Plane vs Linear: Which Issue Tracker Should You Use in 2026?

A factual comparison of Plane and Linear for engineering and product teams, covering pricing, features, self-hosting, and migration steps.

Updated 2026-10 · 2026

Plane

Open-source project management for software teams

Free (self-hosted or cloud), paid plans from $8/user/monthuser/month

Strengths

+Fully open-source, can self-host for free with no user limits
+Free cloud tier is generous (unlimited members on the free plan)
+Supports issues, cycles, modules, pages, and views out of the box

Weaknesses

-UI and performance feel less polished than Linear
-Smaller third-party integration ecosystem
-Self-hosting requires Docker/ops knowledge to maintain

Best for

Budget-conscious teams or startups that want control over their data and don't mind self-hosting or a slightly rougher UI.

Linear

Issue tracking built for high-performance software teams

Free for small teams, Basic $8/user/month, Business $14/user/monthuser/month

Strengths

+Extremely fast, keyboard-driven UI with near-zero lag
+Polished cycles, roadmaps, and triage workflows
+Deep integrations (GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry)

Weaknesses

-Free plan caps at 250 issues and limited features
-Closed-source — no self-hosting option
-Costs scale quickly as team size grows

Best for

Funded startups and product teams that want speed and polish and are fine paying per seat as they scale.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Plane	Linear
Free tier	Unlimited members, core features	Capped at 250 issues
Self-hosting	Yes, free (Docker)	No
Open source	Yes (AGPL)	No
Cycles / Sprints	Yes	Yes
Roadmaps	Yes (Business plan)	Yes
Keyboard-first UI	Partial	Yes, extensive
GitHub/GitLab sync	Yes	Yes, deeper two-way sync
Slack integration	Yes	Yes
API access	Yes, REST API (free)	Yes, GraphQL API (paid plans)
Mobile apps	Yes (basic)	Yes (polished iOS/Android)
Pricing at 20 users	$0 (self-host) or ~$160/mo (cloud Pro)	~$160–280/mo

The Verdict

Linear wins on speed, polish, and integration depth, which matters once your team ships fast and needs zero friction. Plane wins on cost and control, especially if you're willing to self-host or stay under the free tier's limits. If budget is the main constraint, start with Plane; if you need the smoothest day-to-day experience and can pay per seat, Linear is worth it.

How to switch from Plane to Linear

1Export your Plane data: go to Settings > Exports in your workspace and download issues, cycles, and modules as CSV files (or run a Postgres dump if self-hosted).
2Clean up the CSV files to match Linear's import schema — rename columns like 'status' and 'assignee' to align with Linear's expected headers.
3In Linear, go to Settings > Import/Export > CSV import and upload your cleaned files, mapping fields during the import wizard.
4Recreate your Plane cycles as Linear cycles and rebuild any GitHub/GitLab or Slack integrations using Linear's native integration settings.
5Manually recreate custom workflows, labels, and automations since Plane's workflow states don't map 1:1 to Linear's issue states.
6Run both tools in parallel for one sprint, then archive the Plane workspace (or keep it read-only) once the team confirms all data transferred correctly.

Plane vs Linear: common questions

How do I export my data from Plane before switching to Linear?+

Plane lets you export workspace data as CSV from Settings > Exports, or via direct database access if self-hosted (Postgres dump). There's no native Plane-to-Linear migration tool, so you'll need to map CSV fields (title, description, status, assignee) to Linear's CSV import format manually.

What features will I lose moving from Plane to Linear?+

You lose self-hosting and full data ownership — Linear is cloud-only and closed-source. You also lose Plane's free unlimited-member tier, since Linear's free plan caps at 250 issues and limited features.

Is Linear's free plan enough for a small team?+

It can work for teams under 10 people with low issue volume, but the 250-issue cap is easy to hit within a few months of active use. Most teams end up on the $8/user/month Basic plan within the first year.

Does Linear support the same integrations as Plane?+

Linear has a broader native integration list, including Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Figma, Sentry, and Zendesk, with deeper two-way sync than Plane currently offers. If you rely on custom webhooks or Plane's API for internal tools, you'll need to rebuild those against Linear's GraphQL API.

Will switching to Linear cost more over time?+

Yes, almost certainly — Plane's self-hosted option is free indefinitely, while Linear charges per seat and costs increase as your team grows. For a 20-person team, expect roughly $160–280/month on Linear versus $0 (self-hosted) or a comparable Plane cloud plan.