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Linear vs Railway

Linear logo

Linear

Technology

The issue tracking tool you'll enjoy using

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Railway logo

Railway

Cloud

Ship software instantly

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Linear no task-level Gantt chart; Timeline view is available for projects only, not individual issues; Railway plan fees are usage credits rather than allowances, so the $5 Hobby and $20 Pro fees are spent on compute and anything beyond is billed on top
  • They diverge on capability: Linear covers Fast, real-time sync, Railway covers Git integration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Linear and Railway actually diverge.

Attributes where Linear and Railway differ
AttributeLinearRailway
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWeb, Api, Docker
CategoryTechnologyCloud
Founded20192021

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 Linear

  • Fast, real-time sync
  • Keyboard-first design
  • Automatic issue tracking
  • Cycles (sprints)
  • Projects & milestones
  • Custom workflows
  • API & webhooks
  • Built-in roadmaps

Only in Railway

  • Git integration
  • Zero-config deployment
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Redis
  • Environment variables
  • Custom domains
  • Monitoring

Both cover

  • GitHub
  • GitLab

What people use each for

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

Linear

  • Issue management and triage, converting customer feedback into prioritized issuesnot Railway
  • Strategic planning via initiatives, roadmaps, and PRDs from idea to launchnot Railway
  • Agent-assisted development, with agents drafting docs and submitting pull requestsnot Railway
  • Code review with structural diffs for human and agent outputnot Railway
  • Progress monitoring via dashboards tracking cycle times and project healthnot Railway

Railway

  • Deploying applications and databases without managing serversnot Linear
  • Running preview environments and services straight from a repositorynot Linear

Where each one falls short

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

Linear

  • No task-level Gantt chart; Timeline view is available for projects only, not individual issues
  • No native time-tracking or hour-logging feature
  • No native Linux desktop app; official FAQ states it 'may come in the future but it's not on the roadmap for now'
  • Free tier capped at 250 issues and 2 teams

Railway

  • Plan fees are usage credits rather than allowances, so the $5 Hobby and $20 Pro fees are spent on compute and anything beyond is billed on top
  • The free plan carries $1 of monthly credit and caps a service at 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB
  • Compute is metered per second for both memory and CPU, so cost tracks uptime rather than traffic and an idle service still bills
  • Egress is $0.05 per GB on top of compute
  • The Pro fee is per workspace rather than per user or per project

Pricing, plan by plan

Linear

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited members
    • 2 teams
    • 250 issues
  • Basic$10/month
    • 5 teams
    • Unlimited issues
    • Unlimited file uploads
  • Business$16/month
    • Unlimited teams
    • Private teams/guests
    • Triage Intelligence
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • SAML/SCIM
    • Granular admin controls
    • Invoice/PO billing

Railway

Free
  • FreeFree
    • $5 credit/month
    • Community support
    • Unlimited projects
  • Pro$20/month
    • Private repos
    • Priority support
    • Advanced monitoring

Which should you pick?

Choose Linear if

  • You need fast, real-time sync.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want keyboard-first design.
Linear review

Choose Railway if

  • You need git integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Docker.
  • You also want zero-config deployment.
Railway review

Questions people ask

Is Linear or Railway better?
Neither clearly leads. Linear starts at Free and Railway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Linear or Railway?
Linear starts at Free and Railway at Free.
Does Linear or Railway run on more platforms?
Linear runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Railway runs on Web, Api, Docker.
Can I use Linear for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Linear best used for?
Linear is most often used for issue management and triage, converting customer feedback into prioritized issues, strategic planning via initiatives, roadmaps, and prds from idea to launch, agent-assisted development, with agents drafting docs and submitting pull requests, code review with structural diffs for human and agent output. Of those, issue management and triage, converting customer feedback into prioritized issues and strategic planning via initiatives, roadmaps, and prds from idea to launch are not what Railway is typically brought in for.
What can Linear do that Railway cannot?
Linear covers Fast, real-time sync, Keyboard-first design, Automatic issue tracking, Cycles (sprints). Railway covers Git integration, Zero-config deployment, PostgreSQL, MySQL. Both handle GitHub, GitLab.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Linear: How much does Linear cost?

Linear has a free tier supporting 2 teams and 250 issues. Paid plans start at $10 per user per month for Basic and $16 per user per month for Business. Annual billing is required for paid tiers.

Source
Railway: How much does Railway cost?

Railway's Hobby plan is $5 per month and includes $5 of monthly usage credit. Pro is $20 per month per workspace with $20 of credit included. Enterprise is quoted. Usage beyond the included credit is billed per second.

Source
Linear: What are the file upload limits on Linear?

The free tier is restricted to 10MB file uploads per team. Paid plans offer unlimited file uploads.

Source
Railway: Does Railway have a free tier?

Yes, two. A one-time Free Trial gives $5 of credit valid for 30 days, and an ongoing Free plan includes $1 per month with 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB per service, 1 replica and 3 days of log history.

Source
Linear: Does Linear offer an Enterprise plan?

Yes, Linear offers an Enterprise tier with custom pricing, annual billing required, SAML and SCIM support, granular admin controls, and priority support.

Source
Railway: What are Railway's resource limits per plan?

The Free plan allows 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB per service with 1 replica. Hobby raises that to 48 vCPU and 48 GB with 6 replicas. Pro allows 1,000 vCPU and 1 TB per service with 42 replicas and 30 days of log history.

Source
Railway: How does Railway bill usage above the included credit?

Railway charges memory at $0.00000386 per GB per second and CPU at $0.00000772 per vCPU per second, with storage volumes at $0.00000006 per GB per second, plus separate egress and object storage fees.

Source
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