L

Linear

Developer Tools

Issue tracking and project management for software teams

Founded 2019San Francisco, CA, USAfreemium · Free planFrom Free (250 issues); Plus $8/user/month; Business $16/user/monthVerified · Sep 2026
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About Linear

Linear is a modern issue tracking and project management tool designed for software engineering teams, known for its fast interface, keyboard shortcuts, and opinionated workflows for shipping products.

Editorial Assessment

Linear is a project management and issue tracking tool built for software development teams, known for its speed, opinionated workflow, and keyboard-first design philosophy. Founded in 2019 by Karri Saarinen, Tuomas Artman, and Jori Lallo — all veterans of companies like Airbnb, Uber, and Coinbase — Linear was built as a direct reaction to Jira's perceived complexity and slowness. The product is deliberately minimal: it doesn't try to serve every workflow, but excels at managing software development cycles through cycles (sprints), projects, and issues. Linear's UI renders in milliseconds with local-first optimistic updates, making it feel significantly faster than Jira or Asana. The product supports Git integrations with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket so branches, commits, and PRs automatically link to Linear issues. Linear also has Triage, Roadmaps, Projects, and an API for integrations. Pricing: Free (up to 250 issues, unlimited members), Plus $8/user/month, Business $16/user/month, Enterprise custom. Linear has become particularly popular among Y Combinator companies and developer-focused startups. The main limitation is that its opinionated design is a strength for pure software development teams but a weakness for cross-functional organizations that need Jira's flexibility for non-engineering workflows.

Strengths
  • Sub-millisecond UI interactions with local-first, optimistic update architecture
  • Keyboard-first design: most actions accessible without touching the mouse
  • Git integration: issues auto-link to branches, commits, and pull requests
  • Cycles (sprints) with automatic backlog triage and velocity tracking
  • Clean, opinionated workflow that keeps software teams focused on shipping
  • Strong API and webhook support for custom integrations
  • Free for unlimited team members (250 issue limit)
Limitations
  • Opinionated design limits flexibility for non-engineering workflows
  • 250-issue limit on free plan requires upgrade for active teams
  • Not designed for waterfall or non-agile project management
  • Limited cross-project dependency visualization compared to Jira
  • No built-in time tracking or resource management

Best For

Software development teams that want a fast, focused issue tracker without Jira's complexity Startups and scale-ups following agile development cycles Engineering teams that want issue tracking tightly integrated with their Git workflow Developer-tools companies that value speed and keyboard-driven UX

Not Ideal For

Large enterprises with complex multi-team workflows requiring Jira's configurabilityNon-engineering departments needing project management (marketing, HR, finance)Teams needing built-in time tracking or resource management

Key Features

Sub-millisecond UI performanceKeyboard shortcuts for all actionsCycles (sprints) with velocity trackingGit integration (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)Roadmaps and project managementTriage workflowREST and GraphQL APILinear Asks for stakeholder requests

Who It's For

Software engineering teamsStartups and developer-focused companiesAgile development teamsEngineering managers and CTOs

Integrations

GitHubGitLabSlackFigmaNotionSentry

Platforms

web ios mac api

Founders

  • Karri Saarinen
  • Tuomas Artman
  • Jori Lallo

Products & Tools

LinearProject Management / Issue Tracking
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Fast, opinionated project management for software teams with Git integration, cycles, and keyboard-first design.

freemium · Free planFrom Free (250 issues); Plus $8/user/month; Business $16/user/month
Fast UICycles/sprintsGit integrationRoadmapsKeyboard navigation

Sources & Verification

Last reviewed September 2026

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Tags

Issue TrackingProject ManagementEngineeringAgile

Category

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Official Website

linear.app

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