Issue tracking and project management · Comparison
Jira vs Linear
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Jira | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Compliance includedIssue tracking with data residency, a self-serve HIPAA BAA and site audit logs on its entry paid plan, at $204.17 a month for 25 people billed annually. | Worth the priceAn issue tracker built for software teams, free for any number of members up to 250 issues, with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and EU hosting. |
| Overall score | 8.7Best | 6.8 |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $9.70/user/mo | $10/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| How seats are sold | Monthly: per user. Annual: by user tier (16–25, 26–50, …) | Per user (unsuspended users in any role) |
| Free plan | Up to 10 users, unlimited work items | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues |
| 25 people, billed annually | $204.17/mo (Standard, $2,450 a year) | $250/mo (Basic, 25 × $10) |
| 25 people, billed monthly | $242.50/mo (25 × $9.70) | Not listed on the pricing page |
| Automation on the entry paid plan | 400 steps per user a month | Triage rules from Business |
| Guests on the entry paid plan | Free, no paid seat | From Business ($16) |
| SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | Both | Both |
| HIPAA BAA | Self-serve on Standard and Premium | On request; HIPAA listed on Enterprise |
| Data residency | Standard and up, 11 locations incl. EU | EU or US, chosen at workspace creation |
| SAML SSO | Atlassian Guard Standard ($1,100 a year for 16–25 users) or Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Audit log | Site changes on Standard; user activity on Enterprise | Enterprise (last 3 months of events) |
| Data export | Site backup with attachments | CSV (no attachment files) and API |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Jira gives the most here on its entry paid plan: compliance controls, free guests and the lowest listed price for 25 people. Budget for Atlassian Guard if you need SAML SSO. | From its public pages, Linear has the most open free plan here and the simplest seat billing. Its lower score reflects guests, automation rules and team controls that start on Business or Enterprise. |
Evidence: Jira: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Linear: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Jira review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Jira when
- You need data residency, a BAA or audit logs without an enterprise contract, or the lowest listed price for 25 people.
- Pick Linear when
- You want simple per-person billing, unlimited members on the free plan and EU hosting chosen at sign-up.
From our Linear review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Linear when
- You want a free plan with no member limit, per-person billing and EU hosting from day one.
- Pick Jira when
- You need data residency, a BAA, audit logs or free guests without an enterprise contract.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- JiraStandard$9.70/user/moBilled monthly at 25 users; annual by user tier: $2,450 a year for 16–25 users
- 400 automation steps per user a month
- Free guests, user roles and permissions
- Data residency and site audit logs
- 250 GB storage, business-hours support
- LinearBasic$10/user/moBilled yearly
- 5 teams, unlimited issues
- Unlimited file uploads
- Admin roles
- Third-party app management
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Jira 2026-10-15, Linear 2026-10-15.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- JiraSelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.7/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- JiraFree plan, no card needed; scored 8.7/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Jira$9.70/user/mo for the Standard (billed monthly) plan.
- Highest overall score
- Jira8.7/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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