Asana vs Linear: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Asana and Linear? Both are popular project management tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Asana is for: Cross-functional teams (marketing, operations, product) who plan projects with timelines, goals and portfolios.
Linear is for: Software teams who want a fast, opinionated issue tracker with cycles, triage and Git integration.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Asana if you plan cross-team projects with timelines, dependencies and Gantt views. Choose Linear if you run product and engineering work as issues, cycles and projects.
Asana vs Linear — Side by Side
| Asana | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management | Project Management |
| What it is | Work management platform | Issue tracker for software teams |
| How work is organised | Projects and tasks with list, board, timeline and calendar views | Issues, cycles and projects per team |
| How you pay | Per user, monthly or annual | Per user, billed yearly on paid plans |
| Free access | Personal plan for 2 users | 250 issues, 2 teams, unlimited members |
| SAML SSO | Enterprise | Enterprise only (Google sign-in on all plans) |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $10.99/user/mo | Free · paid from $10/user/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Best for | Project Management — cross-team projects, timelines, portfolios | Project Management — issue tracking, engineering teams, cycles |
Pros & Cons
- Timeline and Gantt views from Starter
- Goals and portfolios for cross-team planning
- Unlimited free guests on paid plans
- Free plan is limited to 2 users
- SAML SSO only on Enterprise
- AI requests beyond the allowance are billed extra
- Issues, cycles and projects built for software teams
- Unlimited members on the free plan
- Customer requests from Zendesk and Intercom on Business
- Free plan caps you at 250 issues and 2 teams
- SAML SSO only on Enterprise
- Paid plans are billed yearly
Key Features Compared
Asana
- Personal (free): 2 users, unlimited tasks and projects, list, board and calendar views, 100 MB per file
- Starter: $10.99 per user a month billed annually or $13.49 monthly; timeline and Gantt, dashboards, unlimited automations, unlimited free guests
- Advanced: $24.99 per user a month billed annually or $30.49 monthly; portfolios, goals, resource management, approvals and proofing
- Enterprise: custom pricing; SAML, SCIM, capacity planning
- AI Studio on paid plans; extra AI requests $0.50 each in prepaid packs
Linear
- Free: unlimited members, 250 issues, 2 teams, 10 MB file uploads; includes the agent platform, Linear Agent and Loops
- Basic: $10 per user a month billed yearly; unlimited issues, 5 teams, unlimited file uploads, admin roles
- Business: $16 per user a month billed yearly; unlimited teams, private teams and guests, Triage Intelligence, Insights, issue SLAs, Zendesk and Intercom integrations
- Enterprise: custom, annual billing only; SAML and SCIM, audit log, IP restrictions, HIPAA
- Google sign-in on every plan
Choose Asana if…
- You plan cross-team projects with timelines, dependencies and Gantt views.
- You want goals and portfolios to roll up many projects.
- You want unlimited free guests on a paid plan.
Choose Linear if…
- Budget is tight — paid plans start lower ($10/mo vs $10.99/mo).
- You run product and engineering work as issues, cycles and projects.
- You want unlimited members on a free plan while the backlog stays under 250 issues.
- You want customer requests from Zendesk or Intercom linked to issues on the Business plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Asana better than Linear?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Asana if you plan cross-team projects with timelines, dependencies and Gantt views. Choose Linear if you run product and engineering work as issues, cycles and projects.
What is the difference between Asana and Linear?⌄
What it is — Asana: Work management platform. Linear: Issue tracker for software teams. How work is organised — Asana: Projects and tasks with list, board, timeline and calendar views. Linear: Issues, cycles and projects per team. How you pay — Asana: Per user, monthly or annual. Linear: Per user, billed yearly on paid plans. Free access — Asana: Personal plan for 2 users. Linear: 250 issues, 2 teams, unlimited members. SAML SSO — Asana: Enterprise. Linear: Enterprise only (Google sign-in on all plans).
Asana vs Linear: which is cheaper?⌄
Asana pricing: Free · paid from $10.99/user/mo. Linear pricing: Free · paid from $10/user/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
When should I skip both Asana and Linear?⌄
Skip Asana if you need more than 2 users for free. Trello allows 10 collaborators and ClickUp unlimited members. Skip Linear if you need SAML SSO without an enterprise contract. Notion includes it on Business at $20 per member.
Sources · tool facts checked November 2026
See more options in our guide to the best project management tools for startups.
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