What is the difference between Move It and Deep Clone for Jira?

Move It is purpose-built for moving issues — the issue lands in the destination project with the original gone. Deep Clone is built for cloning, where the destination is a copy and the original is preserved by default. Deep Clone can simulate a move (clone then delete the original), but it's not the primary design. Pick Move It when you genuinely want the issue to move. Pick Deep Clone when you want a copy — for templates, recurring sprints, or migration drafts.

Can Move It clone issues instead of moving them?

Move It's primary verb is 'move' — relocating the issue, preserving its history, and updating links. If your need is copy/duplicate, Deep Clone is purpose-built for that. The two are best understood as siblings: one verb each.

Can either app be triggered from Jira Automation or workflow transitions?

Yes. Both Move It and Deep Clone offer integration with Jira Automation, post-functions, and event-driven triggers. The depth of integration differs by edition and platform — always check the live vendor documentation for current capabilities.

Is Move It available on Jira Data Center?

Move It is currently available on Jira Cloud. Deep Clone is available on both Cloud and Data Center. Always confirm the current platform coverage from the live Marketplace listing.

Move It vs Deep Clone for Jira — Which Issue-Move App Should You Pick?

This comparison is for Jira admins evaluating Move It by Redmoon Software against Deep Clone for Jira by codefortynine. They are both well-known on Atlassian admin shortlists but they’re not the same product. The verb in the name is the most important word — move and clone are different operations with different cost models.

The 30-second answer

Move It is a move tool. You point it at one or more source issues and a destination, and the issues relocate — history preserved, links updated, original gone from the source project. Automation hooks let you fire moves on a transition, a field value, or a JQL match.

Deep Clone is a clone tool. You point it at one or more source issues and a destination, and copies appear at the destination. The original stays. Deep Clone shines at copying trees — Epic with its Stories with their Sub-tasks — preserving hierarchy.

If your operational need is “this issue belongs in a different project now” — Move It. If your need is “make me a copy of this Epic and its 40 children for next quarter’s planning” — Deep Clone. The two apps are honestly best understood as complementary tools, not competitors.

Side-by-side

Capability	Move It	Deep Clone
Move issue to a different project (original removed from source)	✓	Via clone-then-delete
Clone issue (original preserved)	✗	✓
Bulk move via JQL	✓	✗
Bulk clone via JQL or selection	✗	✓
Preserve hierarchy (Epic → Story → Sub-task)	✓	✓
Update internal links to the moved/cloned issue	✓	✓
Trigger from workflow post-function	✓	✓
Trigger from Jira Automation rule	✓	✓
Trigger on issue creation/transition automatically	✓	✓
Cross-instance cloning	✗	✓
Preserve comments	✓	✓
Preserve attachments	✓	✓
Preserve worklogs/time tracking	✓	Partial
Jira Cloud edition	✓	✓
Jira Data Center edition	Roadmap	✓

When Move It is the right pick

You genuinely want to move, not copy. “Marketing issues got filed under Sales — relocate the 200 of them to the right project.” Move It is designed for exactly this. Cloning-then-deleting introduces a brief inconsistent state and risks dropping links or worklogs.
JQL-driven bulk operations. “Move every issue matching project = WRONG AND component = Marketing to the right project.” That’s a one-line Move It operation. In Deep Clone you’d clone then run a separate deletion sweep.
Workflow-driven moves. “When a Bug is reclassified as Support Request, move it to the Service Desk project automatically.” Native Jira can’t do this; Move It can, as a workflow post-function.
You don’t want a clone artifact left behind. In regulated environments, having a copy of an issue persist after a “move” complicates audit. Move It produces a single, traceable relocation event.

When Deep Clone is the right pick

You’re on Jira Data Center today. Deep Clone has mature Data Center support. Move It is currently Cloud-focused. If your org runs DC, this can decide the question for you.
You need copies, not moves. Recurring sprint setups, quarterly planning Epics, project templates — these are explicitly copy operations. Deep Clone’s design fits.
Cross-instance migration. Migrating from one Jira instance to another, or syncing issue trees between environments, is squarely Deep Clone territory. Move It does not move across instances.
Tree-clone at scale. “Copy this Epic and all 600 descendant issues into a sandbox for restructuring.” Deep Clone supports very high bulk volumes and explicit tree-aware cloning.

They’re siblings, not rivals

The reason these apps end up on the same shortlist is that buyers describe both operations imprecisely as “duplicate / copy / move issues.” Once you know which verb you actually need, the choice is usually obvious.

A common pattern in larger Jira tenants:

Use Move It for ongoing operational moves (misfiled issues, project realignment, workflow-driven reclassification).
Use Deep Clone for one-off bulk copies (planning templates, sprint duplicates, migration drafts).

Some teams run both because the workflows truly are different — neither tool tries to be the other.

Cost considerations

Both apps are priced on the Atlassian Marketplace, tiered by Jira user count. Current pricing is best read from the live Marketplace listings:

Because the two apps cover different verbs, comparing list prices alone is misleading. Pick on capability, not on per-user cost.

Get started

The fastest way to evaluate Move It is to install the free trial, run a JQL-driven move on a non-production project (e.g. move all Bug issues from a sandbox to a target project), and verify history, links, and worklogs survive intact.

Start Move It free trial ↗ Move It overview →