Linear vs ClickUp

by Gralio Feb 28, 2025

Linear excels for software development teams prioritizing speed, a clean interface, and tight integrations with developer tools. ClickUp caters to broader project management needs with extensive features and customization options, but can feel overwhelming for smaller, specialized teams.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 5090 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 4 hours, 46 minutes of reading.

Linear

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ClickUp

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About

Linear is a software platform designed for product development teams of all sizes to manage projects and build products efficiently. It provides tools to streamline and track issues, manage sprints, and build product roadmaps. Linear enables teams to collaborate on ideas, plan projects, visualize progress, and gain insights from real-time data analytics. It integrates with popular tools like Slack and Figma, making it a comprehensive solution for managing modern software development workflows.

ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform designed to consolidate various work processes into one centralized location. It offers a wide array of features including task management, project planning, document collaboration, communication tools, goal setting, and automation options. ClickUp aims to enhance team collaboration, improve visibility across projects, and streamline workflows for increased productivity regardless of team size or industry.

Summary

Main difference

Linear is a focused project management tool built for software development teams, emphasizing speed and efficiency with a streamlined interface. ClickUp offers a broader range of functionalities, including task management, document collaboration, and CRM capabilities, making it suitable for diverse teams and projects but potentially overwhelming for smaller, specialized teams.

Relative strengths of Linear (compared to ClickUp)

Superior speed and performance optimized for software development workflows.
Clean, intuitive interface minimizes distractions and learning curve.
Strong integrations with developer tools like GitHub and Slack enhance coding efficiency.

Relative weaknesses of Linear (compared to ClickUp)

Limited customization compared to ClickUp, restricting flexibility for non-software projects.
Fewer features outside core project management functionalities.
Can be too simplistic for teams needing robust CRM or document management capabilities.

Who is using Linear and ClickUp?

No data

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Connor Gillivan

SEO expert; 7x Founder (Exit in 2019)

Bibi The Link Builder

Link Building Expert

Who should use Linear VS. ClickUp

Linear is a powerful product management platform designed to streamline workflows for software development teams of all sizes. Users praise its intuitive interface, keyboard shortcuts, and seamless integrations with tools like Slack and GitHub. However, some users mention limited customization options and occasional bugs. Linear helps teams manage projects, track progress, and collaborate effectively, from daily tasks to large-scale initiatives.

ClickUp is a versatile project management solution praised for its customizable features and collaborative tools. Users appreciate its clean interface and robust task management capabilities. However, some find the extensive features overwhelming and experience occasional glitches. Despite this, ClickUp remains a popular choice for teams seeking a centralized platform to enhance productivity.

Ideal for startups and large enterprises seeking streamlined product development.
Best for software development teams looking to improve collaboration and efficiency.

Ideal for small to large teams seeking an all-in-one platform to streamline workflows.
Suitable for diverse industries, from marketing and software development to education and healthcare.

Linear and ClickUp features

Supported

Partially supported

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Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Intuitive Interface Design

Supported

Linear has a sleek, minimalist, and streamlined interface praised for intuitive design.

Partially supported

ClickUp offers AI-powered prompts and project management tools that can indirectly aid in designing intuitive interfaces.
High Performance

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Linear is built for speed with a high-performance architecture.

Supported

ClickUp is engineered for speed and efficiency, with features like RapidViews DB for faster loading.
Purpose-built Workflows

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Linear supports custom workflows designed for software development, enhancing efficiency.

Supported

ClickUp supports purpose-built workflows to streamline processes, using custom templates and automation.
Team Collaboration Enhancement

Supported

Linear supports team collaboration with features like real-time co-editing and communication tools integration.

Supported

ClickUp offers various features like task management, collaborative docs, and communication tools to enhance team collaboration.
Task Management

Supported

Linear supports creating, managing, assigning, tracking, and organizing tasks.

Supported

ClickUp fully supports task management, including assigning tasks, setting due dates, and tracking progress.
Multiple Project Views

Not supported

Linear supports custom views, but not predefined views like list, board, Gantt, or calendar.

Supported

ClickUp supports multiple project views like list, board, Gantt, calendar, and custom views.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

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Customer Service

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Ease of Use

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Reliability and Performance

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Ease of Implementation

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Scalability

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Linear and ClickUp Pricing

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See full Pricing page

ClickUp offers a tiered subscription pricing model with a free plan and several paid plans. The pricing is per user per month, billed annually. They also offer add-ons like ClickUp AI.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Linear and ClickUp review insights

Users love

Intuitive keyboard shortcuts and custom integrations.
Clean and easy-to-use interface.
Excellent for bug tracking and sprint planning.
Seamless integration with GitHub and Slack.
Fast and efficient performance.

