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
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.
Fast, purpose-built issue tracking and project management platform for software teams
Versatile all-in-one workspace combining documents, databases, wikis, and task management
Structured comparison data for Linear vs Notion with 462 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
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Maximum Database Rows (optimal performance)
Real-time Simultaneous Collaborators (unlimited tier)
Native Data Visualization (charts, pivots)
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Base Monthly Cost Per User (Annual Billing)
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.