Linear vs Teamwork: Which Is Better in 2026?
Linear is an issue tracker for software product teams, known mostly for being fast. Teamwork is built for companies that do work for clients. Linear’s strength is giving engineers and product managers a quick, uncluttered place to plan and ship; Teamwork’s is tying project delivery to hours and budgets, so an agency can see whether a job is profitable.
01Pricing
Linear: the Basic plan costs $10/user/mo, about $100 a month for a team of ten. Teamwork: the Basics plan costs $9.99/user/mo, about $100 a month for a team of ten (there is a 3-seat minimum). At ten people the two cost about the same. Linear has a free plan (unlimited members, capped at 250 issues). Teamwork has a free plan (up to 5 users and 5 projects).
| Team size | Linear | Teamwork |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $50 | $50 |
| 10 users | $100 | $100 |
| 25 users | $250 | $250 |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 250 issues; 2 teams; Unlimited members; 10MB file uploads | |
| Basic | $10/user | n/a | 5 teams | Unlimited issues; 5 teams; Unlimited file uploads; Admin roles |
| Business | $16/user | n/a | Unlimited teams; Private teams and guests; Triage Intelligence; Code Intelligence | |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Annual billing only | SAML and SCIM; Invoice/PO billing; Enterprise-grade security; Priority support |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 5 users; Up to 5 projects; 100 MB storage; 100 automations | |
| Basics | $9.99/user | n/a | 3-seat minimum; 300 projects; 100 GB storage; 5,000 automations | Unlimited templates; Billable time tracking and reporting; Gantt, Table, List, Board views |
| Accelerate | $24.99/user | n/a | 5-seat minimum; 600 projects; 250 GB storage; 20,000 automations | Smart intake forms; Workload and capacity planning; Time budgets; Client invoicing |
| Optimize | Custom | Custom | Unlimited projects; 500 GB storage; 100,000 automations | Quotes; CRM-to-projects workflow; Resource scheduling by role/skill; Profitability insights |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited projects; 1,000 GB storage; 100,000 automations | Advanced security enforcement; Single Sign-On; Dedicated success manager; Priority support |
Prices are per month on annual billing. † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. Linear pricing and Teamwork pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
Linear
Linear is an issue tracker for software product teams, known mostly for being fast. Keyboard shortcuts drive everything, cycles replace sprints, and projects and roadmaps sit on top of the issue list. It has firm opinions about how product development should run and offers little room to argue.
- Best at
- Giving engineers and product managers a quick, uncluttered place to plan and ship.
- Falls short
- It is built for software teams, so marketing, operations and client work fit it badly, and its reporting is lighter than Jira’s.
Teamwork
Teamwork is built for companies that do work for clients. Projects sit alongside time tracking, budgets, billing and resource scheduling, and clients can be given their own access to follow along. It is a delivery tool for agencies and consultancies first, and a general project manager second.
- Best at
- Tying project delivery to hours and budgets, so an agency can see whether a job is profitable.
- Falls short
- It is more than an internal team needs, and the interface is busier than lighter tools.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Teamwork | The right choice when the business bills clients by the hour. |
| Enterprise | Linear | A strong fit for the engineering organization inside a larger company, less so for everyone else. |
| Freelancers | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for freelancers. |
| Startups | Linear | The default for software startups that want to plan and ship without ceremony. |
| Remote Teams | Linear | Fast, asynchronous issue tracking for distributed engineering teams. |
04Verdict
Choose Linear if you are a software team that values speed and focus over configurability. Choose Teamwork if you bill clients for your time and want projects, hours and budgets in one system.
05FAQ
Is Linear or Teamwork cheaper?
For a team of ten, Linear comes to about $100 a month and Teamwork to about $100. Prices are per month on annual billing.
Do Linear and Teamwork have free plans?
Linear has a free plan (unlimited members, capped at 250 issues). Teamwork has a free plan (up to 5 users and 5 projects).
Which is easier to learn, Linear or Teamwork?
There is little between them: both are moderately involved to set up.
Which is better for startups, Linear or Teamwork?
Linear. The default for software startups that want to plan and ship without ceremony.