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Free Linear alternatives

Top Project Management like Linear

The most popular alternative to Linear is Jira, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Linear are Plane, ClickUp, Asana, and Notion.

Most alternatives to Linear are in the Project Management category, compared here by price, platform and features.

Linear alternatives
AllFreeOpen source
9 apps

All Linear alternatives

  1. Jira is Atlassian's tracker for software teams, built around issues, Scrum and Kanban boards, backlogs, sprints and configurable workflows. It connects to Confluence, Bitbucket and GitHub, offers a large marketplace of apps and rule-based automation, and is available in the cloud or as a self-managed Data Center edition for large organizations.

    12 Jira alternatives

    Pros

    • Mature Scrum and Kanban boards with backlogs and sprints
    • Highly configurable workflows, fields and automation rules
    • Tight links with Confluence, Bitbucket and GitHub, plus a large app marketplace

    Cons

    • Complex to set up and administer without a dedicated admin
    • Can feel heavy and slow for small teams or simple projects
    • Marketplace apps add to the cost on top of per-user pricing
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  2. Plane is an open source project management tool for software teams, covering issues, cycles, modules, pages and several layouts including list, Kanban, calendar and spreadsheet. It positions itself as a self-hostable alternative to Jira and Linear, and is also offered as a hosted cloud service with a free tier and paid plans.

    8 Plane alternatives

    Pros

    • Open source, self-hostable alternative to Jira and Linear
    • Modern interface with list, Kanban, calendar and spreadsheet layouts
    • Cycles, modules and pages cover planning and docs in one place

    Cons

    • Younger product with fewer integrations than established trackers
    • Some advanced features are limited to paid editions
    • Self-hosting means handling upgrades and backups yourself
    Cost / License
    FreemiumOpen source
  3. ClickUp combines tasks, documents, whiteboards, goals, chat and time tracking in a single workspace, with more than a dozen views including list, board, Gantt and calendar. Its depth and customization appeal to teams that want to replace several tools at once, and ClickUp Brain adds AI search, writing and summaries across the workspace.

    12 ClickUp alternatives

    Pros

    • Tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals and chat in a single workspace
    • More than a dozen views, from list and board to Gantt and calendar
    • Deep customization of fields, statuses and automations

    Cons

    • The sheer number of features creates a steep learning curve
    • The interface can feel slow and cluttered in large workspaces
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  4. Asana helps teams plan projects, assign tasks and track progress in list, board, timeline and calendar views. It is aimed at cross-functional teams in mid-size and large companies, with portfolios and goals to follow work across departments, rule-based automations, a large catalog of integrations and built-in AI features.

    12 Asana alternatives

    Pros

    • List, board, timeline and calendar views for the same project
    • Goals and portfolios connect work across departments
    • Large catalog of integrations and rule-based automations

    Cons

    • Per-seat pricing gets expensive as teams grow
    • Timeline, goals and portfolios require paid plans
    • A task can only have one assignee
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  5. Notion combines notes, documents, databases and project management in a flexible block-based workspace, with an integrated AI assistant.

    17 Notion alternatives

    Pros

    • Docs, wikis and databases combined in one flexible workspace
    • Large template gallery for roadmaps, trackers and wikis
    • Real-time collaboration with comments, mentions and an API

    Cons

    • Databases and relations take time to master
    • Offline access is limited compared with local-first apps
    • Large workspaces can feel slow to load
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  6. monday.com is a work management platform where teams build boards with custom columns to track projects, requests or pipelines, then switch between table, Kanban, Gantt and calendar views. No-code automations, dashboards and integrations make it suit operations, marketing and other non-technical teams, and the same platform powers the separate monday CRM and monday dev products.

    12 monday.com alternatives

    Pros

    • Colorful, flexible boards adapt to projects, requests or pipelines
    • No-code automations and dashboards that non-technical teams can build
    • Switch between table, Kanban, Gantt and calendar views

    Cons

    • Seats are sold in bundles, which raises the cost for small teams
    • Automation and integration actions are capped by plan
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  7. Trello organizes work on boards made of lists and cards that you drag from one stage to the next, a model that suits small teams, personal projects and simple workflows. Owned by Atlassian, it adds calendar, timeline and table views, Butler automations and Power-Ups that connect boards to Slack, Google Drive, Jira and many other tools.

    12 Trello alternatives

    Pros

    • Simple card-and-list model anyone can learn in minutes
    • Power-Ups connect boards to Slack, Google Drive, Jira and more
    • Butler automations take care of repetitive card moves

    Cons

    • Gets hard to manage for large or complex projects
    • Timeline, calendar and table views require a paid plan
    • Reporting is limited without add-ons
    Cost / License
    FreemiumProprietary
  8. Taiga is an open source project management tool for agile teams, offering Scrum backlogs with sprints and user stories, Kanban boards, issue tracking and a project wiki. Developed by Kaleidos, it can be self-hosted or used as a hosted service at taiga.io, and its clean interface also suits designers and product people, not only developers.

    7 Taiga alternatives

    Pros

    • Open source, with Scrum backlogs, sprints and Kanban boards
    • Clean interface that also suits designers and product people
    • Can be self-hosted or used as a hosted service

    Cons

    • Fewer integrations than mainstream project management tools
    • Limited reporting and cross-project views for larger organizations
    • Self-hosting requires technical know-how
    Cost / License
    FreemiumOpen source
  9. OpenProject is an open source project management platform developed in Germany, covering classic, agile and hybrid methods with Gantt charts, Scrum and Kanban boards, time and cost tracking, wikis and meetings. The Community edition is free to self-host, and the company sells an Enterprise edition and a hosted cloud aimed at organizations that care about data sovereignty.

    9 OpenProject alternatives

    Pros

    • Open source and free to self-host with the Community edition
    • Gantt charts, agile boards, time and cost tracking in one tool
    • Developed in Germany with a focus on data sovereignty and GDPR

    Cons

    • The interface feels dated and dense next to newer tools
    • Several advanced features are reserved for the Enterprise edition
    • Self-hosting requires server setup and ongoing maintenance
    Cost / License
    FreemiumOpen source

Linear vs its alternatives at a glance

Pricing, platforms and the key features of Linear, compared with its most popular alternatives.

Linear vs its alternatives at a glance
AppPricingPlatformsAPI accessIntegrationsKanban boardsSprint planningTeam collaboration
LinearFreemiumWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android
JiraFreemiumWeb, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted
PlaneFreemiumOpen sourceWeb, Self-hosted
ClickUpFreemiumWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android
AsanaFreemiumWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android
NotionFreemiumWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android

Linear alternatives: frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Linear?

The most popular alternative to Linear is Jira: Issue and project tracking for software and agile teams. Other great alternatives are Plane, ClickUp, Asana, and Notion.

Is there a free alternative to Linear?

Yes, 9 alternatives are free or have a free plan, including Jira, Plane, ClickUp, and Asana.

Is there an open source alternative to Linear?

Yes, 3 open source alternatives are listed, including Plane, Taiga, and OpenProject.

Is Linear free?

Linear has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features.

Compare Linear with its alternatives

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