Linear vs Jira
Learn more about your options and pick the best tool for your team.
Unsure whether to choose Linear or Jira? You've come to the right place.
Linear is a relatively new tool. It's often praised for its refreshingly sleek design and minimalist approach. On the other side of the spectrum is Jira, a heavyweight with nearly two decades of experience, known for its adaptability and customizable workflows, capable of accommodating a wide array of project management methodologies.
So which of them should you choose for your business? In this article, we will take a closer look at both Linear and Jira and examine their strengths and weaknesses to help you make the right decision for your company.
Linear and Jira compared
Jira and Linear may appear quite similar on the surface, but they also have some fundamental differences that need to be kept in mind when making a decision. Let's dive deeper into what these two tools have to offer and also have a look at other alternatives you may want to consider.
Linear
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $8/user/month
Rating on G2: 4.5/5
Linear was founded by Karri Saarinen and Tuomas Artman in 2019. It is a relatively new player in the project management and issue tracking software space. But while it may not have the long-established history of some other project management tools like Jira, it has gained a dedicated user base in a relatively short time.
Linear is often praised for its simplicity and ease of use. It's relatively straightforward to set up and get started with. Jira, on the other hand, can have a steeper learning curve due to its extensive customization options. While Jira provides a high degree of customization, allowing teams to adapt it to their specific workflows, Linear offers a simpler and more opinionated approach, which can be either a pro or a con depending on your team's needs.
Why you might prefer Linear over Jira:
Linear offers a more modern and visually appealing design compared to Jira, which some users find to be cluttered and complex.
Linear's pricing model is straightforward, with a clear per-user cost. Jira's pricing can be more complex, with different tiers and add-ons.
Linear is easier to set up compared to Jira.
Linear offers a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
What users say about Linear:
"Linear is extremely easy to use. The UI is simple and straightforward. I have used both Jira and Asana extensively in previous roles, and I find the UI of Linear to be superior. I wish there were also mobile applications like Jira or Asana have! This would help me create tickets for my team, update statuses, or respond to comments on the go rather than having to wait until I'm back at my computer. Additionally, I think it would be helpful if Linear also had an adjacent documentation software (similar to Atlassian's Confluence) so that we didn't have to use other software for PRDs, architecture documentation, and other forms of documentation related to our sprints."
Jira
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $7.50/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.5/5
Jira is an issue tracking and Agile project management software developed by Atlassian, an Australian software company. It was originally released in 2002 and has since become one of the most widely used tools in the software development and project management industries.
Jira was initially created to help software development teams manage and track issues, bugs, and tasks during the software development process. Over time, it has evolved to support various project management methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Kanban.
One of the key strengths of Jira is its extensive ecosystem of plugins and integrations, allowing teams to customize and extend its functionality to meet their specific needs. While Linear is primarily designed for smaller to mid-sized teams, Jira is often used by larger organizations with complex workflows and a need for extensive customization.
Why you might prefer Jira over Linear:
Jira offers a high degree of customization. Teams can create custom workflows, issue types, and fields to adapt the tool to their specific needs.
Atlassian offers a wide range of complementary products, including Confluence and BitBucket, all of which are tightly integrated with Jira.
Jira can be customized in a more granular way than Linear.
Jira has a more extensive feature set than Linear.
What users say about Jira:
"Jira is highly customizable and adaptable to the needs of each team. Users can customize workflows, fields and issue types, and create their own reports and dashboards. Jira offers a wide range of integrations with other tools and applications, such as Slack, GitHub, Bitbucket, Confluence, among others. We were also able to use Jira to manage our projects, not just software development projects. Jira can be complex and it takes time for new users to get familiar with all the features and settings available. The license we purchased is an expensive tool, especially if you want to use the premium version. Sometimes its user interface is not very intuitive and may require a bit of learning to use it correctly."
Looking for more tools similar to Jira? Check out this list of Jira alternatives.
Other alternatives
It should be mentioned that your options are not limited to just Jira and Linear. There are many other great project management apps that can serve you just as well.
If you like Jira's seamless integration with Confluence, but prefer the modern and intuitive interface of Linear, consider Nuclino.
Like Jira and Confluence, Nuclino allows you to bring all your projects and documentation together. Every item in Nuclino is its own document that can be collaborated on in real time.
You can add notes, create to-do lists, set due dates and reminders, embed files, and more, managing and simultaneously documenting your projects in one place. You can use comments to exchange feedback directly in Nuclino and preserve the context of every decision. Imagine if every task in Linear or Jira had its own Google Doc.
At the same time, like Linear, Nuclino is minimalist, intuitive, and fast. It focuses on the essentials and offers a clean, distraction-free interface with no clunky menus and rarely-used options.
Every interaction in Nuclino, from search to editing, is meticulously optimized for speed. Real-time collaboration is seamlessly integrated, enabling multiple users to work together while preserving every change in the version history. Markdown commands provide a convenient way to format text without taking your hands off the keyboard.
Nuclino also offers built-in visual collaboration and allows you to add an infinite collaborative canvas to any project document. You can use it to create diagrams and flowcharts, brainstorm ideas using sticky notes, and much more.
But project management and issue tracking is not all you can do in Nuclino. It's a highly flexible and versatile tool that is suitable for a wide range of different use cases. You can use it to take notes, create internal documentation, build your internal knowledge base or team wiki, and more. Nuclino works like a collective brain, allowing you to bring all your team's knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place.
Linear vs Jira: So which is better?
Linear and Jira are designed for different types of teams and workflows, and there is no objective winner between the two of them. In summary, Jira offers extensive customization and flexibility, making it suitable for large organizations with complex needs. Linear, on the other hand, provides a simpler and more streamlined approach, making it a good choice for smaller teams or those who prefer a straightforward tool.
At the end of the day, the best choice depends on your team's unique preferences and requirements. We hope this article has made your decision a little easier.
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