?
3. Does the vendor store, cache or log the content of synced records? Where, and for how long?
4. What certifications does the vendor hold, for example ISO 27001 or SOC 2?
5. How does cost change if synced records double, or if you add a second Jira or ServiceNow instance?
6. How are comments, attachments, work notes and status models handled?
7. What happens when one system is down: does the integration catch up without duplicates?

Migrating from Exalate: what to expect

Switching sync tools is less painful than it sounds if you plan it in four phases:

1. Inventory: list every Exalate connection, the entities it syncs and the logic inside each Groovy script, such as status mappings, filters and transformations.
2. Rebuild: recreate each rule in the new tool. In ZigiOps, most script logic maps to trigger conditions, conditional field mapping and expressions in the UI.
3. Parallel run: run the new integration in a test environment, or on a subset of projects, and compare results with the existing sync.
4. Cutover: disable the old connection, enable the new one, and make sure correlation fields are preserved so existing record pairs keep syncing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Exalate alternative for Jira and ServiceNow?

For Jira and ServiceNow, ZigiOps is a strong Exalate alternative if you want bidirectional sync without scripts, without installing apps on either side, and without transaction limits. Getint is worth trialling for Jira-centric teams that prefer a Marketplace app.

Is there an Exalate alternative that does not require Groovy scripting?

Yes. ZigiOps is 100% code-free, and Unito and Getint are UI-first. ZigiOps handles complex ITSM logic, such as priority derived from impact and urgency, through conditional mapping in the UI.

Which Exalate alternatives support Azure DevOps?

ZigiOps, Getint and Unito all list Azure DevOps among their supported systems, and Workato's connector library includes it too. Backbone does not, as it is Jira-only.

Does ZigiOps store synchronized data?

No. ZigiOps does not store any of the transferred data. It only keeps a small runtime state to track which records have been synchronized.

Is ZigiOps a plugin like Exalate?

No. Exalate is installed on each side of a connection, while ZigiOps is a standalone application that connects to each system through its API.

How is ZigiOps priced compared with Exalate?

Exalate prices New Exalate subscriptions by active items in sync. ZigiOps is licensed per pair of connected system instances, with unlimited integrations and transactions between that pair.

Key takeaways

• Exalate remains a powerful script-driven sync tool; most teams switch because of scripting effort, item-based pricing or the need for an app on each side.
• ZigiOps by ZigiWave is the most direct no-code, standalone Exalate alternative for ITSM and DevOps sync, with no data storage, ISO 27001 certification and no transaction limits.
• Getint and Unito are UI-first options; check how their pricing scales at your volume.
• ONEiO is ideal if you want integrations run as a managed service; Backbone only fits Jira-to-Jira; Workato fits broad enterprise automation.
• Always verify pricing and data-handling terms with each vendor, since both change frequently.

ZigiWave's website includes dedicated Jira ServiceNow, Azure DevOps and ServiceNow integration pages for readers who want to see specific use cases, and ZigiOps is listed on the Atlassian Marketplace for teams that prefer to start their search there.