Asana and Linear both fall under the project management umbrella, but they serve different jobs. Asana is a general-purpose work management platform: the same…
| Asana | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Project Management | Project Management |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium / Subscription |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not documented | Not documented |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Mac |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Not documented |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes |
Core use case
Asana: Asana is a general work management platform with list, board, timeline, and calendar views for tracking any kind of project.
Linear: Linear is an issue tracker built specifically for software teams, centered on issues, cycles, projects, and initiatives.
Choosing a tool built for the wrong kind of work means fighting the tool's structure instead of benefiting from it.
Free plan limits
Asana: Asana's free Personal plan is capped at 2 users.
Linear: Linear's free plan allows unlimited members but caps the account at up to 2 teams and up to 250 issues.
Free plan limits determine whether a small team can actually collaborate without paying immediately.
Entry-level paid pricing
Asana: Asana's Starter plan is $10.99 per user per month, billed annually.
Linear: Linear's Basic plan is $10 per user per month, billed annually.
Per-seat pricing compounds quickly for larger teams, so even a small per-seat gap matters at scale.
Task view flexibility
Asana: Asana lets teams view the same underlying tasks as a list, board, timeline, or calendar without duplicating data.
Linear: Linear's documented structure centers on cycles, projects, and initiatives rather than multiple interchangeable task views.
Teams with varied reporting needs, such as showing timelines to executives and boards to contributors, need view flexibility.
AI feature availability
Asana: Asana's AI Studio is included on paid tiers, Starter and above, with a monthly AI credit allowance.
Linear: Linear's AI-assisted triage, which helps summarize, deduplicate, and route incoming issues, is available on paid tiers.
AI features are often a deciding factor for teams evaluating recurring subscription costs.
Native Git and PR integration
Asana: Asana's provided facts do not document a native Git or pull request integration.
Linear: Linear links issues directly to branches, commits, and pull requests across GitHub, GitLab, and similar providers, with automatic status updates.
Engineering teams rely on issue-to-code linkage to avoid manually updating ticket status.
Enterprise features as add-ons versus bundled tiers
Asana: Asana offers AI Teammates, Timesheets and Budgets, Compliance Management, and Permissions Management as add-ons available to any plan.
Linear: Linear bundles its advanced admin and security features, such as SAML/SCIM, dedicated support, and advanced admin controls, inside its Enterprise tier.
Add-on pricing lets smaller teams selectively pay for one enterprise capability, while tier-bundled features require a full upgrade to access any of them.
Cross-platform native apps
Asana: Asana's provided facts do not document native desktop or mobile apps.
Linear: Linear offers native desktop apps for Mac and Windows plus mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Native apps affect performance and offline reliability compared with browser-only access.
Self-hosting and on-premise deployment
Asana: Asana's provided facts do not address self-hosted or on-premise deployment.
Linear: Linear explicitly does not offer a self-hosted or on-premise deployment option.
Organizations with strict data-residency or compliance requirements need to know upfront whether on-premise deployment is even possible.
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple task views (list, board, timeline, calendar) | Available | Not documented |
| Sprint-like recurring cycles | Not documented | Available |
| Visual roadmaps | Not documented | Available |
| Dedicated triage inbox for incoming issues | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistance included on paid tiers | Available | Available |
| Monthly AI credit allowance | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Native Git and PR integration (GitHub, GitLab) | Not documented | Available |
| Public API | Not documented | Available |
| Third-party integrations (Slack, Figma, Zendesk, and similar tools) | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in analytics (throughput, cycle time, workload trends) | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Native desktop apps (Mac, Windows) | Not documented | Available |
| Native mobile apps (iOS, Android) | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Modular enterprise add-ons (AI Teammates, Timesheets and Budgets, Compliance Management, Permissions Management) | Available | Not documented |
| SAML/SCIM and advanced security | Not documented | Available |
| Private teams and guest access | Not documented | Available |
| Self-hosted or on-premise deployment | Not documented | Unavailable |
| Feature | Asana | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Limited | Available |
| Entry-level paid tier | Available | Available |
| Custom enterprise pricing | Available | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Both offer free plans and similarly priced entry paid tiers, with Asana's Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month versus Linear's Basic plan at $10 per user per month, but Linear's free plan allows unlimited members while Asana's free Personal plan is capped at just 2 users, making Linear the more accessible free option for small teams.
No, Linear's documented features center on issue tracking, cycles, and Git integrations for software engineering teams, and its own listed limitations state it isn't designed for non-technical departments such as marketing, sales, or HR, so Asana's broader task views make it the better fit there.
Not fully based on the documented facts: Asana's verified feature set centers on task views (list, board, timeline, calendar) and AI Studio, but it doesn't document Linear's engineering-specific features like native Git and PR linking, sprint-like cycles, or a triage inbox.
Yes, Linear's Free plan includes unlimited members, up to 2 teams, up to 250 issues, and core issue tracking, projects, and cycles.
No, Asana's AI Studio is included on paid tiers starting with Starter and above, with a monthly AI credit allowance, and is not part of the free Personal plan.
Linear documents native Git and PR integrations that link issues to branches, commits, and pull requests across GitHub, GitLab, and similar providers, while Asana's verified facts don't document a comparable native Git integration.