Acadanex comparison
Linear vs Trello
Fast, keyboard-first issue tracking for product teams versus a simple visual kanban board. Compare current pricing, limits, and who each tool actually suits.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | freemium — Free tier for small teams; paid plans per user per month. | freemium — Free plan with paid Business and Enterprise tiers. |
| Website | linear.app | trello.com |
| Editorial review | Not reviewed yet | Not reviewed yet |
| Best for | Software product development teams, Teams building AI-assisted issue workflows, Startups to enterprises needing issue tracking, Orgs requiring SSO, audit and HIPAA controls | Individuals and small teams wanting simple visual boards, Marketing, design, engineering and remote teams, Teams seeking lightweight kanban task management, Enterprises needing Atlassian Guard SSO and admin controls |
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Editorial verdict
Choose Linear if: You run a software/product team and want a fast, keyboard-first issue tracker with cycles, projects and AI-assisted workflows (per linear.app).
Choose Trello if: You want simple, visual kanban boards that anyone can pick up in minutes without adopting a developer workflow (per trello.com).
Overall: Both are freemium. Linear's free plan caps at 250 issues and two teams; Trello's free plan caps at 10 boards and 10 collaborators. Choose Linear when you want structured software delivery, and Trello when you want the most approachable board for general tasks.
This verdict is independent of any affiliate or commercial relationship with either product.
What they are
Linear (linear.app) is an issue tracking and product development platform designed around projects, cycles and AI-assisted workflows. Trello (trello.com) is a kanban-based task management tool organized around boards, cards and Power-Ups.
Pricing (official pages, checked September 2026)
- Linear: free for unlimited members with 2 teams and 250 issues; Basic $10 and Business $16 per user/month billed yearly; Enterprise is custom (linear.app/pricing).
- Trello: free for up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards; Standard $5, Premium $10, Enterprise $17.50 per user/month billed annually (trello.com/pricing).
Where they differ
- Linear is keyboard-first and built around software delivery (issues, cycles, initiatives, GitHub automation, AI workflows).
- Trello is board-first and general purpose — many teams use its Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views for things beyond engineering.
- Linear's Enterprise tier adds SAML/SCIM, audit log, HIPAA and an uptime SLA; Trello's Enterprise adds Atlassian Guard SSO and admin controls.
- Trello is cloud-only; Linear is also cloud-hosted (no on-prem version published on its pricing page).
Bottom line
Neither tool has a fully free unlimited tier, so size your choice by workflow: product/engineering delivery leans Linear; approachable boards for any team leans Trello.
Ratings reflect Acadanex's published editorial reviews only. Tools without a published review show no rating. Last updated 14 Sept 2026.