Linear
A fast issue tracker and project planning tool for software teams, with a free plan, Basic at $10 and Business at $16 per user, and AI agent features.
- Free plan
- Per-seat pricing
- Usage-based elements
- Cloud
- AI features
- Independent sources
What is Linear?
Linear is a cloud issue-tracking and project-planning tool built for software and product teams, with issues, projects, cycles (sprints), roadmaps, triage, analytics, integrations with GitHub and Slack, and AI and MCP features.
- Best forSoftware and product teams that value speed and focus
- Team size fitSmall teams, Mid-size teams, Large enterprises
- PricingFree plan; Basic reported at $10 and Business at $16 per user per month billed annually. Free plan available.
- Main limitationLinear is an internal engineering tool, not a customer help desk.
- AlternativesJira, ClickUp, Asana, Trello
Linear overview: who it is for and what it does.
Linear is a purpose-built project management and issue tracking tool for modern software teams. Its building blocks are issues with customisable workflows, projects with milestones, cycles for sprint planning, roadmaps for long-term plans and a triage inbox for incoming bugs and requests. Reviewers focus on its speed, opinionated design and tight integrations with developer tools such as GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma and Sentry.
Pricing is per user with a free tier. Independent trackers report Free at $0 with a 250-issue cap, Basic at $10 per user per month billed annually (about $12 monthly), Business at $16 annually (about $18 monthly) and a custom Enterprise plan billed annually. Older guides still list Basic at $8 and Business at $14 or $12, which no longer match current reports. Business adds private teams, guests, Linear Insights analytics and Asks, and Enterprise adds SAML, SCIM and audit controls.
Linear is leaning into AI. Reviewers describe Triage Intelligence that suggests assignees, projects and labels and detects duplicates, and a Linear MCP that connects issues to tools such as Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT. Trackers report that AI credits for features such as Coding Sessions and Loops are metered on top of seat prices, so engineering teams should budget for usage as well as seats.
Scope: This profile covers Linear's issue tracking and project planning product. AI credits for features such as Coding Sessions and Loops are metered separately from seat prices.
Main problem it solves
Gives engineering and product teams a fast, focused system to capture issues, plan cycles and roadmaps, triage incoming work and connect it to code, without the configuration overhead of heavier tools.
Typical customer segment
Software and product teams from small start-ups to larger engineering organisations on Enterprise.
Target users
- Software engineering and product teams
- Start-ups and scale-ups that want a fast issue tracker
- Teams moving from Jira that want a simpler, opinionated workflow
- Teams that use AI coding agents and want issues connected to them
Primary use cases
- Issue and bug tracking
- Sprint planning with cycles and capacity planning
- Product roadmaps and project milestones
- Triage of bugs and feature requests
- Linking issues to GitHub or GitLab pull requests
- Turning Slack requests into issues with Asks
- Analytics with Linear Insights
- Connecting issues to AI coding agents through MCP
What makes it distinct
- Performance and opinionated design that reviewers cite as its main differentiator
- A real free plan and a short ladder of Free, Basic, Business and Enterprise
- Triage Intelligence and an MCP server for AI tools
- Cycles, projects and roadmaps built into one developer-focused tool
Linear features explained.
Planning and tracking
- Issues and workflows
- Teams track bugs, features and tasks with customisable fields, dependencies and comments.
- Cycles
- Cycles provide time-boxed sprints with capacity planning tools.
- Projects, milestones and roadmaps
- Projects group issues with milestones and status updates, and roadmaps visualise long-term plans.
Intake and triage
- Triage inbox
- A dedicated inbox helps review and assign incoming bug reports, requests and unplanned work.
- Triage Intelligence
- AI suggests assignees, projects and labels and detects duplicates.
- Asks
- Asks turns workplace requests, such as from Slack, into actionable issues, and is listed on Business.
Integrations and AI
- Developer tool integrations
- Reviewers list GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry and Zendesk among 100+ integrations.
- Linear MCP
- A Model Context Protocol server connects Linear to tools such as Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT.
- Metered AI credits
- Trackers report usage-based AI credits for Coding Sessions and Loops, on top of seat prices.
Insights and governance
- Linear Insights
- Business adds analytics and realtime dashboards.
- Enterprise security
- Enterprise adds SAML, SCIM, audit controls and enterprise support.
