About 10; min
Linear costs $8/user/month. Same as Jira. But Linear feels like it loads in 10 milliseconds while Jira feels like it loads in 10 seconds. We broke down Linear’s simple pricing, compared it to Jira’s complex tiers, and explained why the fastest-growing dev teams are switching to the tool that prioritizes speed over features.
All pricing verified March 2026 from linear.app.
Linear Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 250 active issues, unlimited members |
| Standard | $8/user/mo | Unlimited issues, cycles, roadmaps, API |
| Plus | $14/user/mo | Triage, SLAs, time tracking, advanced analytics |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO, SCIM, audit logs, priority support |
Two pricing tiers for most teams. Free or $8. That’s it. No confusing matrix of features across 5 tiers like Jira. No “contact sales for pricing” until Enterprise.
Free: 250 Issues Is Enough to Evaluate
250 active issues, unlimited team members, unlimited projects. Cycles (sprints), roadmaps, and GitHub/GitLab integration included. For a small team running 2-week sprints, 250 active issues covers 2-3 months of work.
Free vs Jira Free: Jira gives 10 users with unlimited issues. Linear gives unlimited users with 250 issues. Different constraints — Jira limits people, Linear limits volume.
Standard ($8/user): Everything You Need
Unlimited issues, unlimited cycles, unlimited roadmaps. Full API access, webhooks, and integrations. This is the plan 95% of dev teams use. There’s no feature held back that feels like it should be included.
$1,440 vs $1,467 /year
Linear Standard: $8 × 15 × 12 = $1,440/year
Jira Standard: $8.15 × 15 × 12 = $1,467/year
Nearly identical price. The choice is speed vs customization, not cost.
Plus ($14/user): Scaling Teams
Triage workflow (inbox for new issues before they hit the backlog), SLA tracking, time tracking, and advanced analytics. For teams over 30 people where issue management needs structure beyond “dump everything in the backlog.”
Why Developers Love Linear
- Speed — every interaction is under 50ms. Create an issue: instant. Search: instant. Switch projects: instant. Jira Cloud takes 1-3 seconds per page. Over 8 hours of daily use, Linear saves minutes of cumulative wait time.
- Keyboard-first — Cmd+K to search anything. C to create. X to close. Full workflows without touching the mouse. Developers live on keyboards — Linear respects that.
- Zero configuration — no custom workflows, no issue type schemes, no screen configurations. Linear has opinions: issues have a status, a priority, a label, and an assignee. That’s enough.
- GitHub integration — create branch from issue, push code, merge PR → issue auto-closes. The tightest git integration in any issue tracker.
- Beautiful design — Linear looks good. Dark mode is excellent. The interface is clean, minimal, and consistent. Developers use it 40+ hours a week — aesthetics matter for daily tools.
Where Linear Isn’t Enough
- Non-dev teams — Linear is engineering-focused. Marketing, HR, and ops teams find it too rigid. Use Asana or ClickUp for cross-functional work.
- Custom workflows — Jira bends to fit any process. Linear gives you their process. If your team has 12 statuses and 8 issue types, Linear won’t accommodate that.
- Plugin ecosystem — Jira has 3,000+ Marketplace apps. Linear has ~50 integrations. For niche needs (test management, time tracking, compliance), Jira’s ecosystem is deeper.
- Enterprise scale (500+ devs) — Linear works for teams up to ~200-300. Beyond that, Jira’s organizational features (cross-project dependencies, advanced roadmaps) become necessary.
Who Should Pick What
Dev team under 50 people: Linear Standard ($8/user). Fastest issue tracker available. Your developers will be happier and more productive.
Enterprise engineering (100+ devs): Jira. Custom workflows and 3,000+ integrations handle organizational complexity.
Trying to decide: Linear Free (250 issues). Use it for one sprint. If your team loves the speed, you’ll never go back to Jira.
Mixed team (dev + non-dev): Not Linear. Use ClickUp or Asana — both handle engineering AND non-engineering workflows.
Startup, zero budget: Linear Free. 250 issues covers most early-stage teams. Upgrade to $8/user when you hit the limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Linear replace Jira?
For teams under 200 developers with standard workflows: yes. For enterprises with complex customizations and 3,000+ integrations: not yet. But Linear is closing the gap every quarter.
Is Linear only for developers?
Primarily yes. Product managers and designers use it alongside developers, but marketing, HR, and ops teams need a different tool. Linear is engineering-centric by design.
All pricing verified March 2026 from linear.app.
