Linear vs Motion
Compare Linear and Motion on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Linear
Modern issue tracker for product/engineering teams — Free limited; Basic from ~$8/user/mo annual.
Best for
- • Product/engineering teams wanting modern UX
- • Startups replacing Jira complexity
- • Issue-centric software delivery
Starting from $8.00/user/mo
Free plan available
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between Linear and Motion. Choose Linear when Product/engineering teams wanting modern UX. Choose Motion when Individuals/small teams buying AI auto-scheduling. Criterion scores come from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments and first-party research — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear is better for
- ✓ Free plan
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Timeline / Gantt
- ✓ Collaboration
Motion is better for
- ✓ Automations
- ✓ AI features
Choose Linear if: Product/engineering teams wanting modern UX
Choose Motion if: Individuals/small teams buying AI auto-scheduling
Motion
AI calendar + task auto-scheduling (projects, docs, meetings) — Pro AI from $19/seat/mo annual.
Best for
- • Individuals/small teams buying AI auto-scheduling
- • Calendar + task unification
- • Buyers who want AI docs/projects bundled
Starting from $19.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Linear and Motion. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Depends
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Linear researched starting price from $8/mo; a free plan is researched; Motion researched starting price from $19/mo. Seat minimums and AI credits can change TCO.
LinearDependsMotionDepends - Depends
Seat / licence minimum
Minimum billed seats and how that changes small-team cost.
Check paid seat floors for Linear and Motion on current vendor packaging.
LinearDependsMotionDepends - Linear
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Linear researches a free plan; Motion does not research a free plan.
LinearStrongerMotionWeaker - Linear
Ease of use
How quickly teams become productive.
Linear leads on ease of use (9/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear9/10Motion8/10 - Linear
Timeline / Gantt
Native timeline, Gantt, or dependency planning.
Linear leads on timeline gantt (9/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear9/10Motion7/10 - Motion
Automations
Rules, recipes, and workflow automations in the work OS.
Motion leads on automations (7/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear7/10Motion9/10 - Linear
Collaboration
Docs, comments, chat, proofing, and guest collaboration quality.
Linear leads on collaboration (7/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear7/10Motion6/10 - Linear
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Linear leads on integrations (8/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear8/10Motion6/10 - Motion
AI features
Useful AI for the primary job — not marketing fluff.
Motion leads on ai features (7/10 vs 9/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear7/10Motion9/10 - Linear
Reporting
Reporting and forecasting quality.
Linear leads on reporting (7/10 vs 5/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear7/10Motion5/10 - Linear
Value for money
Capability relative to total cost of ownership.
Linear leads on value for money (8/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Linear8/10Motion6/10
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