Linear is a purpose-built issue tracking and project management tool for software engineering teams, while Trello is a flexible visual task management platform designed for broader audiences. Linear excels at developer workflows with advanced features like issue hierarchies and automation, whereas Trello prioritizes simplicity and ease of adoption for non-technical teams.
Linear vs Trello — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Modern, lightweight project management tool designed for software development teams emphasizing speed and simplicity.
Visual, card-based task management platform enabling teams to organize work using customizable boards.
Primary Use Case. Learning Curve. Issue Hierarchy Support. API & Automation. Starting Price. Suitable Team Size. Advanced Search & Filtering
Choose Linear if you lead a software development team that needs robust issue tracking, sprint planning, automation, and hierarchical project structures. Choose Trello if you need a lightweight, intuitive task board for general teams, non-technical workflows, or rapid setup without extensive configuration.
Linear: 5-150 (engineering-focused) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Basic (Scrum/Kanban) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 2-4 hours to productive state | Trello: N/A
Linear: Minimal - links to external docs preferred | Trello: N/A
Linear: 50+ native integrations | Trello: N/A
Linear: 5 core views (list, board, calendar, kanban, table) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Unlimited - scales to enterprise | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native commits, PRs, code review | Trello: N/A
Linear: Limited to preset field types | Trello: N/A
Linear: Basic timeline view only | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native GitHub/GitLab sync with PR linking | Trello: N/A
Linear: Full sprint cycles with burndown charts | Trello: N/A
Linear: Full blocking relationship tracking | Trello: N/A
Linear: N/A (not applicable) | Trello: N/A
Linear: No (external tools required) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native first-class support | Trello: N/A
Linear: Unlimited custom workflows | Trello: N/A
Linear: Moderate (predefined flows) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 120ms (optimized UI) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Thousands of startups and engineering teams | Trello: N/A
Linear: Very fast (<1 second typical) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 50+ (GitHub, GitLab, Slack, etc.) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Issue tracking & dev project management | Trello: N/A
Linear: 1-2 days to productive | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native iOS/Android, well-optimized | Trello: N/A
Linear: SSO, advanced permissions, audit logs | Trello: N/A
Linear: $100 (Standard team plan) | Trello: $5 per user (Standard)
Linear: Yes (up to 10 issues/month) | Trello: Yes (unlimited basic features)
Linear: Native with timelines & milestones | Trello: Via Power-Ups only
Linear: Robust public/private API | Trello: Strong REST API
Linear: 10-500+ developers | Trello: 1-100 users
Linear: 3-7 days | Trello: Same-day (hours)
Linear: Advanced with full customization | Trello: Basic with Butler automation
Linear: AI-powered summarization, triage, automation | Trello: Emerging AI Power-Ups available
Linear: $100 (Standard plan) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native sync built-in | Trello: N/A
Linear: ~50 standard automations | Trello: N/A
Linear: 3 views (board, list, views) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Yes - Enterprise plan | Trello: N/A
Linear: Excellent - API-first approach | Trello: N/A
Linear: Custom per-user pricing | Trello: N/A
Linear: Limited AI capabilities | Trello: N/A
Linear: Engineering & dev teams | Trello: N/A
Linear: Established (5+ years) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Available for small teams | Trello: N/A
Linear: Deep developer tool integrations | Trello: N/A
Linear: $50/month (5 users minimum) | Trello: N/A
Linear: $250/month (25 users × $10) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 200+ integrations | Trello: 240+
Linear: <50ms (sub-millisecond) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Comments and mentions only; requires external chat | Trello: N/A
Linear: Limited (paid add-on) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 120+ shortcuts with command palette | Trello: N/A
Linear: $150-200/month (at $15-20 per user) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Unlimited custom statuses | Trello: N/A
Linear: Yes, automatic issue sync | Trello: N/A
Linear: Advanced (50+ rule combinations) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Bi-directional + slash commands | Trello: N/A
Linear: Extensive (50+ shortcuts) | Trello: N/A
Monthly Cost per User (Annual Commitment)
Linear: Two-way sync with auto-close | Trello: N/A
Linear: 100+ integrations including native GitHub/GitLab | Trello: 100+ integrations
Linear: 10,000 requests/month | Trello: N/A
Linear: iOS & Android with full features | Trello: N/A
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Linear: Movement along single axis (x only, or parametric t) | Trello: N/A
Typical Grade Level Introduction (US Education)
Computational Complexity for Standard Operations
Linear: O(1) - constant time for most calculations | Trello: N/A
Linear: 2 parameters (slope and y-intercept, or two points) | Trello: N/A
Number of Independent Variables in Standard Equation
Linear: 2 variables (x and y) | Trello: N/A
Practical Applications in Modern Technology
Linear: Linear regression models, trend analysis, machine learning (linear classifiers), signal processing | Trello: N/A
Intersection Outcomes with Same Type Objects
Linear: 3 outcomes: 1 point, parallel (0 points), or identical | Trello: N/A
Linear: Advanced (live cursors, mentions, instant sync) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native bidirectional sync with automatic workflows | Trello: N/A
