Skip to content
Start here
Browse by category
AI Assistants5Accounting Software3Agency & Funnel Software4B2B Sales Outreach5Business Backup3Business Email & Office3CRM Platforms7Cloud Storage4Customer Support3Design Tools3E-Signature3E-commerce Platforms3Email Marketing1Inventory Management3Knowledge Management3Marketing Automation11POS Systems3Paid Ads Management3Password Managers3Payment Processing3Payroll & HR3Project Management7SEO Software3Sales Intelligence3Scheduling Software3Social Media Management3Team Communication1Time Tracking3Video Conferencing5Website Builders3Workflow Automation3
All categories →
Not sure what you need? Start hereTell us the job and see the software it takes, with verified prices for your team.
Recently verified
Decision brief builderTurn your shortlist into a one-page case for sign-off: verified prices for your team size, requirements and sources.
Recently updated switching guides
All 264 migration guides →
What every guide covers
What transfers, and what doesn’tThe vendor’s own import path, step by step, plus the data you will rebuild by hand. Switching cost estimatorAn adjustable estimate of the hidden labor, cleanup and retraining cost, with its assumptions shown.
Open data
Open data hub: every dataset (JSON/CSV)JSON and CSV under CC BY 4.0. Every value carries its source page and verification date. How we verify pricingThe research method behind every figure on the site.
Pricing data
Software IndexEvery tool we track in one sortable table: entry price, free plan, AI pricing and source. AI Pricing DatabaseHow each vendor bills its AI features: bundled, add-on, metered or quote. Stack Cost CheckerPrice every tool you pay for at list price, saved in a link that re-prices later.Black Friday Software DealsVerified deals plus the discounts you can get today, checked on each vendor’s site.
Original research
The B2B SaaS Sticker Shock IndexCheapest published entry price in 18 categories, ranked.2026 SaaS Price IncreasesEvery list-price increase we could verify, with old price, new price and source.The AI TaxHow 19 AI features are actually billed: bundled, add-on or metered.The Real Cost of a 10-Person Startup StackThree software stacks priced at published entry prices.
Security & compliance
Security & compliance databaseSOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAAs, and the plan you need for SSO, SCIM and audit logs. How to read security claimsSOC 2 vs ISO 27001, the single sign-on tax, and what “Not published” means.
Where your team works
Offline access databaseWhich tools work without internet, in which app, and what syncs later. Remote vs office guideIP allowlisting, device controls, data residency and office hardware, tool by tool.
Side by side
Security in every comparisonEach head-to-head now compares compliance, sign-in, offline and remote controls. Download the dataJSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0. Every value carries the vendor URL and quote.
Project Management

Jira vs Linear: Which Issue Tracker Should Your Engineering Team Use in 2026?

The configurable incumbent against the fast, opinionated challenger. Here is what each costs per engineer, and what you give up in each direction.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 24, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Jira logoFree (10 users), from $9.05/user/mo

Jira

VS
Linear logoFree, from $10/user/mo (billed yearly)

Linear

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Jira vs LinearVerified Sep 24, 2026
Bottom line Editorial assessment

Which is better, Jira or Linear?

Choose Jira if you need configurable workflows and permissions or already use Atlassian tools; choose Linear if your product engineering team values speed and an opinionated workflow. Jira Standard is $9.05/user/mo on monthly billing for 10 to 50 users versus $10 for Linear Basic, billed yearly (Linear no longer publishes a monthly price). Jira's free plan covers 10 users; Linear's allows unlimited members but caps at 250 issues.

Quick verdict: Jira Standard ($9.05/user on monthly billing) undercuts Linear Basic ($10/user, billed yearly; Linear no longer publishes a monthly price), and Jira’s free plan covers 10 full users. Linear’s free plan allows unlimited members but caps you at 250 issues and 2 teams, so it is a trial of the product rather than a place to run a team. Pick Jira for deep configurability and the Atlassian ecosystem; pick Linear for speed and an opinionated workflow your engineers will actually keep up to date.
Verified data

Jira vs Linear: quick facts

At a glanceJiraLinear
CategoryProject Management
Entry priceFree (10 users), from $9.05/user/moFree, from $10/user/mo (billed yearly)
Free planYes, up to 10 usersYes, unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues

Is Jira cheaper than Linear?

Usually, yes. On monthly billing Jira Standard is $9.05/user/mo and Premium $18.30/user/mo for teams of 10–50; Linear Basic is $10/user/mo and Business $16/user/mo, billed yearly; Linear’s pricing page no longer lists monthly prices (checked September 24, 2026). Jira also gets cheaper per user at large team sizes: at 300 users Atlassian lists Standard at $7.91 and Premium at $14.54.

