Alternative
Linear alternatives 2026: 5 tools compared
Linear is fast and lean — and for that reason not right for every team. Five alternatives with prices, honestly placed.
Linear has a reputation it earned: fast, keyboard-driven, built squarely for engineering teams. So the reasons to leave are rarely "it does too little" — they are usually one of three: people outside engineering cannot keep up, SAML and SCIM sit behind Enterprise, or the data should live in the EU.
The alternatives
1. Jira
The obvious opposite: does everything, asks for configuration in return. Sensible if you genuinely need to model workflows and somebody has time to maintain them. Atlassian publishes no simple per-seat price, pricing instead through a calculator with volume tiers.
2. GitHub Projects
If your code is on GitHub and planning stays engineering work, this is the leanest answer — included on every GitHub plan, the free one too. The same layer is missing as with Linear: time tracking, capacity, documents.
3. ClickUp
Linear's opposite: a great many features and a great many settings. Unlimited $7, Business $12 per user/month billed annually. For teams who found Linear too narrow — with the risk that abundance becomes the problem instead.
4. Zuuna
Board, git and pipeline together, hosted in Germany, with a DPA and no sales call. SSO over SAML or OIDC, SCIM and an IP allowlist arrive at Business Pro (€16 per seat/month) rather than in an enterprise quote — for many teams that is the deciding difference. Sprints, releases and the code graph are the Developer plan (€24).
5. Stay with Linear
If your team is small, entirely technical and fast, and nobody asks about reporting or hosting, switching is migration work with no gain. Basic $10, Business $16 per user/month billed annually — SAML and SCIM only on Enterprise.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Data location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zuuna | Free €0 · Plus €4 · Business Standard €8 · Business Pro €16 · Developer €24 (per seat/month, incl. VAT) | 2 members, 2 boards, 100 cards | Germany |
| Linear | Basic $10 · Business $16 (per user/month, billed annually) — SAML/SCIM only on Enterprise | 250 issues, 2 teams | US vendor |
| Jira | No published flat per-user price — calculator with volume tiers | up to 10 users, 2 GB | region selectable from Standard |
| GitHub Projects | Included on every GitHub plan (Free $0 · Team $4 · Enterprise from $21) | yes, on Free | US vendor |
| ClickUp | Unlimited $7 · Business $12 (per user/month, billed annually) | unlimited tasks, but 60 MB storage | US vendor |
All prices from each vendor's own pricing page, accessed 3 August 2026 (GitHub figures 14 August 2026). Currencies are not converted — each figure carries the symbol the vendor publishes it in. Prices change; check before deciding.
Migrating
Zuuna has no one-click import from Linear and does not claim one. The route is CSV: export in Linear, upload to Zuuna, map the columns. Titles, statuses and field values come along; comments and attachments do not. Limits: 15 MB per file, 50 columns, 10,000 rows.
FAQ
Why do teams leave Linear?
Rarely for missing features. Usually because non-technical colleagues cannot keep up, because SAML and SCIM sit behind Enterprise, or because the data should be in the EU.
Which alternative is the fastest?
None is as fast as Linear — that is its core promise. If speed is your most important criterion, staying is the honest recommendation.
When do I get SSO?
With Linear, on Enterprise. With Zuuna, from Business Pro — €16 per seat per month (as of 3 August 2026).