Trello vs Linear: Which Should You Choose in 2026?
Choosing between Trello and Linear? We analyzed both tools using our proprietary 100-point scoring methodology. Here's what we found.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Winner: Trello
Trello edges out Linear with a higher overall score.
📊 Score Comparison
Trello
Linear
📈 Detailed Score Breakdown
| Category | Trello | Linear | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value/Price (30pts) | 28/30 | 25/30 | Trello |
| Competitive Moat (25pts) | 21/25 | 22/25 | Linear |
| Transparency (20pts) | 19/20 | 18/20 | Trello |
| UI/UX (15pts) | 14/15 | 14/15 | Tie |
| Tech Maturity (10pts) | 9/10 | 9/10 | Tie |
✅ Pros & Cons
Trello
Strengths
- Highly accessible entry point with generous free tier
- Extensive third-party integration ecosystem
- Robust cross-platform availability
- Advanced automation capabilities included in all plans
Weaknesses
- Critical productivity views restricted to high-cost tiers
- Hidden costs for enterprise-grade security
- AI features are gated behind Premium subscriptions
Linear
Strengths
- Linear provides a generous free tier that supports unlimited members and essential features for small teams.
- The pricing structure for Basic and Business tiers is clear and transparent, detailing per-user monthly costs with annual billing.
- The product includes extensive AI-powered features designed to enhance productivity and provide insights.
- Linear offers robust integrations with popular development, communication, and support platforms.
- Enterprise-grade security features, including SAML, SCIM, and audit logs, are available for larger organizations.
Weaknesses
- The pricing for the Enterprise tier is not publicly disclosed, requiring direct contact with sales.
- Key analytical and organizational features like Dashboards and Sub-initiatives are exclusively available in the Enterprise plan.
- Premium support options such as an Account Manager and Uptime SLA are restricted to the Enterprise tier.
🏰 Competitive Moat Analysis
Trello
Trello's moat is primarily driven by its massive user base and the 'Power-Up' marketplace, which creates significant switching costs through workflow integration. As an Atlassian product, it benefits from deep integration with Jira and Confluence, making it a default choice for technical and non-technical cross-functional teams.
Linear
Linear establishes a strong moat through several key differentiators. Its focus on speed and a highly refined user experience, particularly for product and engineering teams, creates high switching costs once workflows are established. The integration of advanced AI features like 'Triage Intelligence,' 'Linear Asks,' and 'Issue discussion summaries' provides a significant competitive edge by automating and enhancing common project management tasks, which is not universally offered by competitors. Furthermore, comprehensive enterprise-grade security features (SAML, SCIM, Audit logs, HIPAA compliance) and extensive integrations with critical tools like Slack, GitHub, Zendesk, Intercom, and Salesforce ensure deep embedding into organizational tech stacks. The generous free tier also acts as an effective top-of-funnel acquisition strategy, allowing teams to experience the product's core value before committing to paid plans.
🎯 Our Recommendation
Choose Trello if: Trello offers an industry-leading value proposition with a highly generous free tier and competitive scaling for enterprises, backed by the robust Atlassian ecosystem....
Choose Linear if: Linear offers a highly polished, feature-rich issue tracking and project management solution with strong AI capabilities, comprehensive integrations, and enterprise-grade security, all presented with ...
Our Methodology
This audit uses Onyx Protocol's standardized evaluation methodology, scoring products across 5 categories: Value/Price (30pts), Competitive Moat (25pts), Transparency (20pts), UI/UX (15pts), and Technical Maturity (10pts). Each category is assessed based on publicly available information.
- This analysis is based on publicly available information at time of audit
- Pricing and features are subject to change
- Individual use cases may have different requirements
- Not a substitute for hands-on evaluation or free trial
Last updated: January 03, 2026. Scores may change as products evolve.