Linear vs Jira vs GitHub Projects: issue tracking for small software teams
Stack Founder HQ · Updated 18 October 2026 · Running the business · How we write
Every software team needs somewhere to track bugs, features and plans. Jira is Atlassian's long-established, highly configurable tracker, used by companies of every size. Linear is a newer, opinionated tool designed for speed, with a fixed set of concepts such as cycles, projects and triage. GitHub Projects is the planning layer built into GitHub, alongside your code, issues and pull requests.
*Prices checked on 18 October 2026 on linear.app/pricing, atlassian.com/software/jira/pricing and github.com/pricing. US dollars.*
Prices at a glance
| Free plan | Paid plans | |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues | Basic $10 per user a month; Business $16 per user a month (both billed yearly); Enterprise custom |
| Jira | Free for up to 10 users | Standard, Premium and Enterprise, priced per user. Use Atlassian's calculator for your team size |
| GitHub Projects | Included with GitHub Free (unlimited public and private repositories) | Included with GitHub Team, listed at $4 per user a month for the first 12 months |
Linear
Linear's Free plan allows unlimited members but only 2 teams and 250 issues. That is enough to try it properly, but an active team can reach 250 issues fairly quickly. Check Linear's pricing page for how the limit is counted. Basic ($10 per user a month, billed yearly) gives 5 teams, unlimited issues, unlimited file uploads and admin roles. Business ($16 per user a month, billed yearly) adds unlimited teams, private teams and guests, triage features, Linear Insights, and Zendesk and Intercom integrations.
Linear's strengths are speed and focus. It is keyboard-driven, it's fast, and it has built-in cycles (time-boxed sprints), projects and initiatives without much configuration. Integrations with GitHub and GitLab link pull requests to issues and move them through statuses automatically. The trade-off is flexibility: Linear deliberately offers fewer custom workflow options than Jira. If you are moving from Jira, see our guide to moving from Jira to Linear on our sister site.
Jira
Jira's Free plan supports up to 10 users, which makes it free for many small teams. Atlassian's pricing page lists the paid plans as Standard, Premium and Enterprise. They add more storage, automation allowances, permissions, support and, on higher plans, cross-team planning and uptime commitments. Prices are per user and depend on team size, so use the calculator on Atlassian's page.
Jira's strength is configurability: custom workflows, issue types, fields, permissions and automation rules, plus a large marketplace of apps. It is often the default in larger organisations and in teams that need detailed process control or reporting. The flip side is that a Jira site can become complicated to administer. Small teams often get the most from it by keeping the configuration simple.
GitHub Projects
If your code is on GitHub, Projects is already available. GitHub's documentation describes a project as an adaptable table, board and roadmap built from your issues and pull requests. It supports custom fields, saved views, charts, templates, status updates and automation. Changes sync both ways, so editing an item in the project updates the issue.
GitHub's pricing page lists Issues and Projects among the features of the Free plan. The Team plan adds features such as protected branches on private repositories and more Actions minutes. GitHub listed it at $4 per user a month for the first 12 months, so check the regular price.
GitHub Projects is a good fit for teams that live in GitHub and want planning to sit right next to the code. It is less suitable if non-developers (support, sales or design) need to file and track work, because they would need GitHub accounts and access to the relevant repositories. It also has fewer built-in reporting and roadmap features than dedicated tools.
What a five-person team would pay
Using the published prices above, with yearly billing where stated:
| Tool | Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | Basic, 5 × $10 | $50 |
| Linear | Business, 5 × $16 | $80 |
| Jira | Free (up to 10 users) | $0 |
| GitHub Projects | Free | $0, or 5 × $4 = $20 on Team for the first year |
At this size, Jira Free and GitHub Projects cost nothing. Linear's price buys its speed and design rather than features you can't get elsewhere. Many teams decide the time saved is worth it, but that's a judgement for your team to make during a trial.
Things to consider beyond price
- Who files issues? If customers' bug reports come through support staff, choose a tool where non-developers can work comfortably. Linear and Jira both handle this. GitHub is mainly for developers.
- Integration with code. All three link issues to pull requests. GitHub's is the most direct, because the issues and pull requests are in the same place.
- Migration. Linear has importers for Jira, GitHub Issues and others. Jira has importers for CSV and other tools. Moving away from GitHub Issues is also well supported by other tools. Lock-in is moderate for all three.
- Growth. Jira's free plan stops at 10 users, and Linear's at 250 issues. Plan for what happens when you pass those limits.
Which to choose
- Linear if your team values speed and a clean, opinionated workflow, and $10–$16 per user a month is acceptable.
- Jira if you need flexible workflows and reporting, or have up to 10 users and want a free, full-featured tracker.
- GitHub Projects if your team works mainly in GitHub and wants planning next to the code, at no extra cost.