Linear is a specialized issue tracking and project management tool optimized for software development teams with blazing-fast performance, while Notion is a versatile all-in-one workspace that combines databases, documents, wikis, and task management but with slower performance at scale. Linear averages 200ms page load times versus Notion's 800ms+ for complex databases.
Linear vs Notion — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Fast, purpose-built issue tracking and project management platform for software teams
Versatile all-in-one workspace combining documents, databases, wikis, and task management
Primary Use Case. Page Load Speed. Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency). Pricing (Team/Monthly). Database Relationships & Queries. Documentation & Knowledge Base. Integration Count
Choose Linear if you're a software development team prioritizing speed, issue tracking precision, and developer experience—it's 4x faster and purpose-built for engineering workflows. Choose Notion if you need a flexible all-in-one workspace for mixed teams (marketing, design, ops) wanting to consolidate documents, databases, and projects in one place without vendor lock-in.
Linear: Basic (Scrum/Kanban) | Notion: N/A
Linear: 2-4 hours to productive state | Notion: N/A
Linear: Minimal - links to external docs preferred | Notion: N/A
Linear: 50+ native integrations | Notion: N/A
Linear: 5 core views (list, board, calendar, kanban, table) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Unlimited - scales to enterprise | Notion: N/A
Linear: Native commits, PRs, code review | Notion: N/A
Linear: Limited to preset field types | Notion: N/A
Linear: Basic timeline view only | Notion: N/A
Linear: Native GitHub/GitLab sync with PR linking | Notion: N/A
Linear: Full sprint cycles with burndown charts | Notion: N/A
Linear: iOS and Android native apps | Notion: N/A
Linear: Full blocking relationship tracking | Notion: N/A
Linear: N/A (not applicable) | Notion: N/A
Linear: No (external tools required) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Native first-class support | Notion: N/A
Linear: Unlimited custom workflows | Notion: N/A
Linear: Moderate (predefined flows) | Notion: N/A
Linear: 120ms (optimized UI) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Thousands of startups and engineering teams | Notion: 100+ million across all sectors
Linear: $100 | Notion: Free (Plus $10/user)
Linear: Very fast (<1 second typical) | Notion: Moderate (2-3 seconds with complex databases)
Linear: 50+ (GitHub, GitLab, Slack, etc.) | Notion: 1000+ through Zapier and native
Linear: Issue tracking & dev project management | Notion: All-in-one workspace & documentation
Linear: 1-2 days to productive | Notion: 3-7 days depending on customization
Linear: Native iOS/Android, well-optimized | Notion: Native iOS/Android, good but slower
Linear: SSO, advanced permissions, audit logs | Notion: SSO, AI features, advanced permissions, audit logs
Linear: $100 (Standard team plan) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Yes (up to 10 issues/month) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Native with timelines & milestones | Notion: N/A
Linear: Robust public/private API | Notion: N/A
Linear: 10-500+ developers | Notion: N/A
Linear: Advanced with full customization | Notion: N/A
Linear: AI-powered summarization, triage, automation | Notion: N/A
Linear: $100 (Standard plan) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Native sync built-in | Notion: N/A
Linear: ~50 standard automations | Notion: N/A
Linear: 3 views (board, list, views) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Yes - Enterprise plan | Notion: N/A
Linear: Excellent - API-first approach | Notion: N/A
Linear: Custom per-user pricing | Notion: N/A
Linear: Limited AI capabilities | Notion: N/A
Linear: Engineering & dev teams | Notion: N/A
Linear: Established (5+ years) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Available for small teams | Notion: N/A
Linear: Deep developer tool integrations | Notion: N/A
Linear: $50/month (5 users minimum) | Notion: N/A
Linear: $250/month (25 users × $10) | Notion: N/A
Linear: 200+ integrations | Notion: 100+
Linear: <50ms (sub-millisecond) | Notion: 200-500 ms
Linear: Comments only (requires Slack/Discord) | Notion: N/A
Linear: Limited (paid add-on) | Notion: N/A
Linear: 120+ shortcuts with command palette | Notion: N/A
Linear: Unlimited custom statuses | Notion: N/A
Linear: Yes, automatic issue sync | Notion: No (Zapier workaround only)
Linear: Advanced (50+ rule combinations) | Notion: N/A
Linear: 5-500+ optimized | Notion: 2-50 users (flexible scale)
Linear: Bi-directional + slash commands | Notion: N/A
Linear: Extensive (50+ shortcuts) | Notion: N/A
Monthly Cost per User (Annual Commitment)
Linear: None | Notion: Yes - unlimited pages and sharing
Linear: Two-way sync with auto-close | Notion: N/A
Linear: 10,000 requests/month | Notion: N/A
Linear: iOS & Android (native) | Notion: iOS + Android official apps
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Linear: 14 days | Notion: Unlimited free tier available
Linear: Movement along single axis (x only, or parametric t) | Notion: N/A
Typical Grade Level Introduction (US Education)
Computational Complexity for Standard Operations
Linear: O(1) - constant time for most calculations | Notion: N/A
Linear: 2 parameters (slope and y-intercept, or two points) | Notion: N/A
Number of Independent Variables in Standard Equation
Linear: 2 variables (x and y) | Notion: N/A
Practical Applications in Modern Technology
Linear: Linear regression models, trend analysis, machine learning (linear classifiers), signal processing | Notion: N/A
Intersection Outcomes with Same Type Objects
Linear: 3 outcomes: 1 point, parallel (0 points), or identical | Notion: N/A
Linear: N/A | Notion: Notion's cloud servers
Linear: N/A | Notion: Free / $8-15 per user
Linear: N/A | Notion: Customizable approach
Linear: N/A | Notion: Real-time co-editing, permissions, comments, activity tracking
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full (relational databases, rollups, formulas)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Cloud-hosted (Notion controls servers)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes (built-in AI assistant)
Linear: N/A | Notion: High availability (no published SLA)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 9/10 (blocks, databases, relations)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 5/10 (basic automations only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 7-14 days (custom setup required)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $20 (Business tier)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $24+ (Enterprise, custom)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited task/project features
