Softwr

Communication · head to head

LINE WORKS vs Shortcut

LINE WORKS logo

LINE WORKS

Communication

Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shortcut logo

Shortcut

Technology

Project management for software teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.; Shortcut limited reporting compared to Jira
  • They diverge on capability: LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Shortcut covers Stories & epics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LINE WORKS and Shortcut actually diverge.

Attributes where LINE WORKS and Shortcut differ
AttributeLINE WORKSShortcut
Pricing modelPer user per monthUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOSWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux
CategoryCommunicationTechnology
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LINE WORKS

  • External LINE messaging
  • Chat and channels
  • Voice and video calls
  • Shared address book
  • Calendar and bulletin board
  • Drive
  • Business email
  • Admin controls

Only in Shortcut

  • Stories & epics
  • Iterations (sprints)
  • Kanban boards
  • Roadmaps
  • Reporting
  • Docs
  • API & webhooks
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LINE WORKS

  • A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Shortcut
  • A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Shortcut
  • A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Shortcut
  • The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Shortcut

Shortcut

  • Sprint planningnot LINE WORKS
  • Bug trackingnot LINE WORKS
  • Feature developmentnot LINE WORKS
  • Product roadmappingnot LINE WORKS
  • Team collaborationnot LINE WORKS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LINE WORKS

  • The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
  • The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
  • Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
  • Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
  • It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.

Shortcut

  • Limited reporting compared to Jira
  • Designed specifically for software teams, not general project management
  • Can experience slow loading times with very large projects

Pricing, plan by plan

LINE WORKS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 30 users
    • 5GB total storage
    • Chat, calls, calendar and address book
  • Standard$450/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB shared storage
    • Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
  • Advanced$800/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Business email
    • 100TB shared storage

Shortcut

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Kanban boards
    • Sprints
    • Roadmaps
  • Team$8.5/user/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Advanced reports
    • WIP limits
  • Business$12/user/month
    • Unlimited workspaces
    • OKRs
    • Advanced custom fields
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Volume discounts
    • SSO/SCIM
    • Premier support

Which should you pick?

Choose LINE WORKS if

  • You need external line messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want chat and channels.
LINE WORKS review

Choose Shortcut if

  • You need stories & epics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want iterations (sprints).
Shortcut review

Questions people ask

Is LINE WORKS or Shortcut better?
Neither clearly leads. LINE WORKS starts at Free and Shortcut at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LINE WORKS or Shortcut?
LINE WORKS starts at Free and Shortcut at Free.
Does LINE WORKS or Shortcut run on more platforms?
LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Shortcut runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
Can I use LINE WORKS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is LINE WORKS best used for?
LINE WORKS is most often used for a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email, a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit, a japanese sme under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tier, the japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standard. Of those, a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email and a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit are not what Shortcut is typically brought in for.
What can LINE WORKS do that Shortcut cannot?
LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book. Shortcut covers Stories & epics, Iterations (sprints), Kanban boards, Roadmaps.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?

Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.

Shortcut: Does Shortcut have a free plan?

Yes, Shortcut offers a free plan for up to 10 users with core features like kanban boards, roadmaps, sprints, and reports. Paid plans start at $8.50 per user per month.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is there a free plan?

Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.

Shortcut: Does Shortcut integrate with GitHub?

Yes, Shortcut has native GitHub integration that automatically syncs pull requests and commits to stories, and includes GitLab and Bitbucket support as well.

Source
LINE WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?

No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.

Shortcut: Can I use Shortcut for non-technical projects?

Shortcut is built for software teams, though you can customize workflows for other use cases. Linear and Asana may be better suited for non-technical project management.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?

Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.

Shortcut: Does Shortcut support SSO and SCIM?

Yes, SSO and SCIM support are available on the Enterprise plan, allowing centralized identity management for large organizations.

Source
Shortcut: What's the difference between Shortcut and Jira?

Shortcut is lighter and faster with less setup required, while Jira offers deeper customization and enterprise features. Shortcut works better for modern software teams wanting simplicity; Jira suits enterprises needing extensive configuration.

Source
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