Jira vs Linear
Compare Jira and Linear on starting price, seat minimums, free plans, timelines, automations, integrations, and reporting. There is no universal winner — choose by job-cluster fit.
Jira
Atlassian Agile issue tracker for software teams — Free ≤10; Standard from ~$8.15/user/mo annual.
Best for
- • Enterprise Agile + Atlassian stack
- • Complex workflows at scale
Starting from $8.15/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Jira is better for
- ✓ Automation & workflows
- ✓ Integrations
- ✓ Reporting
- ✓ Scalability
Linear is better for
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Collaboration
- ✓ AI features
Tie
- • Free plan
- • Timeline / Gantt
- • Automations
Choose Jira if: Enterprise Agile + Atlassian stack
Choose Linear if: Product/eng teams wanting modern UX
Linear
Modern issue tracker for product/engineering teams — Free limited; Basic from ~$8/user/mo annual.
Best for
- • Product/eng teams wanting modern UX
- • Startups replacing Jira complexity
Starting from $8.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Jira vs Linear at a glance
Criterion-level leaders from verified research.
Scorecard preview
Criterion leaders based on verified research — open the Scorecard tab for evidence detail.
- Starting pricingDepends
Jira
Linear
- Seat / licence minimumDepends
Jira
Linear
- Free planTie
Jira
Linear
- Timeline / GanttTie
Jira
Linear
- AutomationsTie
Jira
Linear
Which project management is better for you?
Quick picks based on fit — not a universal ranking.
- → Jira
Best for automation & workflows
Jira leads on automation & workflows (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
- → Jira
Best for integrations
Jira leads on integrations (9/10 vs 8/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
- → Jira
Best for reporting
Jira leads on reporting (8/10 vs 7/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
- → Linear
Best for ease of use
Linear leads on ease of use (5/10 vs 9/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
- → Linear
Best for collaboration
Linear leads on collaboration (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
- → Linear
Best for ai features
Linear leads on ai features (6/10 vs 7/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
The biggest differences
Where the products diverge most clearly on verified criteria.
Starting pricing
DependsJira
Jira Cloud Standard ~$8.15/user/mo annual; Linear Basic ~$8/user/mo annual (medium confidence) — similar eng-tracker floors.
Linear
Jira Cloud Standard ~$8.15/user/mo annual; Linear Basic ~$8/user/mo annual (medium confidence) — similar eng-tracker floors.
Seat / licence minimum
DependsJira
Both Free tiers cap users/issues; paid seats scale per user.
Linear
Both Free tiers cap users/issues; paid seats scale per user.
Timeline / Gantt
TieJira
Jira and Linear have the same researched availability on timeline gantt (Jira: supported; Linear: supported).
Linear
Jira and Linear have the same researched availability on timeline gantt (Jira: supported; Linear: supported).
Work planning depth
TieJira
Jira and Linear are close on work planning depth (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Linear
Jira and Linear are close on work planning depth (9/10 vs 9/10) from approved product scores grounded in vendor documentation.
Automations
TieJira
Jira and Linear have the same researched availability on automations workflows (Jira: supported; Linear: supported).
Linear
Jira and Linear have the same researched availability on automations workflows (Jira: supported; Linear: supported).
Integrations
Jira winsJira
Jira leads on integrations (9/10 vs 8/10) from vendor documentation as of the research date — not lab testing.
Linear
Trails Jira on this criterion
Which should you choose?
Choose Jira if
- Enterprise Agile + Atlassian stack
- Complex workflows at scale
Choose Linear if
- Product/eng teams wanting modern UX
- Startups replacing Jira complexity
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider
ClickUp
All-in-one configurable Work OS (tasks, docs, dashboards, ClickUp Brain) — Unlimited from $7/user/mo annual.
Asana
Cross-functional work management with goals, workflows and AI Studio — Starter from $10.99/user/mo annual.
monday.com
Work OS / work management platform with boards, timelines, automations and AI credits — Basic from $9/seat/mo annual (3-seat minimum).
Azure DevOps
Azure Repos/Boards/Pipelines — first 5 Basic users free, then $6/user/mo; Basic + Test Plans $52/user/mo; Artifacts 2 GiB free.
How we compare
A short look at the comparison process. Full methodology
1
Collect
Collect official product information, pricing, and product evidence.
2
Normalize
Map evidence to the same category evaluation criteria for both products.
3
Compare
Evaluate both products against identical criteria — ties and depends are allowed.
4
Explain
Show why each product wins, loses, or ties, with evidence behind the outcome.
Still deciding between Jira and Linear?
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- Independent criterion outcomes
- No invented scores or prices
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