Linear vs Trello

- ✦ Issues & Sub-issues
- ✦ Projects & Cycles
- ✦ Roadmaps

- ✦ Kanban Boards
- ✦ Cards & Lists
- ✦ Power-Ups
Linear and Trello are both Project Management tools. Linear starts at $10/mo, Trello at $6/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Linear vs Trello
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Triage handles bulk severity labeling and routing for inbound bugs; Custom Workflows escalate P0s to team chat and slot them into the active Cycle within 30 seconds of creation.
Custom Fields categorize bugs by severity and product area, while Butler automation routes cards through triage stages based on customer report volume thresholds.
Branches referencing an Issue ID automatically update status and link the pull request in Linear, giving QA real-time visibility into which commits close which tickets.
Cycles cap story points per squad, surfacing overallocation visually when work bleeds across sprint boundaries so engineering leads can rebalance before kick-off.
Each morning, engineers add a Card with Custom Fields for completed work and blockers; Butler automation compiles the responses and posts a team chat digest by 9 AM.
Requests flow through Queue → In Progress → Review → Delivered on a Kanban board, with Custom Fields logging turnaround time and deliverable type per client.
Card Links connect issues across multiple Kanban Boards; Timeline View renders those relationships as a Gantt chart, surfacing cross-team scheduling conflicts weeks in advance.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified May 28, 2026
Free
FreeBest for: Ideal for very small teams or individuals to try out Linear's core features before committing to a paid plan.
- ✓Unlimited members
- ✓2 teams
- ✓250 active issues
- ✓Core issue tracking, cycles, projects, and roadmaps
- ✓Integrations with Slack, GitHub, and Google Sheets
Basic
$10/user/monthBest for: small to medium teams needing essential project tracking and collaboration tools
- ✓All Free features
- ✓5 teams
- ✓Unlimited issues
- ✓Unlimited file uploads
- ✓Admin roles
Business
$16/user/monthBest for: Suited for growing organizations requiring advanced features like SSO, enhanced security, and more robust integrations
- ✓All Basic features
- ✓Unlimited teams
- ✓Private teams and guests
- ✓Linear Insights
- ✓SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning
Enterprise
Contact SalesBest for: Designed for large enterprises needing custom solutions, dedicated support, and advanced compliance
- ✓Dedicated support
- ✓Advanced security
- ✓Compliance features
- ✓Data warehouse sync
- ✓Multiple Slack workspaces
Free
FreeBest for: Ideal for individuals or small teams needing basic task management
- ✓Unlimited cards
- ✓Up to 10 boards per Workspace
- ✓Unlimited Power-Ups per board
- ✓Unlimited activity log
- ✓Assignee and due dates
Standard
$6/user/moBest for: growing teams needing more features than Free
- ✓Unlimited boards
- ✓Unlimited collaborators
- ✓Advanced checklists
- ✓Custom fields
- ✓Saved searches
Premium
$13/user/moBest for: Suited for larger teams requiring advanced project visibility and control
- ✓All Standard features
- ✓Unlimited automation runs
- ✓Atlassian Intelligence (AI)
- ✓Admin and security features
- ✓CSV exports
Enterprise
$18/user/moBest for: Designed for large organizations needing robust security, compliance, and centralized administration
- ✓All Premium features
- ✓Organization visible boards
- ✓Organization-wide permissions
- ✓Unlimited workspaces
- ✓Multi-board guests
Capability Breakdown
8 differences found across 20 standardized features
- •Issues & Sub-issues
- •Projects & Cycles
- •Roadmaps
- •Triage
- •Git Integration
- •Slack Integration
- •API & Webhooks
- •Custom Workflows
- •Keyboard Shortcuts
- •AI Agents
- •Insights & Analytics
- •Customer Requests
- •Mobile App
- •Offline Mode
- •Real-time Sync
- •Dependency Mapping
- •Automated Task Routing
- •Time Estimation Tools
- •Customizable Board Views
- •Integrated Video Meetings
- •Workflow Automation Rules
- •Priority Flagging System
- •Kanban Boards
- •Cards & Lists
- •Power-Ups
- •Automation (Butler)
- •Custom Fields
- •Calendar View
- •Timeline View
- •Dashboard
- •Templates
- •Mobile Apps
- •Integrations
- •AI Features
- •Checklists
- •Labels & Filters
- •Team Collaboration
- •Due Date Reminders
- •Task Dependencies
- •Board Map View
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Blazing-fast UI with keyboard-first navigation
- +Opinionated workflow (Cycles, Triage) enforces best practices
- +Deep, seamless integration with GitHub and Figma
- +Automated issue management and cycle planning
- +Exceptional design and user experience
- −Rigid, opinionated structure may not fit all team workflows
- −Lacks advanced, customizable reporting and dashboards
- −No native time tracking or budget management features
- −Limited functionality for non-engineering teams (e.g., Marketing, HR)
- −Steep learning curve for users accustomed to Jira or Asana
- +Extremely intuitive Kanban interface with a minimal learning curve.
- +Generous free plan with unlimited cards and up to 10 boards.
- +Rich automation (Butler) is included even on the free plan.
- +Vast ecosystem of Power-Ups for extensive customization.
- +Visually appealing and simple for non-technical teams to adopt.
- −Lacks native reporting, Gantt charts, and dependency management.
- −Becomes cluttered and slow when managing many cards on a single board.
- −No built-in time tracking; requires a third-party Power-Up.
- −Limited view options beyond Kanban, Calendar, and basic lists.
- −Poor for managing complex, cross-functional projects at scale.
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Trello raised "Standard" from $5/mo to $6/mo (+20%)
Price change · May 28, 2026
Trello raised "Premium" from $10/mo to $12.5/mo (+25%)
Price change · May 28, 2026
Linear added a new "Basic" plan at $10/user/mo
Plan added · May 27, 2026
Linear removed the "Plus" plan
Plan removed · May 27, 2026
Linear removed the "Standard" plan
Plan removed · May 27, 2026
Linear added a new "Business" plan at $16/user/mo
Plan added · May 27, 2026
Linear removed the "Business" plan
Plan removed · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Sources & Data Trail · Linear
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-27)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.6/5 · 86 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.7/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews
- 7.StackShare·StackShare developer community
Sources & Data Trail · Trello
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-28)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.4/5 · 13,985 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.5/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews
- 7.StackShare·StackShare developer community
