Linear is a project management tool for Developers and Small businesses, offered as freemium ($10/mo). Founded in United States in 2019. Popular alternatives include Plane, GitLab, GitHub.
About Linear
Linear is an issue tracker and project planning tool built for software teams that care about speed. Every action has a keyboard shortcut, views update in real time through a local-first sync engine, and the UI is deliberately opinionated: issues belong to teams, teams run cycles, cycles roll up into projects and initiatives.
Beyond tracking, Linear adds triage for incoming bugs, Asks for turning Slack requests into issues, Insights for throughput and cycle analytics, and tight GitHub and Sentry integrations that move issues automatically as pull requests merge or errors fire.
It is less customizable than Jira on purpose. There are no custom issue types or arbitrary workflow engines, which keeps the product fast and consistent but can frustrate teams with unusual processes or heavy compliance requirements.
Linear was founded in 2019 by engineers who previously worked at Airbnb, Uber and Coinbase, and it has grown largely through word of mouth among startups. Recent releases added Asks, customer requests and AI features such as triage suggestions and duplicate detection, pushing it from engineering into product management. Pricing is per seat with a free tier for small teams, while Business and Enterprise add advanced security, Insights and admin controls.
Key features of Linear
- Cycles (sprints) with automatic rollover and capacity view
- Projects and initiatives with milestones, updates and roadmap views
- Triage inbox for bugs and requests from Slack, Intercom, Zendesk and Sentry
- GitHub/GitLab automation: branch naming, PR links and auto-close on merge
- Insights dashboards for velocity, scope change and cycle time
- Local-first sync engine; the app works offline and feels instant
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fastest issue tracker in day-to-day use; keyboard-first design
- Opinionated structure keeps teams consistent without configuration
- Excellent GitHub, Slack and Sentry integrations
- Free plan is usable for small teams
Cons
- Limited customization compared with Jira (no custom issue types)
- Reporting is improving but still lighter than enterprise tools
- Not designed for non-engineering departments
- Price per seat rose in 2024; Business tier needed for Asks and Insights
Linear pricing
Linear uses a freemium model.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues |
| Basic | $10 / user/mo | Billed yearly; 5 teams, unlimited issues and uploads, admin roles |
| Business | $16 / user/mo | Billed yearly; unlimited teams, private teams, Insights, Asks |
| Enterprise | Custom | Annual only; SAML, SCIM, advanced security |
Source: linear.app · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Linear compares in Project management
- Rank by votes
- #3 / 18
- Starting price
- $10
- Free alternatives
- 3
0 votes from members
At the category median of $10/mo
Free or open-source tools in Project management
Linear ranks #3 of 18 project management tools by community votes and is priced in line with the category.
Common use cases
- 1Engineering sprint planning with cycles and estimates
- 2Bug triage from Sentry alerts and support tickets
- 3Quarterly roadmap communication to leadership with project updates
- 4Startups migrating from Jira or GitHub Issues as the team grows
Best for
Product and engineering teams from 3 to a few hundred people who ship continuously and want speed over configurability.
Not ideal for
Organizations that need bespoke workflows, custom issue hierarchies, or a single tool for marketing, HR and engineering.
Integrations
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Slack
- Figma
- Sentry
- Zendesk
- Intercom
- Notion
- Zapier
Our take
If your team is mostly engineers and designers, Linear is the best issue tracker you can buy. The constraint is the feature: you adopt Linear's way of working and get speed and clarity in return. Teams that need Jira-level customization should look at Jira or Plane instead.
FAQ
- What is Linear?
- Linear is a Project management tool: Issue tracking built for fast software teams.
- How much does Linear cost?
- Linear uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $10 per month.
- What are the best alternatives to Linear?
- Community-listed alternatives to Linear include Plane, GitLab, GitHub.
- What does Linear integrate with?
- Linear integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry, Zendesk and more.
- Which platforms does Linear support?
- Linear is available on web, macos, windows, ios, android.
- Who is Linear for?
- Product and engineering teams from 3 to a few hundred people who ship continuously and want speed over configurability.
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