Issue tracking & project management, in detail
The eternal Jira-versus-lighter question, plus the adjacent generalists that dev teams end up in anyway. Free tiers are generous across the board here — the per-seat price only starts to matter past ~10 people, which is exactly when process needs do too.
| Tool | Free tier | Entry price | Billing unit | Watch out for | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Unlimited members, 250 active issues | Basic $10/user/mo | Per seat | 250-issue cap pushes real teams to paid fast | Fast, opinionated tracking teams actually enjoy |
| GitHub Issues | Free on all plans | Included | — | Projects views are good, not Jira-deep | Zero-friction tracking where the code lives |
| Jira | Up to 10 users | Standard $7.91/user/mo | Per seat | Annual cloud price bumps; config sprawl | Enterprise workflows and compliance |
| Shortcut | Up to 10 users | Team ~$8.50/user/mo | Per seat | Smaller ecosystem | Jira-lite: stories/epics without the overhead |
| ClickUp | Generous free tier | Unlimited ~$7/user/mo | Per seat | Feature-everything UI can overwhelm | Teams wanting docs+tasks+goals in one tool |
| Notion | Free for individuals | Per-seat plans | Per seat | A wiki first — issue tracking is a template, not a product | Docs-centric teams tracking light work items |
Pricing models and free tiers change often — check each vendor for current terms. Compiled July 2026; the most volatile figures verified on official pricing pages.
Official pages: Linear · GitHub Issues · Jira · Shortcut · ClickUp · Notion
Entry price at a glance
Cheapest paid plan, USD per month — per-user plans shown for a single seat. Hatched bars are usage-based or quote-only; values marked ~ are approximate.
Notes & recent changes
- Linear's free plan allows unlimited members but caps active issues at 250 — archived issues don't count, so small teams last longer than expected.
- Jira Standard's $7.91/user (verified Jul 2026) undercuts Linear on list price; the cost of Jira is configuration time, not seats.
- GitHub Projects covers sprint-board basics for free — start there if the code is on GitHub and switch when reporting needs outgrow it.
Which one should you pick?
- Product startup, speed-obsessed → Linear.
- Code on GitHub, process-light → GitHub Issues/Projects.
- Enterprise reporting/compliance → Jira.
- Docs and tasks in one place → Notion or ClickUp.