True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Linear saves you 100%
Best for Linear
Modern issue tracking for software teams. Free for up to 250 issues, then $8-$14/user/mo. Clean and
Best for Trello
Atlassian's visual Kanban board tool. Free plan is limited by Power-Up restrictions, automation caps
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...
Atlassian's visual Kanban board tool. Free plan is limited by Power-Up restricti...
Advertised
$5
/month
True Cost
$20
/month (typical)
Power-Up Limit on Free
Free plan allows only 1 Power-Up per board. Need Slack + Google Drive + Calendar? That is 3 Power-Up...
Automation Command Caps
Free: 250 command runs/mo. Standard: 1,000. Premium: 6,000. Complex automations burn through limits ...
View Restrictions
Dashboard, Timeline, Calendar, and Map views require Premium at $10/user/mo. Free and Standard only ...
10MB Attachment Limit on Free
Free plan caps file attachments at 10MB per file. Standard allows 250MB. Teams sharing design files,...
Linear advertises $0/mo. Trello advertises $5/mo.
Linear has 3 documented hidden fees. Trello has 4.
Linear confidence: 78%. Trello confidence: 80%.
| Metric | Linear | Trello | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $5/mo | Linear |
| True Monthly Cost | $12/mo | $20/mo | Linear |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$12/mo | +$15/mo | Linear |
| # Hidden Fees | 3 | 4 | Linear |
| Confidence Score | 78% | 80% | Trello |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 4 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | No public affiliate program | — |
Linear advertises $0/mo and Trello advertises $5/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Linear has 3 documented hidden fees adding +$12/mo, while Trello has 4 hidden fees adding +$15/mo. Based on true cost, Linear is typically 100% cheaper.
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.
Trello has 4 documented hidden fees: Power-Up Limit on Free, Automation Command Caps, View Restrictions, 10MB Attachment Limit on Free. These add approximately +$15/mo on top of the $5/mo advertised price.
Choose Linear if: Modern issue tracking for software teams. Free for up to 250 issues, then $8-$14/user/mo. Clean and . Choose Trello if: Atlassian's visual Kanban board tool. Free plan is limited by Power-Up restrictions, automation caps. 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. Linear data has a 78% confidence score and Trello has 80%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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