You've narrowed it down to two Jira apps for capacity planning. One is from Tempo, which you may already use for timesheets. The other is ActivityTimeline. Both show who's free and who's overloaded; the differences are in what's included, what it costs once you add time tracking, and how each fits the tools you already have.
Here's the short answer: Tempo Capacity Planner is the natural choice for teams already invested in Tempo Timesheets and Structure. ActivityTimeline is the simpler and cheaper choice when you want planning and time tracking in one app. Below are the details, with prices as of October 2026. We make ActivityTimeline, so we've linked Tempo's own pages for every claim about their product.
What is Tempo Capacity Planner?
Tempo Capacity Planner (formerly Tempo Planner) is a Jira app for planning team and individual capacity. According to Tempo's pricing page, it includes a quarterly team capacity view, capacity indicators, skills, roles and generic resources, recurring plans, plan approvals, and reports on capacity, planned time and plan vs actual. It integrates with Google and Microsoft 365 calendars and with Tempo's other apps.
It doesn't need Tempo Timesheets to run. You need Timesheets only to compare planned time with actual logged time.
ActivityTimeline vs. Tempo Planner – Comparison
Prices are list prices from Tempo and ActivityTimeline, October 2026. Tempo raised Cloud list prices for Capacity Planner by 10% on 15 September 2026.
When is Tempo Capacity Planner the better choice?
Pick Tempo when you're already a Tempo customer. If your team logs time in Tempo Timesheets, tracks budgets in Financial Manager or plans portfolios in Structure, Capacity Planner connects to all of them, and your admins already know how Tempo works. It's also a good fit when your process depends on plan approvals or on planning generic roles ("a senior backend developer") before you know who'll do the work.
Here’s what teams typically use Tempo Capacity Planner for:
- Assigning tasks to individuals based on availability. Allocate Jira issues to team members while considering their workload. However, it lacks smart automation, meaning task distribution requires manual adjustments.
- Viewing planned vs. actual time spent. By integrating with Tempo Timesheets, teams can track planned work vs. actual time spent, but note that this requires purchasing an additional add-on!
- Managing basic capacity planning across multiple projects. Teams can get an overview of their resources, but customization options for capacity constraints and workload balancing are limited.
- Generating reports to track progress and workload distribution. While you can report on planned vs. actual time, deeper capacity management insights require additional tools.
- Configuring holidays & workloads. Avoid scheduling conflicts and burnout by defining holidays and work hours.
- Optimizing project portfolio management. Helps sort resource requests by role, availability, etc.
However, while Tempo Planner serves these needs, it lacks advanced skill-based resource planning, which can make it difficult for managers to assign work effectively. Additionally, the interface is not always intuitive, requiring a dedicated team member to assist others in navigating features. Teams often outgrow Tempo Planner when they require more flexibility, deeper insights, or integrated tracking without relying on multiple apps.
When is ActivityTimeline the better choice?
Pick ActivityTimeline when you want planning and time tracking in one app and one licence. Planning, time tracking, approval and reports share the same data, so planned vs actual works without a second purchase.
Skill-based task assignment
Tempo Planner focuses on simple capacity management, but ActivityTimeline takes it further by letting you assign work based on individual team members' skill sets. This means you’re not just filling schedules—you’re making sure the right people are working on the right tasks, leading to better project planning and more efficient team capacity utilization.
Also, you can generate a Skill Availability Report for your planning needs based on users skills.
See workload per person and team
ActivityTimeline provides a dynamic, interactive dashboard where you can see exactly where your resources are allocated, who’s available, and whether your capacity planner needs adjustments. Instead of static tables or rigid workflows, you get a clear, visual representation of your team’s workload—making it easier for project managers to make informed decisions and prevent bottlenecks.
Integrated time tracking
Unlike Tempo Planner, which requires you to purchase Tempo Timesheets separately for time tracking, ActivityTimeline has built-in time tracking. Team members can log their hours directly in the tool, and managers can compare planned vs. actual time spent without needing an extra add-on. This saves time, reduces costs, and ensures that project management stays seamless.
Plan around time off and holidays
Handling sick days, vacations, and business trips is far more advanced in ActivityTimeline than in Tempo Planner. With a dedicated leave planner, you can:
- Track absences in real-time
- Automatically adjust team capacity based on leave schedules
- Avoid scheduling conflicts
- Ensure project deadlines aren’t impacted by unexpected absences
Using different holiday schemes you can navigate remote and cross-border teams efficiently. This level of detail helps teams avoid capacity planning issues and ensures projects stay on track.
To sum up, if you’re looking for a capacity planner that makes project management easier, eliminates the need for multiple add-ons, and helps your team save time while making informed decisions, ActivityTimeline is the better choice.
Why Migrate from Tempo Planner
Many teams start with Tempo Planner for basic capacity planning in Jira, but as they scale, its limitations become more apparent.
How much does each cost?
For teams of up to 10, both apps charge a flat monthly fee: $11 for Capacity Planner, $10 for ActivityTimeline.
Can you switch from Tempo without losing data?
Yes, for the data that matters most. Work logs live in Jira, so ActivityTimeline sees them; on Cloud, work logs created in Tempo Timesheets need a Tempo API token so ActivityTimeline can load them. From the same integration page you can import Tempo teams, holiday schemes, worklog attributes and Tempo Accounts. Plans made in Capacity Planner don't transfer: you schedule the work again in the Planner, which for most teams means the next sprint or two.
You don't have to switch everything at once. Some teams keep Tempo Timesheets for time tracking and use ActivityTimeline only for planning, with the integration loading Tempo's work logs.
ActivityTimeline is built for both team leads and individual team members, ensuring a streamlined and intuitive experience that doesn’t require extra training. For user convenience, we created an easy-to-navigate Help Center or a short video course so that everyone can get a solution of their problem just by using search. ActivityTimeline provides premium support packages for those who need custom solutions and guidance.
Which should you choose?
If Tempo Timesheets and Structure are already part of how your company works, stay with Tempo: Capacity Planner slots in, and switching costs more than the licence difference. If you're choosing fresh, or you're paying for two Tempo apps mainly to plan and log time, ActivityTimeline does both in one app for about half the price at 50 users. The easiest way to decide is to run both trials on the same team for one sprint and see which plan your team leads actually keep up to date.