- Private teams and guests
- Business adds private teams and guests.
Linear pricing and plans.
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 17 Oct 2026 against Automation Atlas · UsagePricing · Carly · SaaS Price Pulse · Costbench.
Pricing model
Per user per month by plan (Free, Basic, Business, Enterprise), billed annually or monthly at a higher rate, plus metered AI credits for some AI features.
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Not documented A free plan is available. One tracker notes no free trial is mentioned on the pricing page.
Linear plans and prices (USD)
Free
$0
n/a
Capped at 250 issues, with a limit on teams. Member caps differ between sources.
Basic
$10 per user per month billed annually; about $12 billed monthly
Annual or monthly
Unlimited issues, up to five teams, unlimited file uploads and admin roles.
Business
$16 per user per month billed annually; about $18 billed monthly
Annual or monthly
Unlimited teams, private teams, guests, Insights, Asks and agent automations.
Enterprise
Custom pricing
Annual only
SAML, SCIM, audit controls and enterprise support.
Six independent sources agree on $10 for Basic and $16 for Business billed annually. Older guides list $8 and $14 or $12 and should be treated as out of date. Some guides report that guest access can require paid seats. AI credits for Coding Sessions and Loops are a separate budget line. Confirm current prices on linear.app.
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesLinear integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Slack
- Figma
- Sentry
- Zendesk
- Cursor
- Claude and ChatGPT via MCP
Supported platforms
- Web
API
Reviewers describe a GraphQL API and webhooks, and a third-party connector points to Linear's developer documentation at linear.app/developers. Documentation was not reviewed for this profile.
Data import and export
Not reviewed for this profile.
Linear is described as cloud-only with no self-hosted option. Integration lists come from independent directories that cite 100+ integrations.
Balanced and sourced.
Each point cites a source. Editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Strengths
- Reviewers describe a fast, opinionated interface as Linear's main differentiator for engineering teams. [1]
- A real free plan and short, clear paid ladder make it easy to start and budget. [3]
- Cycles, projects, roadmaps and a triage inbox cover the core software planning workflow. [6]
- Triage Intelligence and Linear MCP connect issues with AI tools and coding agents. [7]
- Strong GitHub, GitLab and Slack integrations link issues to code and conversations. [6]
Limitations
- Linear is an internal engineering tool, not a customer help desk. [7]
- Prices rose in 2026 and AI credits for Coding Sessions and Loops add usage-based cost. [1]
- The Free plan is capped at 250 issues, and Enterprise features such as SAML and audit logs need a custom plan. [3]
- It is cloud-only, with no self-hosted option. [1]
- Guest access can require paid seats, and Basic and Business are annual-commitment plans at the lowest price. [5]
Best for
- Software and product teams that value speed and focus
- Teams moving from Jira that want a simpler issue tracker
- Teams using AI coding agents that need issues connected through MCP
May be less suited to
- Non-technical teams that need Gantt charts and broad business views
- Organisations that require self-hosting or a customer-facing help desk
Alternatives to Linear.
Jira
Atlassian's issue and project tracking tool for software and business teams, with a free plan for 10 users…
Explore →Related productClickUp
An all-in-one work management platform with unlimited members on its free plan, per-member paid plans and an…
Explore →Related productAsana
A work management platform for planning projects, workflows and goals, with a free Personal plan and paid…
Explore →Related productTrello
A Kanban-style work management tool from Atlassian with built-in Butler automation on every plan and a free…
Explore →Linear compared with similar project management software.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Pricing model | Free plan | Views | Automation | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Per user; metered AI credits | Yes, capped at 250 issues | Issues, cycles, projects and roadmaps | Triage, workflows and agent automations | Triage Intelligence, MCP and AI credits |
| Asana | Per user per month by plan | Yes (Personal) | Multiple views; timeline from Starter | Rules; allowances scale by plan | Asana AI with credits by tier (reported) |
| Basecamp | Per user (Plus) or flat monthly rate (Pro Unlimited) | Free personal tier, one project | To-dos, schedule and Hill Charts; no Gantt | Automatic check-ins; limited automation | None documented |
| ClickUp | Per member per month by plan; AI add-on extra | Yes (Free Forever) | Many views; some capped by uses on lower plans | Automations with plan limits | ClickUp Brain add-on (separate cost) |
| Jira | Per user per month, sliding tiers; Enterprise quoted | Yes, up to 10 users | Scrum and Kanban boards, backlog, roadmaps | Rule-run allowances by plan; unlimited on Enterprise | Rovo credits on paid plans |
| monday.com | Per seat per month by plan; 3-seat minimum | Yes (up to 2 seats) | Boards, timeline and calendar from Standard | 250 actions on Standard, 25,000 on Pro | monday AI in Pro and above (reported) |
Linear head-to-head.
