Bitbucket is a Git repository hosting platform focused on source code management with built-in CI/CD, while Linear is a modern issue tracking and project management tool designed for agile teams. They serve different primary purposes: Bitbucket manages code, Linear manages work.
Bitbucket vs Linear — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Atlassian's Git repository platform with native Jira integration and enterprise-focused features.
Fast, purpose-built issue tracking and project management platform for software teams
Primary Function. Pricing (Monthly, 5 users). GitHub Integration. Built-in CI/CD Pipeline. Issue Tracking Capability. Free Tier Storage. Learning Curve (1-10, lower better)
Choose Bitbucket if you need a complete Git hosting solution with integrated CI/CD pipelines and want to keep code management centralized in one platform, especially for teams already using Atlassian tools. Choose Linear if your primary need is managing development work, prioritizing issues, and tracking team velocity—it pairs best with any Git host (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) as a dedicated workflow layer.
Bitbucket: ~2,000 integrations | Linear: ~50 integrations
Bitbucket: Jira integration (external) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Basic PR approvals | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Unlimited (public & private) | Linear: N/A (not applicable)
Bitbucket: Yes (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Linear: No (external tools required)
Bitbucket: Competitor (not partner) | Linear: Native first-class support
Bitbucket: Up to 10 | Linear: Unlimited custom workflows
Bitbucket: 450ms | Linear: 120ms (optimized UI)
Bitbucket: Yes (Pipelines) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Native & seamless | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: 2 (Git, Mercurial) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: $3.00 | Linear: $8/user/month
Bitbucket: ~200 integrations | Linear: 50+
Bitbucket: Git repository hosting, code review, CI/CD | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Bitbucket Pipelines included | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Cloud-only (deprecated Server 2024) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Limited (pull request workflow focus) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Deep two-way integration | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Limited (5 users max) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Add-on required (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: No (external only) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: $168/year ($14/month) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Native (Atlassian vendor) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Yes (Server Edition paid license) | Linear: N/A
Maximum CI/CD Pipeline Minutes (free tier/month)
Bitbucket: 50 build minutes/month (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Requires separate Jira subscription | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: 50 minutes (Bitbucket Pipelines free tier) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Requires Premium plan | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Not publicly limited | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Bitbucket Data Center (Enterprise only) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: 50 (Bitbucket Pipelines) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Built-in, zero setup required | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Yes, at Standard plan ($10/user) | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: ~2M public repos | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: Unlimited repos | Linear: N/A
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Basic (Scrum/Kanban)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Excellent (Fast)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Via Everhour API
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: $10/month (Team)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 2-4 hours to productive state
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Minimal - links to external docs preferred
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 50+ native integrations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 5 core views (list, board, calendar, kanban, table)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Unlimited - scales to enterprise
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Native commits, PRs, code review
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 0.5-1.0 seconds
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Limited to preset field types
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 95%+ in dev teams
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Basic timeline view only
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Manual entry only
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Native GitHub/GitLab sync with PR linking
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Full sprint cycles with burndown charts
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: iOS and Android native apps
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Full blocking relationship tracking
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 20+ integrations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Moderate (predefined flows)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Thousands of startups and engineering teams
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Very fast (<1 second typical)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 50+ (GitHub, GitLab, Slack, etc.)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Issue tracking & dev project management
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 1-2 days to productive
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Native iOS/Android, well-optimized
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: SSO, advanced permissions, audit logs
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: $100 (Standard team plan)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Yes (up to 10 issues/month)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Native with timelines & milestones
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Robust public/private API
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 10-500+ developers
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Advanced with full customization
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: AI-powered summarization, triage, automation
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: $100 (Standard plan)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: ~$100 team plans
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Native sync built-in
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: ~50 standard automations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 3 views (board, list, views)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Yes - Enterprise plan
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Excellent - API-first approach
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Custom per-user pricing
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Limited AI capabilities
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Engineering & dev teams
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Established (5+ years)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Available for small teams
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Deep developer tool integrations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: $50/month (5 users minimum)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: $250/month (25 users × $10)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 200+ integrations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: <50ms (sub-millisecond)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Comments only (requires Slack/Discord)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Limited (paid add-on)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 120+ shortcuts with command palette
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Unlimited custom statuses
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Yes, automatic issue sync
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Advanced (50+ rule combinations)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 5-500+ optimized
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Bi-directional + slash commands
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Extensive (50+ shortcuts)
Monthly Cost per User (Annual Commitment)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Two-way sync with auto-close
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 2 (Table, Board)
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 8 custom fields
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 10,000 requests/month
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: iOS & Android (native)
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Movement along single axis (x only, or parametric t)
Typical Grade Level Introduction (US Education)
Computational Complexity for Standard Operations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: O(1) - constant time for most calculations
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 2 parameters (slope and y-intercept, or two points)
Number of Independent Variables in Standard Equation
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 2 variables (x and y)
Practical Applications in Modern Technology
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: Linear regression models, trend analysis, machine learning (linear classifiers), signal processing
Intersection Outcomes with Same Type Objects
Bitbucket: N/A | Linear: 3 outcomes: 1 point, parallel (0 points), or identical
How to choose between Bitbucket and Linear
Bitbucket vs Linear — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Bitbucket vs Linear. Contains 163 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Bitbucket vs Linear — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Bitbucket vs Linear.
No. Linear is a work management tool, not a Git host. You must use it alongside GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or another Git platform. Linear connects to your repo via webhooks and API to auto-link commits and pull requests to issues, but does not store code itself.
Can I use Bitbucket as just an issue tracker?
Bitbucket has basic issue tracking (called 'Issues'), but it is not purpose-built for this. Linear is 20x more advanced for issue management with custom workflows, dependencies, and velocity tracking. For work management, Linear is the better choice; Bitbucket's strength is code hosting.
Bitbucket integrates deeper with Jira (both Atlassian products). Linear also integrates with Jira but is lighter-weight. If you heavily use Jira, Bitbucket is the natural Git choice. If you want to replace Jira's work management layer with something faster, Linear + Bitbucket is a strong combination.
Bitbucket's Cloud Standard plan ($75/month for 5 users) is slightly cheaper than GitHub Pro ($4/user/month = $20/month for 5 users) on a per-user basis, but GitHub's Free tier is more generous. For teams needing private repos and CI/CD, Bitbucket's all-in-one pricing is often cheaper than GitHub + CircleCI/GitHub Actions setup.
Should I switch from GitHub to Bitbucket?
Only if you heavily use Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) and want unified billing. GitHub has 10x larger ecosystem, better third-party integrations, and lower learning curve. Bitbucket is better for teams already in the Atlassian ecosystem. GitHub + Linear is often a stronger combo than Bitbucket + Linear for modern teams.
How to Choose Between Bitbucket and Linear
Primary Function: Bitbucket has Git repository hosting & CI/CD, while Linear has Issue tracking & project management.
Pricing (Monthly, 5 users): Bitbucket has $75/month (Cloud Standard), while Linear has $750/month (Pro tier).
GitHub Integration: Bitbucket has Direct competitor to GitHub, while Linear has Integrates with GitHub natively.
Built-in CI/CD Pipeline: Bitbucket has Bitbucket Pipelines included, while Linear has No native CI/CD (requires external).
Issue Tracking Capability: Bitbucket has Basic issues & pull requests, while Linear has Advanced issues with custom workflows.
Free Tier Storage: Bitbucket has 1GB for private repos, while Linear has Unlimited issues (workspace-based).
Consider: Learning Curve (1-10, lower better)
Learning Curve (1-10, lower better): Bitbucket has 7 (Git concepts required), while Linear has 3 (intuitive UI-first design).