Short answer: for a software team that ships in cycles and lives in GitHub, Linear is one of the best tools available, and Jinear does not compete with it on that. Jinear is for teams that want to self-host, or that need a calendar, notes and files next to their tasks. I build Jinear, so keep that in mind.
The short version
Linear is an issue tracker built for speed: keyboard-first, very fast, with cycles, projects, roadmaps, triage and tight GitHub and Slack integration. It has strong opinions about how product teams should work, and many teams love it for that.
Jinear is a general task tool, not an engineering tracker. It has tasks, boards, a calendar, notes and files. As a Linear alternative, it is open source (AGPL-3.0) and runs on your own server if you want. Like Linear, it leans on the keyboard: hold Option (Alt) to see shortcuts, or press Option+J to get a key for every button on the screen.
| Jinear | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Hosted, or self-hosted with Docker Compose | Cloud only |
| Source code | Open source, AGPL-3.0 | Closed source |
| Free plan | Up to 3 people, no task limit | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues |
| Paid plans | Team: $24.90/mo flat, unlimited people | Basic $10, Business $16 per user/mo (billed yearly); Enterprise by quote |
| Cycles, roadmaps, triage | None | Yes |
| Git integration | None | GitHub and GitLab: link PRs, auto-close issues |
| Views | List, status board (kanban), calendar | List, board, timeline, custom views |
| Calendar | Built in, two-way Google Calendar sync, iCal feed | No calendar of tasks |
| Docs and notes | Notebooks with nested rich-text notes | Project documents |
| File storage | Folders with access control | Attachments on issues |
| AI | MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT | Built-in AI features and an MCP server |
| Keyboard | Shortcut hints and a key for every button | Keyboard-first throughout |
Where Linear is better
- Engineering workflow. Cycles, triage, roadmaps, project updates and Git integration that moves issues when a pull request merges. Jinear has none of this.
- Speed and polish. Linear is famous for its speed and its finish. Jinear is fast too, and Linear has more polish in places.
- Integrations. GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Sentry, Zendesk and more.
- Native apps. Desktop and mobile apps. Jinear is an installable web app.
Where Jinear is better
- Self-hosting. Linear has no self-hosted option. Jinear does, with every feature included.
- Non-engineering work. Jinear's calendar, notes and files make it usable for a whole small team, not only for the developers in it.
- Free plan shape. Linear's free plan has unlimited members but stops at 250 issues. Jinear's free plan stops at 3 people but has no task limit, and self-hosting has no limits at all.
- Flat price. Jinear's Team plan does not grow with your headcount.
What it costs a team of 10
- Linear Basic (billed yearly): 10 x $10 = $100 a month
- Linear Business (billed yearly): 10 x $16 = $160 a month
- Jinear Team (billed monthly): $24.90 a month
- Jinear self-hosted: $0, plus the cost of your server
Which one should you pick?
Pick Linear if you are a product and engineering team that works in cycles and wants issues linked to your code. It is very good at that.
Pick Jinear if you need to self-host, if your team's work is more than code, or if you want a calendar, notes and files in the same place as your tasks.