Verified data

Jira vs Linear at a glance

CategoryJiraLinear
Free planYes, up to 10 usersYes, unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues
Entry paid tierStandard — $9.05/user/mo (monthly billing, 10–50 users)Basic — $10/user/mo billed yearly (monthly price not published)
Mid tierPremium — $18.30/user/mo (monthly billing, 10–50 users)Business — $16/user/mo billed yearly (monthly price not published)
Top tierEnterprise — annual billing, contact salesEnterprise — custom, annual billing only
Volume pricingPer-user price falls at larger team sizesFlat per-user price
Free plan limits10 users, 2 GB storage, 150 automation steps per monthUnlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues
Native import from the other toolYes, Jira Cloud imports directly from LinearYes, Linear imports from Jira Cloud and Jira Server

Verified September 24, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Jira prices from atlassian.com/software/jira/pricing with monthly billing at 10 and 50 users; Linear prices from linear.app/pricing, which now lists yearly billing only. Both checked September 24, 2026. Atlassian’s calculator defaults to 300 users, where per-user prices are lower.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Jira is a framework you configure: custom workflows, issue types, fields and permissions, with the wider Atlassian stack (Confluence, Jira Service Management) alongside. Linear is a product with opinions: a fixed, fast workflow built around teams, cycles and projects, designed to keep issue tracking lightweight for engineers.

Read Jira’s price with the team size

Atlassian prices Jira per user on a sliding scale, and its pricing calculator defaults to 300 users. At that size Standard shows $7.91/user/mo; at 10 or 50 users it is $9.05. Always set the calculator to your real headcount before comparing.

Switching is well supported in both directions

Linear ships an importer for Jira Cloud and Jira Server, plus an optional ongoing Jira sync for gradual transitions. Jira Cloud lists Linear among its native importers. That makes this one of the easier engineering-tool switches, but note that Jira sprints have no equivalent in Linear’s importer.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Jira

Pros

  • Cheaper per user ($9.05 monthly vs Linear’s $10 billed yearly)
  • Free plan covers 10 full users
  • Deeply configurable workflows, issue types and permissions
  • Per-user price falls at larger team sizes

Cons

  • Configuration overhead: someone has to own the setup
  • Can feel heavy for small, fast-moving teams
  • Enterprise pricing requires annual billing and a sales conversation
  • Free plan limited to 2 GB storage and 150 automation steps per month

Linear

Pros

  • Fast, opinionated workflow engineers tend to keep up to date
  • Free plan allows unlimited members
  • Importer for Jira Cloud and Jira Server, plus optional Jira sync
  • Flat, simple per-user pricing

Cons

  • Free plan capped at 250 issues and 2 teams
  • More expensive than Jira per user ($10 billed yearly vs $9.05)
  • Jira sprints have no equivalent in its importer
  • Less configurable for complex, cross-department processes
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Jira

 
$0/mo

Linear

 
$0/mo
 

Illustrative estimate. Jira prices are Atlassian’s monthly-billing rates for 10–50 users, checked September 24, 2026; larger teams pay less per user. Linear free plan omitted because of its 250-issue cap. Always confirm current rates before purchasing.

Choose Jira if…

You need configurable workflows and permissions, you already use Confluence or other Atlassian tools, or your team has 10 or fewer users and can run on the free plan.

Choose Linear if…

You run a product engineering team that values speed, wants an opinionated workflow out of the box, and would rather not maintain Jira configuration.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your issue tracker?

Both have free plans, and each can import from the other. Trial with a real project before you switch.

