Teams look past Linear when the free plan's 250-issue cap is reached, when guests, private teams or SSO sit on higher tiers, or when the work is no longer only engineering. Most go to Jira or ClickUp for a broader tracker, or to Asana and monday.com for task and board views.
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What each alternative does differently
1. Jira
Configurable issue and project tracking at scale · United States
The established issue tracker, with a Free plan for up to 10 users and 2 GB of storage according to Atlassian. Paid tiers add automation steps per user. It is configurable and sits in the Atlassian ecosystem, but it takes more administration than a lean issue list.
Switch from Linear if you outgrow Linear's issue and team limits and want a tracker with a large app ecosystem.
Pricing: Free for up to ten users, then per-user Standard, Premium and Enterprise tiers; marketplace apps add their own per-user fees. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Jira →
2. ClickUp
Configurable workspace for tasks, docs, goals and chat · United States
A broader workspace covering tasks, docs, goals and chat. Free Forever has unlimited members and 60 MB of storage, and the $7 Unlimited tier billed yearly adds Gantt charts and resource management. Timeline views start on Business at $12. It is a wider product than an issue tracker.
Switch from Linear if you want one workspace for engineering and non-engineering teams and accept more configuration.
Pricing: Free Forever plan, then per-user tiers; the Brain AI features are sold as a separate add-on. (free plan)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit ClickUp →
3. Asana
Task-first work management with portfolios and goals · United States
A general work-management tool rather than an issue tracker. Personal is free for two users. Starter costs $10.99 per user per month billed annually and Advanced $24.99, with AI Teammates included. It suits cross-team projects and goals better than bug-by-bug engineering flow.
Switch from Linear if your work is cross-functional projects and goals, not a single engineering backlog.
Pricing: Free Personal plan limited to 2 users, then per-user Starter and Advanced tiers sold in seat bundles; timeline and dependencies start on Starter, while portfolios, goals and workload sit on Advanced. (free plan)
Full review: #5 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Asana →
4. monday.com
Board-based work platform with visual automation · Israel
Board-first, with a free plan for two seats and three boards. Timeline and Gantt views begin on the Pro tier, and advanced dependencies on Enterprise. Automation and AI credits are metered by tier. Operations and marketing teams adopt it more readily than developers.
Switch from Linear if non-engineering teams must share the tool and prefer visual boards and automations.
Pricing: Free plan for up to two seats, then per-seat tiers sold in bundles with a three-seat minimum; automation and integration actions are capped per month by tier. (free plan)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit monday.com →
5. Notion
Docs and databases doubling as a project tracker · United States
Docs and databases that can act as a tracker. Free is €0 per member, Plus €9.50 and Business €19.50 per member per month, and databases include subtasks and dependencies. Guests are free but see only the pages they are invited to. It is lighter than a dedicated issue tracker.
Switch from Linear if you want specs, notes and a light task database in a single workspace.
Pricing: Free plan for individuals and light team use, then per-member Plus, Business and Enterprise tiers; the fullest AI features come with Business. (free plan)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Notion →
6. Zoho Projects
Budget-friendly project tracking with Gantt and timesheets · India
Classic project planning at a lower price. The Free plan covers 5 users, 3 projects and 5 GB. Premium lifts the project limit, Enterprise adds 10 read-only users and SSO, and Ultimate allows 100. A 15-day trial is offered. It has no issue-first workflow of Linear's kind.
Switch from Linear if you want low-cost project planning with read-only users included on higher tiers.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 5 users and 3 projects, then low-priced per-user Premium, Enterprise and Ultimate tiers; baselines, critical path and the portfolio dashboard start on Enterprise. (free plan)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Zoho Projects →
7. Wrike
Work management built around intake, approvals and proofing · United States
Aimed at larger and cross-department organizations. Team is $10 per user per month for 2 to 15 users, Business $25 for 5 to 200 users, and a free tier exists. It brings dashboards, request forms and Gantt charts that a lean engineering tracker does not.
Switch from Linear if you need dashboards, request intake and governance across departments.