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Join the discussion.
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Linear questions and answers
What is Linear?
Linear is a cloud issue-tracking and project-planning tool for software and product teams. It offers issues, projects, cycles for sprints, roadmaps, a triage inbox, analytics, developer integrations and AI features. It is known for speed and an opinionated design.
How much does Linear cost per user per month?
Independent trackers report Free at $0, Basic at $10 and Business at $16 per user per month billed annually, with monthly billing costing more (about $12 and $18). Enterprise is custom and annual only. Older guides listing $8 and $14 are out of date.
Does Linear have a free plan?
Yes. Linear has a real free plan, capped at 250 issues and a limited number of teams. Teams that outgrow it move to Basic at $10 per user per month billed annually, which removes the issue cap.
What is the difference between Linear Basic and Business?
Basic ($10) offers unlimited issues, up to five teams, unlimited uploads and admin roles. Business ($16) adds unlimited and private teams, guests, Linear Insights analytics, Asks and agent automations. Enterprise adds SAML, SCIM and audit controls.
Is Linear better than Jira?
Linear is simpler and faster and suits teams that want an opinionated workflow, while Jira is more configurable and suits larger organisations with complex processes. Cost trackers compare Linear Business at $16 per user with Jira Premium. See the Jira profile for details.
Does Linear have AI features?
Yes. Reviewers describe Triage Intelligence, which suggests assignees, projects and labels and detects duplicates, and a Linear MCP that connects to Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT. Trackers report metered AI credits for features such as Coding Sessions and Loops.
How much would Linear cost for 10 users?
At reported annual prices, 10 users on Basic cost $100 per month ($1,200 a year) and on Business cost $160 per month ($1,920 a year). AI credits and any guest seats are extra, and monthly billing costs more.
Does Linear integrate with GitHub and Slack?
Yes. Reviewers list GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry and Zendesk among Linear's 100+ integrations. Linking pull requests to issues and creating issues from Slack with Asks are commonly cited workflows.
What are the best alternatives to Linear?
Jira, ClickUp, Asana and Trello are the main alternatives in this directory. Jira suits complex software processes, ClickUp offers a free tier with broad features, and Trello is lightweight. See the linked profiles for side-by-side summaries.
What integrations does Linear support?
Documented integrations and ecosystem items include GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry, Zendesk, Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT via MCP. API details: Reviewers describe a GraphQL API and webhooks, and a third-party connector points to Linear's developer documentation at linear.app/developers. Documentation was not reviewed for this profile.
What are the limitations of Linear?
Linear is an internal engineering tool, not a customer help desk. Prices rose in 2026 and AI credits for Coding Sessions and Loops add usage-based cost. The Free plan is capped at 250 issues, and Enterprise features such as SAML and audit logs need a custom plan.
Which platforms does Linear run on?
Linear is documented as available on: Web.
When was the Linear profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 17 Oct 2026. 7 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- How much does Linear cost in 2026? Automation Atlas Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear pricing UsagePricing Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear Pricing in 2026: What Every Plan Actually Costs Carly Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear Pricing 2026: Plans and Reviews SaaS Price Pulse Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear hidden costs Costbench Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear EveryDev Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Linear AI features: What the PM tool can do (2026) eesel AI Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
Further official pages: Linear pricing (external) · Linear developers (external)
Secondary-source profile. Vendor pages were not reviewed directly for this profile. Facts and prices are corroborated across independent third-party sources and may differ from the vendor's current pages. Confirm with the vendor before buying.
Plan names and annual prices are corroborated across several independent trackers that report verifying against Linear's pricing page. Linear's own pages were not reviewed directly, free-plan member limits differ between sources, and capabilities were not tested.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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