Linear: N/A | Notion: 9/10 - Highly customizable
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8/10 - Steep learning curve
Linear: N/A | Notion: 9/10 - Native docs & databases
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic (manual linking only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Comprehensive (wiki, docs, databases, linked records)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No (requires manual setup with databases)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Very High (fully customizable databases and properties)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10 (free plan with guests)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Not available (must track manually)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $8/month (Team tier)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Excellent for non-technical users - intuitive linked properties
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited native two-way sync capability
Linear: N/A | Notion: Built-in AI assistant with limited agent connections
Linear: N/A | Notion: Steep learning curve with flexible drag-and-drop
Linear: N/A | Notion: Exceptional - optimized for feature roadmaps and linked data
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic (via integrations only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited tier system
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full editor (formatting, blocks, collaboration)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 100+ templates and integrations
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited with role-based permissions
Linear: N/A | Notion: Flexible block-based editor with databases
Linear: N/A | Notion: Teams, project managers, content creators
Linear: N/A | Notion: Views API, Markdown support, automatic retries (2026)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited blocks and pages
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full relational database support
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited offline capabilities
Linear: N/A | Notion: Table, Board, Timeline, Calendar, Gallery, List
Linear: N/A | Notion: REST API and official SDK
Linear: N/A | Notion: Comments, mentions, real-time editing, threads
Linear: N/A | Notion: Free (or $10/month for AI)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited offline; web-first platform
Linear: N/A | Notion: $0 (free tier exists)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic linked mentions; manual linking required
Linear: N/A | Notion: 400+ (official integrations)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30-60 (database learning curve)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8 (iOS/Android, full sync)
Linear: N/A | Notion: PDF/CSV (some lock-in)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10+ million active users
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes, basic timeline view only
Linear: N/A | Notion: 3 requests per second (~180/min)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (manual + integrations)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 50,000+ community templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Proprietary blocks
Linear: N/A | Notion: CSV / Markdown export
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (limited API)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Notion AI (bundled in Business/Enterprise; trial on Free/Plus)
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Linear: N/A | Notion: AI-powered search, Q&A, writing assistance (add-on)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Centralized knowledge/PM workspace
Linear: N/A | Notion: $100 (10 users @ $10)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10 (Unlimited plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Read-only offline (web); requires app for editing
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full relational databases with 10+ view types
Linear: N/A | Notion: 5-10 hours for proficiency
Linear: N/A | Notion: Public API with Zapier/webhook support
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10/month (Plus plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 3 (full page, bookmark, simple)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic (AI blocks limited to Pro/Team plans)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 0 (no native integration)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 500+ via Zapier, native integrations, and API
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1000+ community and official templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (requires sync after reconnect)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30 minutes (learning curve for full features)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited workspace content; 5GB file attachments
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes - relations, filters, sorts, multiple views
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full offline mode (desktop app)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 60+ (steep learning curve)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic (simple triggers and actions)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes (native relations, rollups, and rollup filters)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 6 (Table, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, Board, List)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10,000 (performance degrades noticeably after 5,000)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1,500+ (Zapier, Slack, webhooks, and native integrations)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Comments, mentions, reminders only
Linear: N/A | Notion: $120/year (Plus plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 6 platforms (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Advanced relational databases with filtering and sorting
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full real-time collaboration with comments and permissions
Linear: N/A | Notion: Partial offline (web requires internet, mobile has limited offline mode)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Proprietary Notion format (limited standard export)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30-60 minutes to understand core features