Linear: 4-6 hours (8+ for non-technical users) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 5-500+ person organizations (scales well with size) | Trello: N/A
Linear: iOS and Android (online-dependent) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 20 predefined fields | Trello: N/A
Linear: 45+ | Trello: 150+ Power-Ups available
Linear: 5,000 req/min | Trello: 300 req/min
Time to First Productivity (Learning Curve)
Linear: Unlimited custom fields | Trello: N/A
Linear: Webhook-based, requires setup | Trello: N/A
Linear: Yes (native cycles) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Advanced (triage, auto-assign, status triggers) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Limited (no free tier) | Trello: Full features (1 board, unlimited cards)
Linear: 50+ native integrations | Trello: 200+ Power-Ups
Linear: 4 (cycles, epics, issues, sub-issues) | Trello: 1 (cards only)
Linear: GraphQL (modern, flexible) | Trello: REST (mature, well-documented)
Linear: Saved views, complex filters, custom queries | Trello: Basic keyword search only
Linear: 100+ shortcuts available | Trello: 20+ shortcuts available
Linear: Limited offline support | Trello: Full offline functionality
Linear: $8/user/month (Pro plan) | Trello: N/A
Linear: 5-10 minutes | Trello: 5-15 minutes (create board, add cards, invite team)
Linear: Core issue tracking, unlimited issues, read-only cycles | Trello: N/A
Linear: Basic (limited field types, simple automation) | Trello: N/A
Linear: Native (first-class GitHub citizen, PR linking) | Trello: N/A
Linear: N/A | Trello: Basic Kanban only, no sprints
Linear: N/A | Trello: 1-10 users, small teams
Linear: N/A | Trello: Minimal - intuitive interface
Linear: N/A | Trello: Limited customization
Linear: N/A | Trello: Basic progress tracking only
Linear: N/A | Trello: Unlimited boards and cards
Linear: N/A | Trello: Not natively supported
Linear: N/A | Trello: Mobile offline access available
Linear: N/A | Trello: Board, List, Calendar, Map
Linear: N/A | Trello: REST API available
Linear: N/A | Trello: Comments, mentions, activity feed
Linear: N/A | Trello: No - requires integrations
Linear: N/A | Trello: Checklist-based subtasks
Linear: N/A | Trello: Low - intuitive visual interface
Linear: N/A | Trello: No, manual tracking only
Linear: N/A | Trello: 3 (Kanban, Calendar, Table)
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Plan)
Linear: N/A | Trello: $10/user (Standard)
Linear: N/A | Trello: $99 (Standard at $10/user)
Professional Plan Price (Per User/Month)
Linear: N/A | Trello: 4 (timeline, calendar, map, table)
Linear: N/A | Trello: Manual board cloning required
Linear: N/A | Trello: Free tier for unlimited users (basic features)
Linear: N/A | Trello: $5 (Standard plan)
Linear: N/A | Trello: 1 view (kanban only)
Linear: N/A | Trello: Not supported; single-view kanban only
Linear: N/A | Trello: Full kanban interaction, card editing, and comments
Linear: N/A | Trello: No - descriptions only, requires Power-Ups
Linear: N/A | Trello: $5 (Standard) - $17.50 (Business)
Linear: N/A | Trello: 5 (calendar, timeline, table, map, dashboard)
Linear: N/A | Trello: Limited kanban/scrum with Butler rules
Linear: N/A | Trello: 240+ Power-Ups available
Linear: N/A | Trello: Unlimited in free tier
Linear: N/A | Trello: 10 MB per attachment
Linear vs Trello — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Linear vs Trello. Contains 213 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Linear vs Trello — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Linear vs Trello.
Which is better for software development teams?
Linear is purpose-built for software engineering workflows with native sprint planning, cycle management, and issue hierarchies. Trello can work for smaller dev teams but lacks specialized features like burndown charts and complex dependency tracking. Linear wins for teams practicing agile or managing large codebases.
Can I use Trello for software project management?
Yes, Trello can handle basic software projects with Power-Ups like Burndown for Trello or Custom Fields, but it requires manual workarounds for features Linear provides natively. It's adequate for 2-5 person dev teams but becomes cumbersome at scale with 10+ developers.
Can Linear replace Trello or vice versa?
Linear can replace Trello for engineering teams but is overkill for simple task management. Trello cannot effectively replace Linear for complex software projects requiring hierarchical planning and sprint management. Choose based on your team's specific needs, not as a one-size-fits-all solution.
What's the total cost difference for a 10-person team?
Linear costs $100/month (10 users × $10), while Trello's Standard plan costs $50/month (10 users × $5). Over a year, Linear is $600 more expensive, but for engineering teams, the specialized features often justify the cost difference.
Yes, Linear has a steeper learning curve because it's designed for developers and includes advanced concepts like issue cycles, epics, and workflow automation. Trello's drag-and-drop interface is immediately intuitive, making it suitable for non-technical users and rapid adoption.
Primary Use Case: Linear has Software development and engineering teams, while Trello has General project management and task organization.
Learning Curve: Linear has Moderate (designed for developers), while Trello has Minimal (drag-and-drop simplicity).
Issue Hierarchy Support: Linear has Native support (cycles, epics, issues, sub-issues), while Trello has Limited (custom fields only).
API & Automation: Linear has Advanced GraphQL API with 50+ integrations, while Trello has REST API with 200+ Power-Ups available.
Starting Price: Linear has $10/user/month (Team plan), while Trello has $5/user/month (Standard plan).
Suitable Team Size: Linear has 5-500+ person engineering teams, while Trello has 1-50 person teams across all industries.
Advanced Search & Filtering: Linear has Comprehensive (saved views, complex queries), while Trello has Basic (limited search capabilities).