Performance Benchmarks
Lab TestedEase of Use
Asana
92%
Linear
78%
API Throughput
Asana
85%
Linear
95%
Value for Money
Asana
88%
Linear
82%
Side-by-Side Matrix
| Feature Suite |  Asana |  Linear | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $10.99/user/mo | Free | |
| Active issue/task cap | None | 250 issues | |
| Automations | 250/mo | Cycle only | |
| Timeline | Yes | Roadmaps only | |
| AI features | Asana AI | AI agents | tie |
| Custom fields | Yes | No | |
Asana Strengths
- Teams needing unlimited projects, automations, and timeline without issue caps.
- Excellent enterprise sandbox APIs and integrations.
Linear Strengths
- Small engineering teams under 250 active issues who want free sprint management.
- Unparalleled UI design, fast loading, low Cumulative Layout Shift.
The Bottom Line
Asana Starter's automations and timeline beat Linear Free's 250-issue cap for non-engineering teams.
Linear Free is excellent for small engineering pods, but the 250-active-issue cap is a hard blocker for productive teams. Asana Starter at $10.99 has no such cap, adds Timeline, 250 automations, and custom fields. Unless your team is purely engineering-focused, Asana Starter provides more complete project management value.
Recommendation
We recommend selecting Asana for scale-sensitive structures, and evaluating Linear on smaller sandbox environments.