Linear: N/A | Notion: Robust public API with extensive integration ecosystem
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (Plus plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Not FedRAMP authorized
Linear: N/A | Notion: $0 (limited to 1M blocks/month)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (team plan dependent)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1-to-1, Many-to-1, Many-to-Many
Linear: N/A | Notion: 12+ (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, etc.)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 6+ (complex feature set requires training)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8+ (PDF, HTML, Markdown, CSV, etc.)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes - unlimited blocks and databases
Linear: N/A | Notion: 75+ million registered users (as of 2024)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $120 per year (Plus plan, no AI)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited in Team plan
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (per subscription)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No (third-party integrations only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No (web-based only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Notion AI included in Pro/Team plans
Linear: N/A | Notion: Linear page-based structure
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited (paid plans)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full relational databases with filters, sorts, relations
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10000+ community templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full offline capability with sync
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited blocks + 10 GB files
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10 (unlimited access)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 50+ integrated features
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (requires extension)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $0 (Pro: $120/year)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 20+ workspace templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Timeline view available; no dependency or critical path analysis
Linear: N/A | Notion: Manual tracking only; no native capacity features
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10,000 rows (performance degrades)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited cross-database visibility
Linear: N/A | Notion: 5+ (Table, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $12 (Notion Team plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $0 (personal), $120/year (Pro single-user)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 5 GB (Notion personal, expandable)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 50+ (SUM, IF, COUNT, ROLLUP, etc.)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8-15 hours for competent database design
Maximum Database Rows (optimal performance)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10,000 rows before noticeable slowdown
Real-time Simultaneous Collaborators (unlimited tier)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited by workspace plan (typically 10-50 concurrent editors)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Excellent; optimized for mobile-first reading and editing
Native Data Visualization (charts, pivots)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No; requires third-party tools or manual workarounds
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full relational with rollups, formulas, aggregations
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (formula-based)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes, real-time collaboration
Linear: N/A | Notion: Up to 10 databases/pages
Linear: N/A | Notion: 6 views (table, kanban, calendar, timeline, gallery, list)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited relations, rollups, formulas, and filters
Linear: N/A | Notion: View-only for complex databases; limited editing
Linear: N/A | Notion: 120-240 minutes (requires template setup)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Yes - rich-text with synced blocks and templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1-2 seconds (1000-2000ms)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10+ (stable with minor lag)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No native email; third-party only
Linear: N/A | Notion: 100+ REST API endpoints
Linear: N/A | Notion: Read-only mode offline
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1000+ community templates + Zapier/Make
Linear: N/A | Notion: 800+ official templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Notion API + CSV/Markdown exports
Linear: N/A | Notion: $14 (Pro plan, annual)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $32 (Team plan, annual)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 12 basic automation triggers
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30 hours for proficiency
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic calendar view (limited critical path analysis)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited custom fields, relations, formulas, rollups, and linked databases
Linear: N/A | Notion: 500+ via Zapier, 50+ native
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10 (billed annually)
Linear: N/A | Notion: ~10,000+ templates
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited with cursor presence
Linear: N/A | Notion: Optimized up to 10,000 items per view
Linear: N/A | Notion: Database automations, API integrations, Zapier/Make support
Linear: N/A | Notion: 15+ (Table, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, Timeline, etc.)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $120/month (Pro plan, capped usage)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $120/month (unlimited members, Pro)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 0 native (requires third-party integration)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full rich-text editor with embeds
Linear: N/A | Notion: Advanced, with rollups and filters
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited offline; requires internet for most features
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10-14 days for average user
Linear: N/A | Notion: Sync requires active internet connection
