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Most buyers should pick Linear.
Choose Linear if your team builds products and needs issue triage, roadmaps, and code-review workflows. Its Basic plan starts at $10 per user/month billed yearly; monthly pricing is not published. Choose Trello for general to-dos, boards, and planning at a lower entry price: Standard is $5 per user/month annually or $6 monthly. Both offer free plans, but Trello caps free use at 10 collaborators and 10 boards; Linear allows unlimited members but caps free use at 250 issues and two teams.
01Side by side
| Linear | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/user/month, billed yearly; monthly price not published | $5/user/month annually or $6 monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited members; two teams, 250 issues | 10 collaborators, 10 boards, 250 command runs/month |
| Best for | Product teams planning and shipping work | People organizing to-dos, ideas, and responsibilities |
| Core strength | Issues, roadmaps, triage, and code reviews | Boards, Planner, integrations, and mirrored to-dos |
| Learning curve | Review ease score: 8/10 | Review ease score: 8.5/10 |
| Integrations/data | Connected-tool automations; Salesforce integration is an add-on | Integrations, mirrored to-dos; Premium includes simple data export |
| Team/seat costs | Basic $10; Business $16 per user/month, billed yearly | Standard $5; Premium $10 per user/month, billed yearly |
| Support | Enterprise includes priority support and migration/onboarding support | Enterprise includes 24/7 Enterprise Admin support |
Linear Choose Linear if
- Choose Linear if product work needs issues, roadmaps, and triage.
- Choose Linear if code-review workflows matter to your team.
- Choose Linear if unlimited issues are worth its annual starting price.
Trello Choose Trello if
- Choose Trello if you want a cheaper paid starting plan.
- Choose Trello if boards and mirrored to-dos fit your workflow.
- Choose Trello if Premium views or simple data export matter.
02Pricing compared
Both have free plans, but their limits work differently. Linear Free allows unlimited members, two teams, 250 issues, and 10MB file uploads. Its Basic plan is $10 per user/month billed yearly; monthly pricing is not published. Business costs $16 per user/month billed yearly.
Trello Free is capped at 10 collaborators, 10 boards, 250 command runs per month, and 10MB files. Standard costs $5 per user/month annually or $6 monthly. Premium is $10 annually or $12.50 monthly. Enterprise is $17.50 per user/month, billed annually. So Trello has the lower paid entry price, while Linear’s free plan permits more members but limits issues. Trello’s free plan limits collaborators and boards instead.
03Features and depth
Linear is the more product-development-specific option. Its feature set covers issue management, initiatives, roadmaps, projects, product requirements documents, triage, code reviews, and automations. It also describes AI agents that can work on tasks or handle issues end-to-end, plus AI workflows for organizing incoming work. The published plan details list Triage Intelligence on Business; they don’t map every other feature to a plan.
Trello’s core model is organizing to-dos, ideas, and responsibilities through Inbox, Boards, and Planner. It also lists integrations, automation, and mirrored to-dos across locations. Premium adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map views, plus admin and security features. Standard includes AI features, according to the pricing details. The split is practical: Linear is aimed at product workflows from issue intake through shipping; Trello offers a general task-and-board setup. Don’t assume Trello’s views or Linear’s advanced controls come with every tier.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Trello’s boards, Inbox, and Planner describe a general-purpose way to organize work, so it is the simpler fit when the team mainly needs shared to-dos and planning. Linear’s issue, roadmap, triage, and code-review workflows are more tailored to product teams; that depth may mean more setup if your team only needs basic task lists.
The published reviews score Trello 8.5 for ease of use and Linear 8, but those scores alone don’t establish how quickly your team will adopt either tool. Check whether your work fits Trello’s board-based organization or Linear’s product-work structure before switching. Neither product’s published details specify onboarding time or a learning curve.
Questions people ask
Is Trello free to use?
Yes. Trello has a free plan for up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, with 250 command runs per month and a 10MB maximum file size. If you need unlimited boards, Standard starts at $5 per user/month with annual billing or $6 monthly.
How does Jira compare to Linear?
The information available here covers Linear and Trello, not Jira, so we can’t make a sourced feature or price comparison. Linear is described as product-development software with issue management, roadmaps, triage, and code-review workflows. Check Jira’s current pricing and feature details separately before choosing.
Which is better, Jira or Asana?
We don’t have sourced Jira or Asana pricing and feature details in this comparison, so we can’t responsibly name a winner. The choice depends on your workflows and plan limits. Compare current pricing, required features, and migration costs directly before switching.
What are some good alternatives to Trello?
Linear may suit teams that need product issue management, roadmaps, triage, and code-review workflows rather than general-purpose boards. Its Basic plan starts at $10 per user/month billed yearly, and monthly pricing is not published. Trello remains cheaper to enter on a paid plan, at $5 per user/month annually for Standard.