Linear alternative
The Linear alternative for teams that track time and bill.
Projects, time tracking and billing for the whole team, not just engineering.
Quick answer
55 wordsIf your team is more than engineers and needs time tracking and billing on its work, switch to Airtask. Linear is a fast, focused issue tracker for software teams, with no native time tracking, timesheets or billing. Airtask runs projects and tasks for mixed teams, logs hours on each one and calculates cost, at one flat price. Airtask puts the whole team, their time and their billing on one board, at one flat price.
The short version
Four reasons teams go looking for a Linear alternative.
Built for engineers, not the whole team.
Linear is tuned for software teams. Marketing, ops and client-facing teams working alongside them want something less issue-and-cycle shaped.
No native time tracking.
Linear has no timer or timesheets. Hours on work, and the reports built from them, live in another tool.
No billing or cost from hours.
There are no billing models or billable rates. For teams that bill clients, project cost and invoicing sit outside Linear.
Per seat, every month.
The bill scales with headcount, and bringing non-engineering teams onto it adds seats fast.
Head to head
Where each platform is stronger.
Four places teams feel the difference, every day.
01Time tracking on tasks
Airtask wins02Billing and cost from hours
Airtask wins03Fits the whole team, not just engineers
Airtask wins04Flat pricing, not per seat
Airtask winsComparison
Linear vs Airtask.
What changes when the whole team, and its hours, are on one board.
Task structure
- Linear
- Issues, projects, cycles
- Airtask
- Projects, tasks, child tasks
Time tracking
- Linear
- No native time tracking
- Airtask
- On every task with a timer, reconciled with timesheets
Timesheets with approval
- Linear
- Not native
- Airtask
- Weekly view, submit, approve or reject
Billing models
- Linear
- Not built in
- Airtask
- Non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed, inherited
Cost tracking
- Linear
- Not built in
- Airtask
- Calculated from approved timesheet time
Sprints
- Linear
- Cycles (time-boxed sprints)
- Airtask
- Scrum and Kanban, sprints, backlog
Audience
- Linear
- Software teams
- Airtask
- Mixed teams: ops, marketing, client work
Engineering workflow
- Linear
- Triage, GitHub links, roadmaps
- Airtask
- General project workflow
Pricing
- Linear
- Per user, every month
- Airtask
- Flat per workspace, the whole team in
Pricing
Flat per workspace. Not per head.
Linear charges per seat. Airtask charges for the workspace, so the whole team, engineers and not, is in.
200 people on Linear Business is about $3,200 a month, and still no time tracking or billing. On Airtask Plus it's $49.
* Linear list prices checked October 2026 (annual billing); Linear has no native time tracking or billing.
Issues become tasks. Real hours underneath.
Projects, tasks and child tasks cover the work the way issues and projects do in Linear, and they add logged time and approved timesheet hours beneath, so the whole team's hours and the project's cost sit on one board.
What do I gain over Linear?
Time tracking, timesheets and billing that Linear does not have, a layout the whole team can pick up instead of engineers only, and one flat price instead of per seat.
What powers the reports?
Logged time and approved timesheet hours, not estimates. The number in the report is the number the team worked, across every team on the board.
Does Airtask do sprints?
Yes. Scrum and Kanban boards, sprints and a backlog, much like Linear's cycles, plus time and billing on top.
The platform
Three things built into Airtask that Linear leaves to other tools.
Time tracked on the task, for every team.
Open a task and see every hour logged against it: who, when, how long. A real timer, reconciled with timesheets, for engineers and the teams working alongside them.
- LinearNo native time tracking or timesheets.
- AirtaskTimer and approved timesheets in the base product. Every hour reconciles with the task.
Billing that lives inside the project.
Pick a billing model per project: non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed or inherited. Override the rate per team member. Project cost calculates from approved time.
- LinearNo billing models or billable rates; Linear is not built to bill.
- AirtaskFive billing models, a per-member rate override, cost from approved time.
Four views for the whole team.
Build filters visually with Where, Field, Condition and Value. Switch views without a keyboard-first learning curve: List for tracking, Board for flow, Calendar for planning, Notebook for notes.
- LinearLinear's fast, keyboard-driven flow is built for software teams.
- AirtaskList, Board, Calendar and a linked Notebook, friendly for non-engineers too.
Who switches
Who actually needs to switch.
Mixed teams, not just engineering.
If ops, marketing or client teams share the board with engineers, a tool shaped only for software is overhead for everyone else.
Teams that bill clients by the hour.
Built-in billing models and cost from approved time give you what Linear was never built to do.
Teams that want time and cost on one tool.
If hours live in one tool and project cost in another, Airtask puts logged time and cost on the same board.
Migration
From Linear issues to your first project.
Set up your workspace.
Create projects and invite the whole team, not just engineering. No admin approval needed to start.
Recreate your issues and projects.
Issues, projects and cycles map to projects, tasks, child tasks and sprints.
Turn on billing and time tracking.
Set a billing model per project and start logging real hours from day one.
Fast for the default view. Full team and billing configuration takes one to two days.
Ready to put your whole team on one board?
Projects, time and billing for everyone, at one flat price.
Book a demoFAQs
The questions teams evaluating Linear alternatives actually ask.
Does Linear have native time tracking?
No. Linear is a focused issue tracker with no native timer, timesheets or billing. Airtask puts a real timer on every task and reconciles it with approved timesheets.
Is Airtask only for engineers?
No. Airtask is built for mixed teams: engineering, ops, marketing and client work on one board. Linear is tuned specifically for software teams.
Does Airtask include billing and cost tracking?
Yes. Five billing models, per-member rates and project cost from approved time are in the base product. Linear has none of these.
How does Airtask pricing compare to Linear?
Linear charges per seat, around $10 per user per month on Basic. Airtask is flat per workspace: Plus is $49 a month for up to 200 people.
Why do teams switch from Linear to Airtask?
To put non-engineering teams on the same board as engineering, and to add time tracking and billing that Linear does not do, all at one flat price.