Linear vs Jira: free plan limits and pricing compared
Checked against vendor pages on 2 November 2026. Not based on hands-on testing.
The short answer
The free plans limit opposite things. Linear allows unlimited members but only 250 issues and 2 teams, while Jira allows unlimited tasks but only 10 users. Work out which limit your team would reach first.
Side by side
| Detail | Linear | Jira |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan people | Unlimited members | Up to 10 users |
| Free plan work items | 250 issues | Unlimited goals, projects, tasks and forms |
| Free plan teams or storage | 2 teams | 2 GB of storage |
| Free plan automation | Check Linear's pricing page | 150 automation steps a month |
| Entry paid plan | Basic: $10 a user a month billed yearly | Standard: $8.48 a user a month, shown on Atlassian's page |
| Entry paid plan limits | 5 teams and unlimited issues | 250 GB of storage and 400 automation steps per user a month |
Which should you choose?
This is our judgment, based on the details above.
Choose Linear if
- You have more than 10 people, but few issues to start with
- You're a product team that wants to try issue tracking with no seat limit
- Five teams is enough on the entry paid plan
Choose Jira if
- You're a team of 10 or fewer with a lot of work to track
- You want timeline, calendar and board views on the free plan
- You need user roles and permissions, which come with Standard
Common questions
Is Linear free?
It has a free plan with unlimited members, 2 teams and 250 issues. The Basic plan removes the issue limit.
How many users can use Jira for free?
Atlassian lists the free plan as free forever for up to 10 users.
Are these prices final?
Prices shown can depend on team size, billing period and region, so confirm them on each vendor's page with your own team size.
Sources
Prices and plans change, so confirm them with the vendor before buying. Paying never affects these pages.