True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Asana saves you 5%
Best for Asana
Work management platform for teams. Free for up to 10 users, then per-seat pricing with minimum seat
Best for Linear
Modern issue tracking for software teams. Free for up to 250 issues, then $8-$14/user/mo. Clean and
Work management platform for teams. Free for up to 10 users, then per-seat prici...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$53
/month (typical)
Seat Minimum on Paid Plans
Starter and Advanced plans require minimum 2 seats. A solo founder pays for 2 users ($26.98/mo) even...
AI Features Add-On
Asana Intelligence (AI) features require Enterprise or can be purchased as an add-on. AI summaries, ...
Portfolio & Goals Feature Gate
Portfolios on Starter but Goals and advanced reporting require Advanced ($30.49/user/mo) — a 126% pr...
Guest Access Limits
Free plan allows no guests. Starter/Advanced limit guest access. Agencies and contractors needing cl...
$11/mo annual
$25/mo annual
Modern issue tracking for software teams. Free for up to 250 issues, then $8-$14...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$12
/month (typical)
250 Active Issue Limit on Free
Free plan limits to 250 active issues. Fast-moving engineering teams hit this in weeks. Standard at ...
Guest Access Requires Plus
External guest access for contractors and clients requires Plus plan at $14/user/mo — 75% more than ...
Advanced Features on Plus Only
Triage responsibility, SLA tracking, and advanced GitHub/GitLab integrations require Plus at $14/use...
Asana advertises $0/mo. Linear advertises $0/mo.
Asana has 4 documented hidden fees. Linear has 3.
Asana confidence: 78%. Linear confidence: 78%.
| Metric | Asana | Linear | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $0/mo | Asana |
| True Monthly Cost | $53/mo | $12/mo | Linear |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$53/mo | +$12/mo | Linear |
| # Hidden Fees | 4 | 3 | Linear |
| Confidence Score | 78% | 78% | Asana |
| Pricing Tiers | 4 | 3 | — |
| Affiliate Program | No public affiliate program | None | — |
Asana advertises $0/mo and Linear advertises $0/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Asana has 4 documented hidden fees adding +$53/mo, while Linear has 3 hidden fees adding +$12/mo. Based on true cost, Asana is typically 5% cheaper.
Asana has 4 documented hidden fees: Seat Minimum on Paid Plans, AI Features Add-On, Portfolio & Goals Feature Gate, Guest Access Limits. These add approximately +$53/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Linear has 3 documented hidden fees: 250 Active Issue Limit on Free, Guest Access Requires Plus, Advanced Features on Plus Only. These add approximately +$12/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose Asana if: Work management platform for teams. Free for up to 10 users, then per-seat pricing with minimum seat. Choose Linear if: Modern issue tracking for software teams. Free for up to 250 issues, then $8-$14/user/mo. Clean and . The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Asana data has a 78% confidence score and Linear has 78%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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