Highly customizable and adaptable to various workflows.
User-friendly interface praised for its clean design.
Effective for team collaboration and communication.
Robust task management features with multiple views.

Users dislike

Limited customization options for ticket labels.
Mobile browser scrolling can be buggy, leading to accidental issue movements.
Goal and initiative tracking could be improved.
Occasional bugs and instability in the web application.
Lack of a native mobile app (Android and iOS).

Occasional glitches and bugs can disrupt workflow.
Mobile app can be glitchy and less intuitive than the desktop version.
Advanced features, like custom workflows, can be complex to set up.
The abundance of features can be overwhelming for new users.

Linear and ClickUp Ratings

G2

4.6/5

(36)
TrustPilot

4.0/5

(4)

G2

4.7/5

(2590)
Capterra

4.6/5

(2460)
TrustPilot

3.1/5

(62)
Glassdoor

3.7/5

(393)

Company health

Employee growth

47% increase in the last year

14% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No change in the last quarter

1% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

June 2023 - $52M

July 2021 - $538M

How do Linear and ClickUp compare in supporting software development workflows?

Linear and ClickUp both offer features for software development workflows, but Linear is more focused on this use case. Linear emphasizes speed and efficiency with a streamlined interface and purpose-built workflows designed for software teams, including robust bug tracking and sprint planning features. ClickUp, while offering task management and project planning suitable for software development, is a more general-purpose platform. Its wider range of features can be beneficial for teams needing broader functionalities beyond development, but its complexity might be less ideal for teams prioritizing a streamlined, development-centric experience.

Which product, Linear or ClickUp, better integrates with existing communication tools?

ClickUp integrates with a broader range of communication tools compared to Linear. While Linear mentions integrations with Slack and Figma, ClickUp offers built-in communication features and integrations with numerous apps via native integrations, Zapier, and other third-party apps, suggesting a more robust and versatile integration ecosystem.

What are the advantages of Linear?

Linear offers a sleek, intuitive interface and purpose-built workflows designed for software development teams, leading to increased efficiency. Its high-performance architecture ensures speed and responsiveness, while integrations with popular tools like Slack and GitHub streamline collaboration. Users praise Linear for its clean design, ease of use, and excellent bug tracking and sprint planning capabilities.

What are the disadvantages of Linear?

Linear has some drawbacks based on user reviews. These include limited customization for ticket labels, buggy mobile browser scrolling leading to accidental issue movements, and areas for improvement in goal and initiative tracking. Occasional bugs and instability in the web application have also been reported, along with the lack of a native mobile app for Android and iOS.

Alternatives to Linear and ClickUp

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate more effectively. Using boards, lists, and cards, teams can easily track progress on projects, from simple to-do lists to complex workflows. Trello offers a high level of customization with features like templates, integrations with other popular apps, and no-code automation. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to use, regardless of technical skill. Trello offers various pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs, including a free plan for small teams.

monday.com

monday.com is a customizable work platform designed to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. It offers a suite of products, including monday work management, monday sales CRM, and monday dev, each tailored to specific team needs. With features like dashboards, automations, and integrations, monday.com enables businesses to manage projects, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. Its flexible and adaptable design caters to various industries and scales as organizations grow.

Jira

Jira is a popular work management tool from Atlassian used by teams of all sizes to track tasks and projects. It helps organize, prioritize, and track work progress through customizable workflows, boards, and reporting features. Although highly configurable and initially popular for software development, Jira is now used by various teams for project management, bug tracking, and issue resolution.

Kitemaker

Kitemaker is a product management software designed for startups and modern product teams. It aims to streamline product development by centralizing user feedback, specification documents, and task management in one platform. Kitemaker promotes team collaboration with its shared workspaces, integrated communication features, and progress tracking tools. It offers integrations with popular platforms such as Figma, Github, Gitlab, and Slack. Kitemaker distinguishes itself by focusing on speed and efficiency, featuring a minimalist design and keyboard-centric shortcuts.

Asana

Asana is a work management platform designed to help teams organize tasks, projects, and goals in one shared space. It offers tools to improve team collaboration, transparency, and accountability. Used by companies of all sizes, it's particularly beneficial for managing complex projects and keeping everyone aligned on priorities. Features include task assignments, progress tracking, deadline setting, and communication tools. Asana aims to streamline workflows, enhance team productivity, and provide a clear overview of project statuses.

Essembi

Essembi is a software platform designed for software companies of all sizes. It combines product management, development, and customer support tools into one system. This allows teams to collect feedback, plan roadmaps, track issues, and manage projects collaboratively. Essembi aims to streamline the software development process, improve communication between teams, and help companies build and release software faster. It offers a free plan for up to 5 users and paid plans for larger teams.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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