See Jira pricing See Linear pricing
Verified data

Jira vs Linear: security, offline & remote work

How Jira and Linear compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedJiraLinear
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceCertifiedsource
Other certificationsISO/IEC 27018, FedRAMP Moderate, CSA STAR, TISAX, C5, IRAPsourceNot published
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availableStandardsourceBAA availableEnterprisesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesAny plan with Atlassian Guard Standard (add-on); included in EnterprisesourceYesEnterprisesource
SCIM user provisioningYesAny plan with Atlassian Guard Standard (add-on); included in EnterprisesourceYesEnterprisesource
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: All plans (managed accounts)sourceNot published
Admin audit logYesAny plan with Atlassian Guard Standard (add-on); included in EnterprisesourceYesEnterprisesource
Data residency choicesAustralia, Canada, EU, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, UK, USStandardsourceUS, EUsource
EncryptionAES-256 full-disk encryption at rest; TLS 1.2+ in transitsourceAES-256 at rest; TLS 1.2 in transitsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedPartialWhen the desktop or web app loses connection it stores changes locally and retries them (even after a restart) once connectivity returns, but Linear describes this as a failsafe rather than a full offline feature.source
Desktop appsBrowser onlysourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Offline limits—No conflict check on sync: large offline edits can overwrite teammates' changessource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingYesPremiumsourceYesEnterprisesource
Device & session controlsYesAny plan with Atlassian Guard Standard (add-on); included in EnterpriseMobile app management policies for the Jira Cloud iOS and Android apps via Atlassian Guard Standard.sourceNot published
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Jira and Linear also hold ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Jira includes it on Any plan with Atlassian Guard Standard (add-on); included in Enterprise; Linear includes it on Enterprise. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: Jira and Linear will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (Jira: Standard; Linear: Enterprise).
  • Working offline: Linear works offline only in part; Jira doesn’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Jira can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Premium; Linear can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Enterprise. That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: Jira lets you choose Australia, Canada, EU, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, UK, US on Standard; Linear lets you choose US, EU. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.

Jira: worth knowing

  • RemoteEven with an IP allowlist, some Jira/Confluence information (such as notification details and Smart Links) stays visible to users outside the allowed ranges. source
  • SecurityOn the Jira pricing page, Guard Standard (SSO, SCIM, AD sync) is marked 'Requires Atlassian Guard Standard subscription' on Free, Standard and Premium and 'Included' on Enterprise. source
  • OfflineAtlassian's public tracker lists an offline mode for the Jira Cloud Android and iOS apps as an unresolved suggestion. source

Linear: worth knowing

  • RemoteLinear IP restrictions cover web, desktop and mobile access to the workspace. source
  • SecurityAdmins can restrict which login methods members may use on Business and Enterprise plans. source
  • RemoteEven with an EU workspace, account information, API keys and usage data are always stored in the United States. source
  • RemoteThe data region is picked when the workspace is created and can't be changed self-serve later. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jira cheaper than Linear?

On monthly billing, yes: Jira Standard is $9.05/user/mo for teams of 10–50 against $10/user/mo (billed yearly) for Linear Basic; Linear no longer publishes a monthly price. Jira’s per-user price also falls at larger team sizes.

How does each free plan compare?

Jira Free covers up to 10 users with 2 GB of storage. Linear Free allows unlimited members but limits you to 2 teams and 250 issues.

Can Linear import from Jira?

Yes. Linear’s importer supports Jira Cloud (using an API key) and Jira Server (using a personal access token), or a CSV. Linear’s Jira integration maps epics to Linear projects; Jira sprints have no equivalent.

Can Jira import from Linear?

Yes. Jira Cloud lists Linear among its native importers, alongside a general CSV importer.

Can I run Jira and Linear side by side during a switch?

Yes. Linear’s Jira sync can create synced copies of new issues in one or both directions, so teams can move over gradually.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap, in both directions.

Switching from Jira to Linear Switching from Linear to Jira
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best issue tracker” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Jira or Linear is the wrong purchase for your team.

Jira

Buy Jira if:

  • You need custom workflows, issue types and permission schemes
  • You already run Confluence or Jira Service Management
  • Your team is 10 users or fewer and can use the free plan

Do NOT buy Jira if:

  • Nobody on the team will own Jira configuration
  • Your engineers already resist updating tickets in a heavier tool
  • You are a small product team that wants a fast, opinionated default workflow

Linear

Buy Linear if:

  • You are a product engineering team that values speed over configuration
  • You want to migrate from Jira gradually, with sync running during the transition
  • Your processes fit Linear’s teams, cycles and projects model

Do NOT buy Linear if:

  • You rely on Jira sprints; the importer has no equivalent
  • Non-engineering departments need heavily customised workflows in the same tool
  • You planned to run a real team on the free plan; it caps at 250 issues

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

JiraPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›LinearPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Jira vs Monday.comHead-to-head comparisonAsana vs JiraHead-to-head comparisonMotion vs AsanaHead-to-head comparisonAirtable vs SmartsheetHead-to-head comparisonClickUp vs TrelloHead-to-head comparisonAsana vs Monday.comHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Jira vs Linear: Which Issue Tracker Should Your Engineering Team Use in 2026?”, helpcompare.com/jira-vs-linear/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

Start with the job

Guides for the jobs this software does

Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.

Track projects, tasks and deadlinesRun client work at an agencyTrack time and billable hoursAll 50 job guides
Need sign-off?

Turn this into a one-page decision brief

Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.

Build a decision brief

From shortlist to switched

Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 24, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill