Jira vs Linear

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Jira

Issue tracking and agile planning from Atlassian.

Free plan + paid

Visit Jira Jira profile

Linear

Fast, keyboard-first issue tracking for product teams.

Free plan + paid

Visit Linear Linear profile

The short answer

Jira suits larger engineering organizations that need highly configurable workflows, permission schemes, detailed agile reporting and a vast marketplace of add-ons. Linear suits startups and product teams that want a very fast, keyboard-driven tracker with a clean, opinionated workflow and strong GitHub integration out of the box. Both have free plans for small teams. Teams moving off Jira usually choose Linear for speed, accepting fewer configuration options.

Choose Jira if…

Engineering organizations that need configurable agile workflows
Highly configurable workflows
Deep agile reporting

Choose Linear if…

Startups and product teams that value speed over configurability
Extremely fast interface
Great GitHub and GitLab integration

What is Jira?

Jira is Atlassian's issue tracker for software teams, built around projects, issues, sprints and customizable workflows. Scrum and kanban boards, backlogs and roadmaps support agile planning, and its reporting covers velocity, burndown and cycle time. A large marketplace of apps and deep integrations with Bitbucket, Confluence and many developer tools make it a standard choice in larger engineering organizations. The flexibility comes with complexity: setting up schemes and workflows takes time, and smaller teams often find it slower and heavier than newer tools.

What is Linear?

Linear is an issue tracker designed for speed, with a keyboard-driven interface, instant search and an opinionated workflow for product and engineering teams. Work is organized into teams, cycles and projects, and roadmaps show progress across initiatives. Integrations with GitHub and GitLab update issues automatically from branches and pull requests, and triage helps teams process incoming requests. It trades some of Jira's configurability for a cleaner default process, which is why many startups choose it. A free plan supports small teams, with paid tiers adding more features.

Side by side

Attribute	Jira	Linear
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Best for	Engineering organizations that need configurable agile workflows	Startups and product teams that value speed over configurability
Status	Active	Active

Jira vs Linear pricing

Jira: free plan + paid

We couldn't verify Jira's plan details on its own site yet, so we don't list them.

Jira pricing page

Linear: free plan + paid

Free plan: Yes source

Linear pricing page

Platforms

Platform	Jira	Linear
Web
Windows
macOS
iOS
Android

Jira facts

1 of 3 verified

Free plan: Yes, for small teams; Not checked yetatlassian.com(opens source in a new tab)
Boards: Scrum and kanban; Not checked yetatlassian.com(opens source in a new tab)
Owner: Atlassian; Checked Oct 24, 2026atlassian.com(opens source in a new tab); “Jira | Project Management for the AI Era | Atlassian Skip to content Jira Features All Features Rovo in Jira”

Linear facts

2 of 3 verified

Cycles: Yes; Not checked yetlinear.app(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan: Yes; Checked Oct 24, 2026linear.app(opens source in a new tab); “Now Contact Docs Open app Log in Sign up Pricing Free $0 Free for everyone Unlimited members 2 teams 250 issues Agent platform Linear”
Git integration: GitHub and GitLab; Checked Oct 24, 2026linear.app(opens source in a new tab); “Key integrations to enhance your Linear experience GitHub By Linear Connect GitHub to automate PR workflows, review”

Pros and cons of Jira

Highly configurable workflows
Deep agile reporting
Huge app marketplace
Complex to administer
Slower and heavier than newer trackers

More Jira alternatives

Pros and cons of Linear

Extremely fast interface
Great GitHub and GitLab integration
Opinionated, clean workflow
Less configurable than Jira
Mainly suited to software teams

More Linear alternatives

Other apps to consider

ClickUp
Instead of Jira
Flexible all-in-one tool for teams that don't need Jira's complexity.
Asana
Instead of Jira
Friendlier for non-engineering teams working alongside developers.
Trello
Instead of Jira
Lightweight boards when you only need simple task tracking.
Plane
Instead of Linear
Similar issues-and-cycles model, but open source and self-hostable.
Shortcut
Instead of Linear
Similar developer focus with stories, epics and iterations.
GitHub Projects
Instead of Linear
Free planning built into GitHub for teams already there.

Jira vs Linear: common questions

Is Jira better than Linear?

Is Jira free?

Jira has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.

Is Linear free?

Linear has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.

Is Jira or Linear open source?

Neither is open source.

Which platforms do Jira and Linear support?

Jira: Web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows. Linear: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.