When you need to choose a workflow tool, the decision often lands between Linear and Startups. Both promise speed, collaboration, and a modern UI, but they differ in pricing, feature depth, and target audience. This guide breaks down every major factor, gives a side‑by‑side matrix, and tells you exactly when to pick Linear or Startups for your team.
Linear is a fast issue tracker and product roadmap tool built for software teams. It syncs tightly with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, and offers a keyboard‑first interface.
Startups (the SaaS platform at startups.com) is a broader business‑operations suite. It includes project tracking, OKR management, and a built‑in CRM for early‑stage companies.
Both services have tiered pricing. Below are the 2026 rates for the most common plans.
| Plan | Linear | Startups |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 10 users, 5 active projects, basic reporting. | Free tier discontinued; 14‑day trial only. |
| Starter / Basic | $8 /user / mo (billed annually) – unlimited projects, workflow automation. | $10 /user / mo – unlimited projects, OKR module, email support. |
| Professional / Premium | $12 /user / mo – advanced analytics, SSO, priority support. | $18 /user / mo – custom branding, API access, phone support. |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing – self‑hosted, dedicated account manager. | Custom pricing – includes dedicated success manager, compliance tools. |
For a team of five, Linear Starter costs $40 /mo (annual) while Startups Basic costs $50 /mo. Linear wins on pure cost at low headcount.
| Feature | Linear | Startups |
|---|---|---|
| Issue tracking | Yes – fast keyboard shortcuts, Git sync. | Yes – ticket style, less dev‑focused. |
| Roadmap view | Built‑in timeline with drag‑and‑drop. | Roadmap widget only in Premium. |
| OKR management | No native OKR, integration via API. | Full OKR module, quarterly templates. |
| CRM | No. | Integrated contact and pipeline view. |
| Automation | Rules engine, Zapier, native webhooks. | Automation builder, limited to 10 triggers on Basic. |
| Reporting & analytics | Real‑time cycle‑time, burndown, velocity. | KPI dashboards, but no cycle‑time. |
| Mobile apps | iOS & Android native. | Responsive web only (no native apps). |
| Self‑hosted option | Docker image for Enterprise. | Cloud‑only. |
| Integrations | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Figma, Sentry. | Slack, Gmail, HubSpot, Stripe, Notion. |
| Security | SAML SSO, 2FA, ISO‑27001 (Enterprise). | SAML SSO, 2FA, SOC 2 (Premium). |
Linear’s Starter plan at $8 per user per month is cheaper than Startups’ Basic $10 plan. For a five‑person team, Linear saves about $10 each month.
Yes. Linear includes a roadmap view where you can drag milestones, set target dates, and link issues directly to releases.
Startups provides a 14‑day free trial of its Premium plan. No credit card is required, and you get full access to CRM and OKR features during the trial.
Linear’s analytics dashboard gives real‑time cycle‑time, lead‑time, and burndown charts. Startups offers high‑level KPI widgets but lacks the detailed engineering metrics that Linear provides.
Linear offers a self‑hosted Docker image for Enterprise customers. Startups only runs as a cloud service.
Both Linear and Startups solve overlapping problems, yet each shines in a different arena. Linear excels for software teams that need speed, deep Git integration, and a low‑cost entry point. Startups shines for early‑stage companies that want a single platform for CRM, OKRs, and project tracking. Use the matrix above, weigh the pros and cons, and pick the tool that aligns with your team’s workflow and budget.