Pricing: Free plan for basic task management, then per-user Team and Business tiers billed annually; request forms, proofing and approvals start on Business, enterprise tiers are quoted and several add-ons cost extra. (free plan)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Wrike →
8. Basecamp
Flat-priced project space built for async communication · United States
No per-user fees: plans are flat prices set by active projects, from Freelancer at $25 a month. Free allows one project and 5 users. Studio and above include unlimited users. It is a communication-led tool for client and company work, not an issue tracker.
Switch from Linear if per-seat pricing hurts and you would rather pay a flat price for everyone.
Pricing: Free for one project and up to 5 users; paid plans are flat monthly prices with no per-user fees, from Freelancer at $25 a month for 3 active projects to the Unlimited Edition at $299 a month billed annually. (free plan)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Basecamp →
9. Teamwork.com
Project delivery and profitability for client-services firms · Ireland
Built for client work, with a Free plan, Basics at $9.99 and Accelerate at $24.99 per user per month billed yearly, plus quoted Optimize and Enterprise. Intake forms, proofs and billable-time tracking are its focus. It adds client and cost features Linear lacks.
Switch from Linear if you deliver client projects and need time, budgets and intake beside the plan.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 5 users and 5 projects, then per-user Basics and Accelerate tiers with 3- and 5-seat minimums and quoted Optimize and Enterprise tiers; budgets and client invoicing start on Accelerate, profitability reporting on Optimize, and client users are free. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Teamwork.com →
10. Productive
Agency operations: projects, budgets, billing, resourcing · Croatia
Operations software for agencies and consultancies, combining resource planning, time tracking, budgeting and invoicing with projects. Plans are Essential and Professional with a free trial. It is for services businesses billing for time, not for product teams tracking bugs.
Switch from Linear if you run a services business and need budgets and invoicing next to the tasks.
Pricing: Per-user Essential, Professional and Ultimate tiers with a 3-seat minimum and a 14-day free trial; budgeting and resource planning start on Essential, rate cards and recurring budgets on Professional, revenue forecasting on Ultimate. Clients join free. (free trial)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Productive →
11. Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style project management for PMOs · United States
Spreadsheet-style grid for planning. It has no permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial. Pro is limited to 10 members and Business needs at least 3. Contributors and guests are free on higher tiers. A grid suits operations planning more than an engineering backlog.
Switch from Linear if your planners think in rows and columns and many people only update status.
Pricing: Per-member Pro (up to 10 members) and Business (3+ members) plans with free contributors, then quoted Enterprise and Advanced Work Management tiers; Control Center, Dynamic View and Resource Management are paid add-ons below Advanced Work Management. (free trial)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Smartsheet →
Questions and answers
Does Linear have a free plan?
Yes, but it is limited to 250 issues, 2 teams and 10 MB file uploads, with unlimited members. Paid tiers are Basic at $10 and Business at $16 per user per month billed yearly, plus a quoted Enterprise tier.
Can I export my data from Linear?
Linear has a public GraphQL API that supports full querying of its data, so you can extract issues with a script. We did not find a CSV export page in its documentation, so verify the in-app options before you rely on one.
Which alternatives to Linear have a free plan?
Several do. Jira Free allows up to 10 users, ClickUp Free Forever has unlimited members, Zoho Projects allows 5 users and 3 projects, Teamwork has a Free plan, and monday.com and Asana Personal cover two seats or users.
Which alternative has no per-user fees?
Basecamp. Its pricing page lists flat monthly prices with no per-user fees, from Freelancer at $25 a month, and Studio and above include unlimited users.
Do I need Business to give guests access?
Yes, if you stay on Linear. Its pricing page shows guest accounts and private teams only on Business and Enterprise. Alternatives such as Notion allow free guests who see only the pages they are invited to.
Who runs Linear?
The privacy policy names Linear Orbit at 2261 Market St STE 10632, San Francisco, California. The page we checked says nothing about outside ownership, so confirm current terms with the vendor before you sign.
