Linear is a purpose-built issue tracking platform with superior speed, customization, and UX, while GitHub Issues is tightly integrated into GitHub's ecosystem and free for public repositories. Linear costs $10/user/month whereas GitHub Issues is included with GitHub.
Linear vs GitHub Issues — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Fast, purpose-built issue tracking and project management platform for software teams
Native issue tracking system integrated into GitHub repositories
Monthly Cost Per User. Page Load Speed. Custom Fields/Metadata. API Rate Limits. Automation Capabilities. Code Repository Integration. Team Collaboration Features
Choose Linear if your team prioritizes speed, customization, and advanced project management features and can afford the $10/user/month cost. Choose GitHub Issues if you want zero additional cost, are already deeply invested in the GitHub ecosystem, and need native integration with your code repositories and pull requests.
Linear: Basic (Scrum/Kanban) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Excellent (Fast) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Via Everhour API | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $10/month (Team) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 2-4 hours to productive state | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Minimal - links to external docs preferred | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 50+ native integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 5 core views (list, board, calendar, kanban, table) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Unlimited - scales to enterprise | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native commits, PRs, code review | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 0.5-1.0 seconds | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Limited to preset field types | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 95%+ in dev teams | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Basic timeline view only | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $8/user/month | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Manual entry only | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native GitHub/GitLab sync with PR linking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Full sprint cycles with burndown charts | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: iOS and Android native apps | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Full blocking relationship tracking | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 20+ integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: N/A (not applicable) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: No (external tools required) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native first-class support | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Unlimited custom workflows | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Moderate (predefined flows) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Web-based only | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 120ms (optimized UI) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Thousands of startups and engineering teams | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Very fast (<1 second typical) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 50+ (GitHub, GitLab, Slack, etc.) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Issue tracking & dev project management | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 1-2 days to productive | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native iOS/Android, well-optimized | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: SSO, advanced permissions, audit logs | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $100 (Standard team plan) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Yes (up to 10 issues/month) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native with timelines & milestones | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Robust public/private API | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 10-500+ developers | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Advanced with full customization | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: AI-powered summarization, triage, automation | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $100 (Standard plan) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: ~$100 team plans | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Native sync built-in | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: ~50 standard automations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 3 views (board, list, views) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Yes - Enterprise plan | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Excellent - API-first approach | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Custom per-user pricing | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Limited AI capabilities | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Engineering & dev teams | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Established (5+ years) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Available for small teams | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Deep developer tool integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $50/month (5 users minimum) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: $250/month (25 users × $10) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 200+ integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: <50ms (sub-millisecond) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Comments only (requires Slack/Discord) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Limited (paid add-on) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 120+ shortcuts with command palette | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: ~200ms | GitHub Issues: 2.5-3.5s
Linear: Unlimited custom statuses | GitHub Issues: 3 (Open, In Progress, Done)
Linear: Yes, automatic issue sync | GitHub Issues: 100% native
Linear: Advanced (50+ rule combinations) | GitHub Issues: Basic (limited actions)
Linear: 5-500+ optimized | GitHub Issues: Up to 50 (performance degrades beyond)
Linear: Bi-directional + slash commands | GitHub Issues: Notifications only
Linear: Extensive (50+ shortcuts) | GitHub Issues: Minimal
Monthly Cost per User (Annual Commitment)
Linear: Two-way sync with auto-close | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 2 (Table, Board) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 8 custom fields | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: ~50 integrations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 10,000 requests/month | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: iOS & Android (native) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 4.7/5 stars | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 100-500 people | GitHub Issues: N/A
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Linear: 1 dimension | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: Movement along single axis (x only, or parametric t) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Typical Grade Level Introduction (US Education)
Computational Complexity for Standard Operations
Linear: O(1) - constant time for most calculations | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: 2 parameters (slope and y-intercept, or two points) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Number of Independent Variables in Standard Equation
Linear: 2 variables (x and y) | GitHub Issues: N/A
Practical Applications in Modern Technology
Linear: Linear regression models, trend analysis, machine learning (linear classifiers), signal processing | GitHub Issues: N/A
Intersection Outcomes with Same Type Objects
Linear: 3 outcomes: 1 point, parallel (0 points), or identical | GitHub Issues: N/A
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: $4-21/month (depends on team size)
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Not available natively
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Limited to single repository
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Native GitHub Actions and seamless linking
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Enterprise plan only (custom pricing)
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Up to 10 for lightweight tracking
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: Lightweight, integrated within GitHub
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: 4 types (labels, milestones, assignees, projects)
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: GitHub Actions + manual triggers
Linear: N/A | GitHub Issues: 1 (GitHub only)
How to choose between Linear and GitHub Issues
Linear vs GitHub Issues — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Linear vs GitHub Issues. Contains 133 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Linear vs GitHub Issues — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Linear vs GitHub Issues.
Is Linear worth the $10/user/month cost?
Linear's $10/month cost breaks even for teams spending 4+ hours/week managing issues through GitHub Issues alone. The speed increase (570ms faster page loads) and workflow automation features (cycles, estimates, modules) reduce planning overhead by 8-12 hours/month in typical 8-person teams. For teams under 5 people or managing <200 issues/month, GitHub Issues often suffices.
Can Linear replace GitHub Issues entirely?
Yes, Linear can fully replace GitHub Issues for issue tracking. Linear syncs bidirectionally with GitHub PRs, automatically linking issues to code changes. However, you lose native integration—Linear becomes a separate tab rather than a GitHub sidebar feature. Teams switching must maintain Linear as their single source of truth.
Which is better for open-source projects?
GitHub Issues is superior for open source because it's free and all contributors already have GitHub accounts. Linear's $10/user/month cost becomes prohibitive for volunteer-driven projects. GitHub Issues also provides built-in contributor recognition through issue/PR attribution visible in commit history.
Can I use both Linear and GitHub Issues simultaneously?
Yes, teams can run both in parallel during migration. Linear's GitHub integration allows syncing issues bidirectionally, creating a duplicate-source scenario. However, this creates maintenance burden—updates in one tool must propagate to the other. Most teams complete migration within 2-4 weeks to avoid this overhead.
Linear has a native iOS/Android app with full functionality; GitHub Issues relies on mobile web browsers. Linear's mobile app enables managing issues on-the-go with offline support, while GitHub Issues mobile experience is read-heavy and interaction-limited on small screens.
How to Choose Between Linear and GitHub Issues
Monthly Cost Per User: Linear has $10, while GitHub Issues has Free (with GitHub).
Page Load Speed: Linear has Sub-400ms average, while GitHub Issues has 800ms-1.2s average.
Custom Fields/Metadata: Linear has Unlimited custom fields, while GitHub Issues has Limited to labels, milestones, assignees.
API Rate Limits: Linear has 5,000 requests/hour, while GitHub Issues has 5,000 requests/hour (GraphQL).
Automation Capabilities: Linear has Native workflows + webhooks + API, while GitHub Issues has GitHub Actions + webhooks + REST API.
Code Repository Integration: Linear has GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket support, while GitHub Issues has Native GitHub integration only.
Team Collaboration Features: Linear has Cycles, modules, estimates, burndown, while GitHub Issues has Projects (beta), linked PRs, discussions.