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10/user (free tier available)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited users, unlimited workspaces
Linear: N/A | Notion: Third-party only (Zapier)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Advanced (rollups, lookups, formulas)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 3 requests/second (180/min)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 1.4s (typical page/database view)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 300+ integrations via Zapier/native
Linear: N/A | Notion: $0 (Unlimited free tier)
Linear: N/A | Notion: No (requires integration)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 5 views (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30+ automation options
Linear: N/A | Notion: 10+ types (includes relations, rollups, formulas, templates)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 2-4 hours to start productive work
Linear: N/A | Notion: Limited (basic role options, no granular permissions)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $150/month (15 members × $10)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $500/month (50 members × $10)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8 (relational, formulas, rollups, filters, sorts, synced blocks, templates)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 40% of desktop features
Base Monthly Cost Per User (Annual Billing)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10.00 (Team plan)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Not native - timeline view available via database relations
Linear: N/A | Notion: Manual tracking via database properties
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full support with many-to-many relations and rollups
Linear: N/A | Notion: Basic - templates and button automations, limited conditional logic
Linear: N/A | Notion: 150+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and native connectors
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited pages (feature-limited)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 8 (basic actions only)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full rich-text editor with synced blocks
Linear: N/A | Notion: Linked databases with basic relations
Linear: N/A | Notion: 3 (Table, Board, Gallery)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10 (Personal Pro with AI)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 30-60 minutes to configure workspace
Linear: N/A | Notion: Advanced with filtering, sorting, and relations
Linear: N/A | Notion: Unlimited simultaneous editors
Linear: N/A | Notion: $10 (Plus plan, free tier available with limits)
Linear: N/A | Notion: $120/year ($600 over 5 years)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 2000-4000ms (dependent on internet)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Full (one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups, formulas)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 200+ (primarily cosmetic and integration)
Linear: N/A | Notion: Manual creation (no AI)
Linear: N/A | Notion: 20+ interface languages
Linear: N/A | Notion: 0 without AI add-on
Linear: N/A | Notion: 0% (no AI acceleration)
Linear vs Notion — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Linear vs Notion. Contains 462 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Linear vs Notion — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Linear vs Notion.
Is Linear better than Notion for project management?
It depends on your team. Linear is superior for software development teams needing fast issue tracking, GitHub integration, and advanced filtering—it's 4x faster. Notion is better for mixed teams (marketing, ops, design, HR) that need flexible databases, rich documentation, and don't prioritize raw speed. Linear excels at precision; Notion excels at versatility.
Can I use Notion for issue tracking like Linear?
Yes, but with limitations. Notion's database relations can simulate issue tracking, but it lacks native GitHub sync (requires Zapier), has slower performance at scale, and no built-in sprint planning. Teams building on Notion report 2-3x more manual work versus Linear's automated workflows. Use Notion if you want one tool for everything; use Linear if speed and dev-focused features matter.
Notion: $160/month (20 users × $8). Linear: $250-300/month (minimum 5 users at $10 each, but typically scales to full team). Notion is 33% cheaper at this scale. However, many teams use Linear's $50/month minimum just for developers and Notion for operations, combining both tools cost-effectively.
How do Linear and Notion compare for documentation?
Notion is vastly superior for knowledge bases and documentation. It features synced databases, rich formatting, nested pages, and powerful search. Linear's wiki pages are basic and lack dynamic database features. For team wikis, product docs, or internal knowledge bases, Notion is the clear winner. Linear is purely for issue/project tracking.
Will my Notion workspace slow down as it grows?
Yes. Notion experiences significant performance degradation with 5,000+ database items, with load times increasing from 800ms to 2000ms+. Linear maintains 200ms speeds even with 100,000+ issues. If you plan rapid scaling or large databases, Linear offers better long-term performance. Notion requires careful optimization and database splitting after ~5,000 items.
Primary Use Case: Linear has Issue tracking & sprint management for dev teams, while Notion has Universal workspace (docs, databases, tasks, wikis).
Page Load Speed: Linear has ~200ms average, while Notion has ~800-1200ms with complex databases.
Consider: Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency)
Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency): Linear has 2-3 days for dev teams, while Notion has 5-7 days for general users.
Pricing (Team/Monthly): Linear has $10 per user/month (5 user minimum), while Notion has $8 per user/month (unlimited users on Teams).
Consider: Database Relationships & Queries
Database Relationships & Queries: Linear has Advanced relational features, API-first design, while Notion has Basic relations, limited query capabilities.
Consider: Documentation & Knowledge Base
Documentation & Knowledge Base: Linear has Limited (wiki-style pages available), while Notion has Superior (built-in synced databases, rich formatting).
Integration Count: Linear has 50+ integrations, strong GitHub/Slack focus, while Notion has 500+ integrations via Zapier & native apps.