Linear vs Jira Pricing (2026)
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Team size
25 seats

Linear vs Jira

Developer Tools pricing comparison · 2026

Linear has a free plan, then $10–$16/user/mo, while Jira has a free plan, then $8.48–$15.56/user/mo. Jira is typically 8% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

See Linear pricing → See Jira pricing →
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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Linear pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Jira pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Developer Tools
Side-by-side · live
Linear
Linear has emerged as the modern alternative to Jira, designed specifically for high-veloc
verified 1d ago
$700 $86K
View pricing →
Jira
Jira is free for up to 10 users; for small teams on monthly billing, Standard is $9.
verified today
$700 $86K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Linear median is $85K less than Jira · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $700
Spread 99%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Pricing model unknown
Pricing model unknown
no public list price found
Premium
$4.7K/yr
year 1 license · $16/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$700/yr
Vendr · n=368
Median annual
$86K/yr
Vendr · n=484 avg 11% negotiated
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 9 sourced facts
5 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1d ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 30 sourced facts
24 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified today
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Guest user access requires paid seats
    $8-$16/guest/month
    1 source
  • Enterprise features locked behind expensive tier
    Variable - Enterprise pricing not disclosed
    1 source
  • Per-seat pricing scales poorly for larger teams
    $10-$16/user/month
    1 source
  • Enterprise Feature Lock-In for Security Requirements
    2-3x cost increase vs Business tier for compliance-driven teams
    1 source
  • Annual-Only Billing Locks in Spending
    $120-$192/user/year in committed spend with no monthly flexibility
    1 source
5 documented
  • Data Center licensing cost increase after Server Edition sunset
    $10,000-$100,000 in migration costs
    1 source
  • Per-user pricing model becomes expensive at scale
    $5-$15/user/month above competitor pricing
    2 sources
  • Expensive plugins and extensions
    $2-$10/user/month per plugin
    1 source
  • Atlassian product stack pricing accumulation
    $10-$30/user/month for full Atlassian stack
    1 source
  • GitLab pricing comparison pushed teams to Atlassian
    $5,000-$20,000 in migration costs
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Linear
Jira
Auto-renewal
Yes
Yes
Cancellation
✓ Cancel anytime for monthly plans; annual plans commit for the full year with no mid-term refunds
Contact required before renewal date
Commitment
Annual billing required on all paid plans
✓ 1 year for annual plans, month-to-month available
Price escalation
No published annual uplift schedule; pricing has remained stable since launch
5-20% annual price increase every October (5-10% for Jira/Confluence, 8-20% for Jira Service Management). Annual contracts signed before October lock in current pricing.
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Based on 4 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9out of 5 (58)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
Best for
Everyone getting started
Watch out
Limited customization and reporting capabilities
TrustRadius
7.5out of 5 (6)
Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (24)
Best for
Small teams up to 10 users getting started with agile project management
Watch out
Complex and overwhelming UI for new users
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Linear pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Jira pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Option A

Linear

Free plan; paid $10–$16
/user/mo
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Option B

Jira

Free plan; paid $8.48–$15.56
/user/mo
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Comparing Linear and Jira pricing in the Developer Tools space. Linear ranges from $0-16/user/month, while Jira costs $0-30/user/month. This detailed comparison breaks down pricing tiers, features, and value to help you choose the right tool for your team.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Linear Jira
Free Free /month Free /month
Basic Custom $8.48 /user/month
Business Custom $15.56 /user/month
Enterprise Custom Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Linear

3 scenarios
$800/month ($9,600/year)
50-Person Engineering Organization
$16 x 50 users, billed annually
$960
Small product team (10 members)
$1,920 per year for 10 users on Basic or Business tier
$6,000
Growing startup (50 members)
$9,600 per year for 50 users on Basic or Business tier, plus Enterprise costs for advanced features if needed

Jira

6 scenarios
$950 Year 1
Small Team (10 users, Standard)
on Standard billed annually (1–10 user tier), or $1,164 billed monthly ($9.70/user/month × 10 × 12). Marketplace apps and onboarding are extra.
$5,088 Year 1
Mid-Market Team (50 users, Standard + Confluence)
for Jira Standard ($8.48/month billed monthly × 50 users × 12 months). Confluence Standard is priced separately and added on top, as are any marketplace apps.
Not re-checked at 200 users after Atlassian's October 2026 price change; get an exact quote from Atlassian's pricing calculator. For reference, Jira Premium is $19.60/user/month billed monthly at 5–50 users and $15.56 at 300 users, and Confluence Premium is $14.10/user/month billed monthly at 50 users. Atlassian Guard and marketplace apps extra.
Enterprise Deployment (200 users, Premium + Confluence Premium)
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Linear

Median annual cost
$700
Based on
368 deals

Jira

Median annual cost
$85,618
Average negotiated discount
11%
Based on
484 deals

What Users Say

Linear

Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
TrustRadius
9out of 10 (58)
Top complaints
  • Limited customization and reporting capabilities
  • Enterprise features locked behind expensive tier
  • Not suitable for complex workflows or large organizations

Jira

Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (24)
TrustRadius
7.5out of 10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Complex and overwhelming UI for new users
  • Performance slowdowns with large projects or heavy configurations
  • Steep learning curve requiring 2-3 weeks for onboarding

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Linear 5 hidden costs

medium
Guest user access requires paid seats $8-$16/guest/month
high
Enterprise features locked behind expensive tier Variable - Enterprise pricing not disclosed
medium
Per-seat pricing scales poorly for larger teams $10-$16/user/month
high
Enterprise Feature Lock-In for Security Requirements 2-3x cost increase vs Business tier for compliance-driven teams
medium
Annual-Only Billing Locks in Spending $120-$192/user/year in committed spend with no monthly flexibility
See all Linear hidden costs →

Jira 13 hidden costs

high
Data Center licensing cost increase after Server Edition sunset $10,000-$100,000 in migration costs
high
Per-user pricing model becomes expensive at scale $5-$15/user/month above competitor pricing (source dated Jun 2017)
medium
Expensive plugins and extensions $2-$10/user/month per plugin
medium
Atlassian product stack pricing accumulation $10-$30/user/month for full Atlassian stack
medium
GitLab pricing comparison pushed teams to Atlassian $5,000-$20,000 in migration costs
See all Jira hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Linear Jira
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation Cancel anytime for monthly plans; annual plans commit for the full year with no mid-term refunds Contact required before renewal date
Minimum commitment Annual billing required on all paid plans 1 year for annual plans, month-to-month available
Price escalation No published annual uplift schedule; pricing has remained stable since launch 5-20% annual price increase every October (5-10% for Jira/Confluence, 8-20% for Jira Service Management). Annual contracts signed before October lock in current pricing.
Can downgrade Yes Yes

Continue researching

Linear

Jira

Our Verdict

Choose Linear if you need a solution optimized for small teams or individual developers with its pricing model starting at $0-16/user/month. The platform excels in its category with strong feature depth.

Choose Jira if you prefer a solution designed for small teams or individual developers with pricing at $0-30/user/month, offering a different approach to solving similar problems with its own strengths.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What is the starting price for Linear vs Jira?

Linear starts at Free with their Free tier, while Jira begins at Free with their Free plan.

02 What are the enterprise pricing options?

For enterprise needs, Linear offers Custom pricing at their Enterprise level, while Jira provides Custom pricing with their Enterprise tier.

03 Which has a better free plan: Linear or Jira?

Both offer free plans. Jira Free supports up to 10 users with basic project tracking. Linear Free also supports small teams with unlimited issues. For teams under 10, both free plans are functional and competitive.

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