Always find the best app in the Atlassian Marketplace with these 5 tips

The Atlassian Marketplace is a hub for thousands of apps designed to enhance the functionality of your Atlassian products (e.g. Confluence and Jira). Whether you are looking for a tool to integrate third-party applications or to automate tedious tasks, there’s probably something in the Marketplace that's just right for you.

Sounds great, isn't it? But perhaps you've been in the situation where an app you've bought, despite having high rankings, turned out not to be what you needed. This can happen easily given there are over 5,000 apps from more than 1,000 vendors to choose from.

We want to help you save time and money on unsuitable apps. Here are five tips to guide you towards the right applications for your use case:

1. Reviews and Number of Installations
2. Frequency of Updates
3. Pricing Structure
4. Support
5. Security and Privacy Policies

1. Check User Reviews and Number of Installations

User reviews can provide insights into an app’s performance and user-friendliness, and might even highlight any issues that other users have encountered with the app. When checking reviews, remember they can be deployment specific - cloud, data center, or server - so sort your reviews by these 'Hosting Types' to save time.

Also, check out the number of installations. A high number of installs can indicate that the app might have been the solution for other user’s needs. But beware, don’t just download every popular app. Do your research to ensure it fits your needs.

2. Consider the Frequency of Updates

As you and your company evolve, so do your app requirements. When choosing an app, check whether it gets regular updates and enhancements. Regular updates usually signal that the app developer invests in their product and responds to feedback, which will ensure the app isn't a future security risk, and that it remains compatible with your Atlassian product.

3. Understand the Pricing Structure

Apps often provide different pricing plans based on user numbers and desired features. Check whether the cost fits within your budget. Many apps offer a free trial that allows you to test the app before commitment.

Here's what pricing looks like for cloud apps	Here's what pricing looks like for Data Center- & Server-Apps

4. Is there Customer Support?

Check whether the provider offers customer support and how quickly they respond to support requests. There will always be times when you might need assistance, so having an active and responsive support service is crucial.

5. Check Security and Privacy Policies

Check what kind of data the app needs and how it manages it. Be sure to carefully read its privacy policies and security information. For cloud apps, you can find detailed information under the "Privacy and Security" tab in the app description. Here, you'll find specifics about data storage and management, user privacy protections, and possibly some certifications the app may have (such as response times for support requests or security checks).

Also, ensure that the app offers the features you need and satisfies your performance and scalability requirements. If not, you might need to seek out an alternative or reconsider which features are absolutely essential for you.