---
title: "Asana vs Linear: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder"
description: "Asana vs Linear compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which project management tool is the better fit for your startup."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/asana-vs-linear
retrieved: 2026-11-06
---

![](https://appstackbuilder.com/asana.svg)

vs

![](https://appstackbuilder.com/linear.svg)

# Asana vs Linear: Which is Better in 2026?

Project Management

Choosing between [Asana](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/asana) and [Linear](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/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

![](https://appstackbuilder.com/asana.svg)

[Asana](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/asana)

* ✓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

![](https://appstackbuilder.com/linear.svg)

[Linear](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/linear)

* ✓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.

[Asana review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/asana)

### 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.

[Linear review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/linear)

## 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

1. 1.[Asana pricingasana.com ](https://asana.com/pricing)
2. 2.[Linear pricinglinear.app ](https://linear.app/pricing)

See more options in our guide to the [best project management tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/project%5Fmanagement).

## Still not sure which to pick?

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