01. 07. 2026
AI, Atlassian, Service Management
When people talk about “Forms” in the Atlassian ecosystem, things can get confusing fast because Jira offers two types of forms, and though they look similar, they work very differently.
Here’s the real difference, explained clearly.
JSM Forms: The Magic Portal for Your Users
JSM Forms are forms that appear on the Jira Service Management customer portal. Customers use them to submit a request (i.e., create a work item).
They are meant for people outside your team (employees, clients, and stakeholders) who need a simple, guided interface.
Key facts:
- They appear on the portal
- They are filled in by customers or requesters
- They create new work items (through Request Types)
- They can hide Jira fields so users only see a clean form
- They can remain editable or be locked after submission
- They define the initial information intake
They’re perfect for:
- IT requests (passwords, laptops, software)
- HR requests (onboarding, certifications, leave)
- Facilities requests (maintenance, cleaning)
- Procurement / purchases
Jira Forms: Your Handy Internal Assistant (Jira Software / Jira Work Management)
Jira Forms are forms used inside Jira to collect structured information from teams, colleagues, or internal stakeholders.
Unlike JSM portal forms, they don’t depend on Request Types and don’t live in the customer portal.
✔ What Atlassian says (key point)
Forms in Jira Software/Business let you collect information from teams or stakeholders. When someone submits a form, the response automatically creates a work item in the project where the form resides.
This means that, depending on how you use them, Jira Forms can:
Create new issues - When a form is shared via a public/private link, submitting it generates a new issue with dedicated labels (e.g.,
Form-123). - Great for internal intake between teams, without using JSM.
- When a form is shared via a public/private link, submitting it generates a new issue with dedicated labels (e.g.,
Or be attached to an existing work item - In business-type projects, forms can also be used as
internal forms attached to an existing issue . In this mode they’re perfect for:- Collecting additional information
- Structured checklists, audits, and questionnaires
- Making internal collaboration more organized
- In business-type projects, forms can also be used as
👉 This is the mode commonly referred to as “internal Jira Forms.”
Quick Differences
| Feature | Jira Forms | JSM Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Where they live | Inside Jira Software / Work | JSM customer portal |
| Who fills them | Internal teams, authorized stakeholders | External users / requesters |
| Create issues | ✔ Yes (when used for intake) / ❌ No (when attached to issues) | ✔ Always |
| Purpose | Internal data collection or team-to-team intake | Support/service-oriented intake |
| Logic | ✔ Conditional | ✔ Conditional |
| Linked to portal | ❌ No | ✔ Yes |
The Final Trick
Use Jira Forms for internal work and for collecting structured data inside work items.
Use JSM Forms when you want to make users happy, engaged, and confident while creating work items.
And the real magic trick? Use both together: portal forms gather initial data, internal forms collect follow-ups, and automations do the heavy lifting. Chaos turns into order, and you become the workflow hero.
Official Sources
- What are forms?
- Add a form to a Request Type
- How do forms work in the issue view
- What are forms and what can they do?
Fabiana Pittalis
Author
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