Project Management
Linear
Best for product teams.
What it is
Linear is the streamlined alternative to Jira, built specifically for high-performance product and engineering teams. It is designed for speed, with a 'keyboard-first' approach that allows you to perform almost any action without touching a mouse. Linear avoids the bloat of traditional project management tools, offering a focused, opinionated workflow centered around 'Cycles' and 'Projects.' Its beautiful, minimalist UI and blazing-fast performance make it the favorite of the world's most modern tech startups.
Key features
Keyboard Shortcuts
Perform every task, from assignment to status change, with fast keys.
Cycles
A streamlined take on Sprints that keeps the team focused on what's next.
Roadmaps
High-level overview of your product's strategic goals and major milestones.
Automated Backlog
Keeps your project clean by automatically archiving old, inactive tasks.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Blazing Fast: The interface responds instantly to every command and keyboard shortcut.
- Keyboard Native: Manage your entire project without ever leaving your keyboard.
- Clean Aesthetic: One of the most beautiful and distraction-free UIs in the market.
- Great Integration: Seamlessly connects to GitHub, GitLab, and Slack.
Where it falls short
- Opinionated Workflow: It forces a specific way of working that may not fit all teams.
- Not for Non-Tech: Less suitable for HR or marketing teams compared to Monday.com.
- Limited Customization: You cannot radically change the logic of the tool like Jira.
Who it is for
Product Engineers and High-Growth Tech Startups.
Pick it or skip it
Pick Linear if
- Small teams testing the workflow: Free covers unlimited members but caps you at 2 teams and 250 issues
- Teams that outgrow the issue cap — Basic at $10 per user/month billed yearly lifts issues and file uploads to unlimited and allows 5 teams
- Companies running many squads: Business at $16 per user/month adds unlimited teams, private teams and guests, Triage Intelligence, Linear Insights, Linear Asks and Zendesk/Intercom integrations
Skip it if
- You need SAML or SCIM — SSO on Business is Google plus SAML, but SCIM provisioning, IP restrictions, domain claiming and audit logs are Enterprise, which is annual-only and quote-based
- You want deep sub-team structure on a mid plan: Basic allows 1 level of sub-teams and Business 5, with unlimited only above
- You plan to lean on the AI features — coding sessions and Loops require AI credits on top of the seat price
Our verdict
The fastest and most elegant project management tool for modern software teams.
Closest alternatives we track
Same category, ordered by verified starting price.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Linear's free plan actually limit?
- Linear's Free plan allows unlimited members, which is unusual, but caps you at 2 teams and 250 issues with a 10MB file upload limit. Core features — issues, projects, cycles, initiatives, customer requests, API and webhook access, import and export — are included. Basic at $10 per user/month billed yearly raises this to 5 teams with unlimited issues and unlimited file uploads plus admin roles; Business at $16 per user/month removes the team limit entirely.
- How much does Linear cost?
- Linear starts at $8/user/mo per user. We verified this against the vendor's pricing page; see "What we checked" below for the date.
- Who is Linear best for?
- Product Engineers and High-Growth Tech Startups.
- What are the closest alternatives to Linear?
- In the same category we track Trello, Monday.com and Smartsheet. Each has its own review page with verified pricing, and the comparison links above show them side by side.
- What are the main drawbacks of Linear?
- The trade-offs we noted: Opinionated Workflow: It forces a specific way of working that may not fit all teams.; Not for Non-Tech: Less suitable for HR or marketing teams compared to Monday.com.; Limited Customization: You cannot radically change the logic of the tool like Jira..
- When should you not use Linear?
- Skip Linear if: You need SAML or SCIM — SSO on Business is Google plus SAML, but SCIM provisioning, IP restrictions, domain claiming and audit logs are Enterprise, which is annual-only and quote-based; You want deep sub-team structure on a mid plan: Basic allows 1 level of sub-teams and Business 5, with unlimited only above; You plan to lean on the AI features — coding sessions and Loops require AI credits on top of the seat price.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.Yes
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.Yes
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.No
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.Yes
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Vendor pricing page verifiedReviewed: 2026-09-09
- Linear — Pricing ↗
Checked 2026-09-09 · Supports: Free: unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues, 10MB file upload, agent platform, Linear Agent, Basic $10 per user/month billed yearly: all Free features plus 5 teams, unlimited issues, unlimited file uploads, admin roles, Business $16 per user/month: all Basic plus unlimited teams, private teams and guests, Triage Intelligence, Loops, Code Intelligence, Linear Insights, Linear Asks, Zendesk and Intercom integrations, Enterprise custom, annual billing only: invoice/PO billing, SAML and SCIM, granular admin controls, advanced org modeling, migration and onboarding support, priority support, account management, SSO: Google on lower tiers, Google + SAML on Business; SCIM provisioning, IP restrictions, domain claiming and audit log listed above Business, Sub-teams: 1 level on Basic, 5 levels on Business, Coding sessions and Loops require AI credits
Limit: Vendor pricing page was reviewed by an editor on this date; this record is not a ToolCompare benchmark. Prices and limits change.
Compare Linear with alternatives
More Project Management tools: see the full Project Management category