The best Linear alternatives in 2026
Linear scores 8.9 and ranks #3 in Developer Tools. It's not for everyone: skip it if you need heavily customized workflows across non-engineering teams. Here's every alternative we rank, and exactly where each one is stronger or weaker.
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- Better value +1.5
- More features +0.9
- Weaker design -0.6
- Slower -0.4
Best for: Developers of any level who want one free editor for every language
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- More features +1.1
- Better value +1.0
- Weaker design -0.9
- Less private -0.7
Best for: Developers and teams who want hosting, code review and CI in one place
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- Better value +0.4
Best for: Mac power users and developers who live on the keyboard
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- More features +0.9
- Weaker design -0.8
- Slower -0.8
- Worse value -0.6
Best for: Developers who want AI help built into every part of their editor
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- Less private -1.2
- Slower -1.0
- Weaker design -0.8
- Worse value -0.4
Best for: Developers who want a modern terminal with AI help built in
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- Slower -2.4
- Weaker design -2.0
- Worse value -0.4
Best for: Developers who build and test containerized apps on their own machine
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- Slower -2.4
- Weaker design -2.0
- Less private -1.6
- Worse value -1.0
Best for: API developers and QA teams who test and document APIs together
Still deciding on Linear?Read our full review, pros and cons.