Linear is a modern, lightweight issue tracking tool built for speed and developer experience with a $10/user/month starting price, while Jira is an enterprise-grade platform offering extensive customization and integration options at $7.75/user/month but with steeper complexity and learning curve.
Linear vs Jira — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Linear if you're a startup or small team (5-50 people) that values speed, clean UI, and rapid issue resolution without heavy customization needs. Choose Jira if you're an enterprise organization requiring deep customization, multiple project types (software, business, service management), complex workflow automation, and extensive integration ecosystems with existing tools.
Developer-first issue tracking and product management platform with powerful automation and GitHub integration.
Atlassian's issue tracking and agile project management platform for software development teams.
Structured comparison data for Linear vs Jira with 239 attributes.
Monthly Cost per User (Annual Commitment)
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Typical Grade Level Introduction (US Education)
Computational Complexity for Standard Operations
Number of Independent Variables in Standard Equation
Practical Applications in Modern Technology
Intersection Outcomes with Same Type Objects
Advanced Agile Features (Sprint Velocity Tracking)
Linear vs Jira — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Linear vs Jira.
Can I migrate from Linear to Jira or vice versa?
Yes, but with caveats. Linear provides built-in CSV export, and several migration tools exist (Exalate, Unito). Jira has import tools for Linear, but custom field mappings require manual setup. Migration typically takes 2-4 weeks for projects with 1,000+ issues. Data loss risk is low if done properly, but historical issue relationships may need reconfiguration in the target system.
Linear has a slight edge due to its native mobile apps with offline-first architecture, allowing work continuation without internet. Linear's real-time collaboration features (live cursors, instant sync) perform better on unreliable connections. Jira works well for remote teams but requires more disciplined configuration and relies more heavily on browser access.
Does Linear support service desk/ticketing functionality?
No. Linear is purpose-built for internal issue tracking and engineering workflows only. Jira Service Management is the dedicated tool for customer support ticketing. If you need both internal issue tracking and customer-facing support, you'd need Linear + Zendesk/Freshdesk, or use Jira Service Management for both.
What's the total cost of ownership at scale?
For a 50-person engineering team: Linear costs $500/month base (~$6,000/year). Jira costs $387.50/month base (~$4,650/year), but add-ons (Automation, Advanced Roadmaps, Insight) typically cost $1,500-3,000/year, bringing total to $6,150-7,650/year. Linear remains cheaper; Jira's flexibility costs more when fully utilized.
Can both tools handle complex workflows and approvals?
Linear supports basic workflows (statuses, assignees, labels) and simple automation rules. Jira's Automation add-on enables complex multi-step workflows, conditional logic, and approval gates. For organizations needing 5+ conditional workflow steps, Jira is significantly more capable. Linear is best for teams using simpler, Agile-focused workflows.