Linear review: Projects & Ops, pricing and who it's for
The issue tracker for a product team that already lives in GitHub. Best when you run cycles and a roadmap; the free plan stops at 250 issues.
Linear tracks issues, projects, cycles and roadmaps for product and engineering teams. GitHub and Slack connect in the product, and every plan includes the API plus import and export. The free plan covers unlimited members, two teams and 250 issues. Basic is $10 per user a month billed yearly, and Business is $16.
Free plan; paid from $10 per user/month billed annually ($12 monthly)
Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our verdicts.
Reviewed · Facts checked · Projects & Ops · Platforms: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Good fit if
- Startup product and engineering teams tracking issues, cycles and roadmaps with GitHub and Slack built in.
Skip if
- you want a shared to-do list for a non-technical team. Look at Superlist.
Use cases
Link a GitHub pull request to an issue so its status updates itself
Free planStartup engineering teams on GitHub. 1) Connect GitHub in Linear's integration settings. 2) Use the issue's branch name or put its ID in the PR title. 3) The issue moves to In Progress and Done as the PR opens and merges.
Source: linear.app/docs/github
Run two-week sprints without a sprint-planning meeting
Free planSmall product and engineering teams. 1) Turn on Cycles in team settings and set the length and start day. 2) Drag issues into the upcoming cycle; unfinished work rolls over automatically. 3) Check the cycle graph mid-cycle to see if scope or pace is off.
Source: linear.app/docs/use-cycles
Create an issue from a Slack message
Free planTeams where bugs get reported in Slack. 1) Connect Slack in Linear. 2) Use the message's More actions menu to create a Linear issue; the thread stays synced. 3) Post issue updates back to a channel with notifications.
Source: linear.app/docs/slack
Watch-outs
Free stops at 250 issues, 2 teams and 10MB file uploads. Basic adds unlimited issues, 5 teams and unlimited uploads.
Source: linear.app/pricing · checked
Basic is $10 per user a month and Business is $16, both billed yearly. Enterprise is custom and annual billing only.
Source: linear.app/pricing · checked
Private teams, guests and Triage Intelligence start on Business. SAML, SCIM and the audit log are Enterprise.
Source: linear.app/pricing · checked
At a glance
Price
Free plan; paid from $10 per user/month billed annually ($12 monthly)
Source: linear.app/pricing · checked
Free plan
Yes · Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues, 10MB uploads
Source: linear.app/pricing · checked
Platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Sources: linear.app/download, linear.app/docs/get-the-app · checked
Key integrations
- MCP server
- GitHub
- Slack
- GitLab
- Microsoft Teams
Sources: linear.app/docs/github, linear.app/docs/slack, linear.app/docs/gitlab, linear.app/pricing · checked
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | MonthlyFree | Annual— | What's includedUnlimited members. 2 teams, 250 issues and 10MB uploads. |
| Basicper user/month | Monthly$12 | Annual$10 | What's included5 teams, unlimited issues and unlimited file uploads. Admin roles. |
| Businessper user/month | Monthly$18 | Annual$16 | What's includedUnlimited teams, private teams, guests and Triage Intelligence. |
| Enterprise | MonthlyCustom | AnnualBilled annually | What's includedSAML, SCIM, audit log and advanced admin controls. Annual billing only. |
Pricing checked on · Linear pricing page
Trust & security
SOC 2 Type II · Type II
Source: linear.app/security · checked
ISO 27001 certified · ISO/IEC 27001:2022
Source: linear.app/security · checked
Does not train on your data · Does not train its own AI models
Sources: linear.app/legal/ai-addendum, linear.app/docs/triage-intelligence · checked
AI & integrations
Official MCP server · Official Linear MCP server
Server URL:
https://mcp.linear.app/mcpSource: linear.app/docs/mcp · checked
Public API · Included on every plan · API docs
Sources: linear.app/developers/graphql, linear.app/pricing · checked
Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our verdicts.
FAQs
Linear or Jira: which fits a small engineering team?
Jira is Atlassian's issue tracker, with a large marketplace of apps. Linear is built for product and engineering teams that want issues, cycles and a roadmap, with GitHub built in. Linear's free plan includes unlimited members and stops at 250 issues.
Is Linear a good fit for a startup engineering team?
Yes, if the team tracks issues, cycles and a roadmap and already uses GitHub or Slack. It is a poor fit for a non-technical team that only needs a shared to-do list.
Sources: linear.app/pricing, linear.app/docs/github
How much does Linear cost?
Free is $0 for unlimited members, 2 teams and 250 issues. Basic is $10 per user a month billed yearly. Business is $16 per user a month billed yearly. Enterprise is custom, with annual billing only.
Source: linear.app/pricing
What is the limit on Linear's free plan?
Free includes unlimited members, then stops at 2 teams, 250 issues and 10MB file uploads. Unlimited issues and uploads start on Basic. Private teams and guest accounts start on Business.
Source: linear.app/pricing
Can I import existing issues into Linear?
Yes. Import and export are included on every plan. Linear also has a GitHub Issues importer for teams that already track work in GitHub, and you connect GitHub from Settings.
Sources: linear.app/pricing, linear.app/docs/github
Ready to try Linear?
The issue tracker for a product team that already lives in GitHub. Best when you run cycles and a roadmap; the free plan stops at 250 issues.
Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our verdicts.
Alternatives to Linear
Superlist: Superlist is a shared to-do list for a small team. Linear is issue tracking for product and engineering teams.
Jira: Jira is Atlassian's issue tracker with a large app marketplace. Linear is built around cycles, projects and GitHub.
Shortcut: Shortcut groups stories and iterations for software teams. Linear focuses on issues, cycles and a roadmap.
Other Projects & Ops tools
BasecampFlat-price projects and client communication for a small team that hates tool sprawl. Opinionated by design; pick ClickUp if you want to configure everything.
Cal.comScheduling with booking pages, round-robin and routing forms. Free for individuals, scales to teams.
CalendlyThe booking link everyone already knows, with almost no setup. The free plan is one event type only; pick Cal.com if you want open source or more free event types.
Something wrong or out of date?
Private — not published. Every report is read.