GritShip vs Linear
Linear is built for cycles.
GritShip is built for shipping.
Linear is a beautiful tool — if your team runs sprints, plans cycles, and lives in triage. Most indie hackers and small product teams don't. GritShip is the lightweight kanban board for teams who'd rather ship the next thing than plan the next iteration.
Feature Comparison
Side by side.
No spin. Here's how GritShip and Linear compare on the things that matter to product makers.
| Feature | Linear | GritShip |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Up to 10 users, 250 issues | 3 members, 3 projects, no issue cap |
| Paid plan starting price | $8/user/month (Standard) | $8/month flat for the workspace |
| Pricing model | Per-seat | Flat workspace pricing |
| Mental model | Issues, cycles, projects, teams | Boards, columns, tasks |
| Setup time | Configure cycles, workflow states, teams | Sign up → board ready in 60 seconds |
| Sprints / cycles | First-class cycles | Not built — boards stay continuous |
| Native git integrations | Deep GitHub / GitLab integration | Not yet |
| Triage workflow | Built-in triage inbox | No dedicated triage view |
| Priorities | Urgent / High / Medium / Low / No priority | P1–P4 with color coding |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Comprehensive (the gold standard) | Built-in: N, ⌘K, arrows, full task ops |
| Mobile native app | iOS + Android apps | Web only (works on mobile browsers) |
| Best for | Engineering teams running cycles | Solo devs, freelancers, small product teams |
Where GritShip Wins
Lighter, cheaper, faster to start.
The same speed-first feel without the cycle ceremony, the per-seat bill, or the configuration.
No cycles to plan. No workflow states to configure.
Sign up, name a project, start adding tasks. Linear asks you to set up teams, cycles, and workflow states before you can be productive. GritShip's mental model is three words: boards, columns, tasks.
A 5-person team on GritShip Pro: $8/month total.
Linear is $8 per user per month on Standard. A 5-person team is $40/month, and that scales linearly with hires. GritShip Pro is $8/month flat for the whole workspace — up to 25 members. The math gets one-sided fast.
Boards run forever. No sprint planning meetings.
Linear's cycles assume your team plans work in fixed time-boxes. GritShip assumes your team ships when work is done. Both are valid models — but indie hackers and freelancers usually fall on the continuous side.
GritShip targets solo devs and 2–10 product teams.
Linear started indie-friendly and is now optimized for engineering teams running structured iteration. If your team isn't running cycles, you're using maybe 30% of Linear. GritShip is the 30% that you actually use, packaged at 1/5 the price.
Where Linear Wins
Honest take.
Linear is the gold standard in its category for a reason. There are real things GritShip doesn't do.
Linear's design, animations, command palette, and overall craft are best-in-class. GritShip is fast and clean, but Linear is the bar everyone measures against.
If your team runs structured cycles with a triage inbox, that workflow is Linear's home turf. GritShip doesn't replicate it and won't try to.
Linear's git integration auto-links branches, PRs, and commits to issues. If that's how your team works, Linear's integration is genuinely better than anything we'd build in the next 12 months.
If your team runs cycles and lives in triage, Linear is still the right call.
If your team is closer to a kanban board with priorities, GritShip is what Linear feels like before you turn on all the engineering features — at a fraction of the price.
Who Should Switch
Is GritShip for you?
GritShip isn't for everyone. It's for people who build products and want a tool that gets out of the way.
You're a solo dev paying for Linear
You're paying for cycles, triage, and a mobile app you barely use. GritShip Free covers solo work. Pro is $8/month flat if you ever scale up.
You're a 3–10 person team paying per seat
A 5-person team on Linear Standard is $40/month. The same team on GritShip Pro is $8/month. Same kanban experience, different invoice.
You don't run cycles or sprints
If your team ships continuously instead of in 1- or 2-week boxes, you're using maybe 30% of Linear. GritShip is that 30%, with nothing else getting in the way.
Honest Inventory
What GritShip doesn't have yet.
We'd rather tell you upfront than have you find out after switching. If any of these are non-negotiable for your team, don't switch yet.
- Cycles, sprints, or iteration planning
- Native GitHub / GitLab git integration
- Triage inbox view
- Issue-level relationships (blocking / related)
- Roadmap / project timeline view
- Native mobile apps
- Linear API import tool
FAQ
Questions about switching.
Thinking about moving from Linear? Here's what you need to know.
- Is GritShip a Linear alternative?
- If you've adopted Linear's full sprint/cycle workflow with triage and weekly planning, GritShip is a different tool — not a 1:1 replacement. If you've been using Linear as a fast kanban board (which many indie teams do), GritShip is a lighter, cheaper drop-in.
- Why is GritShip cheaper than Linear for small teams?
- Linear charges per seat: $8/user/month on Standard. A 5-person team is $40/month. GritShip's Pro plan is $8/month flat for the whole workspace, up to 25 members. For teams of 4+ on a paid plan, GritShip is meaningfully cheaper.
- Does GritShip have cycles or sprints like Linear?
- No. GritShip uses continuous kanban boards instead of fixed sprints or cycles. If your team is committed to a sprint cadence with planned/in-progress/done windows, Linear's cycle model fits better. If your team ships when work is done, GritShip's continuous board fits better.
- Can I import my Linear issues into GritShip?
- Not yet — there's no automated Linear importer. For small backlogs, manual entry is fast (the keyboard shortcut N creates a task). For larger imports, this is on the roadmap.
- Does GritShip integrate with GitHub like Linear does?
- Not yet. Linear's GitHub integration is genuinely best-in-class — auto-linking branches, PR status, commit messages. GritShip doesn't replace that today. If git integration is core to your workflow, stay on Linear.
- Who should pick GritShip over Linear?
- Indie hackers running 1–3 products solo, freelancers managing one board per client, small teams (2–10) who want kanban without configuring workflow states, and anyone who feels Linear is overkill for their workflow.
Further reading
Related guides from the GritShip blog.
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