Helpin vs Linear at a glance
Linear and Helpin both help teams plan and ship software with AI agents. Linear is a fast, focused issue tracker. Helpin puts projects next to support, CRM, meetings and docs.
Linear is used by more than 40,000 companies and is known for its speed and keyboard-first design. It links customer requests from support tools such as Intercom and Zendesk, and lets you hand issues to Linear Agent or to third-party coding agents.
Helpin includes roadmaps, sprints and objectives alongside a support inbox and CRM, so the request, the task, the pull request and the follow-up share one customer history. It’s open source and charges per workspace.
This guide compares Helpin and Linear feature by feature, with list prices checked in September 2026, so you can decide which fits the way your team works.
- Linear is built around the issue: planning and shipping engineering work quickly, with customer context linked in from other tools.
- Helpin is built around the customer: the request, the work it becomes and the follow-up, in one product.
Here’s how the two compare across the capabilities teams ask about most. A check means included, a dash means partly or on some plans, and a cross means not available.
| Capability |  HelpinCloud or self-hosted | LinearProject management |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Price model | Per workspace | Per user: Basic $10, Business $16 a month billed annually |
| Free plan | Self-hosted Community edition | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues |
| AI coding | From the AI allowance included in every Cloud plan | Prepaid AI credits for coding sessions |
| Open source and self-hosting | Free Community edition (AGPL-3.0, 0.1 beta) | |
| Planning | ||
| Roadmaps and sprints | Initiatives, projects and cycles | |
| Triage | ||
| GitHub and GitLab | PR and MR linking | PR and MR linking |
| Coding agents | Opens GitHub PRs and GitLab MRs for review | Linear Agent plus Cursor, Codex, Copilot and others |
| Delivery reporting | Velocity and sprint reports | Insights and dashboards on Business |
| Native mobile apps | iOS and Android | |
| Customers | ||
| Support inbox and live chat | Web chat and email | Integrations with Intercom and Zendesk on Business |
| Help center | Custom domain, AI answers, API reference | |
| CRM with deals | Contacts, companies, deals | |
| Meeting notes | Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex | Gong transcripts on Enterprise |
| MCP server | Hosted and self-hosted (beta) | Hosted |
Comparison data verified September 2026.
Core feature comparison
Feature names can sound alike across tools. What matters is how each product handles the work, and what your team does next.
Roadmaps, sprints and triage
Linear organizes work into issues, projects, cycles and initiatives, with a triage inbox, releases and diffs on every plan, and Insights dashboards on Business. It’s widely praised for its speed and design.
HelpinHelpin Projects covers roadmaps, sprints, objectives, epics, dependencies, estimates and triage, with velocity and sprint reports. Tasks can carry the customer requests and conversations behind them.
The difference: For a pure engineering tracker, Linear is fast and polished. Helpin’s planning is built to keep customer context on the work.
Coding agents
Linear Agent can write code in cloud coding sessions using Claude Code or Codex, paid for with prepaid AI credits, and you can assign issues to third-party agents such as Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot and Devin.
HelpinHelpin’s coding agents work from the task and the customer conversation behind it, open a GitHub pull request or GitLab merge request, and wait for your team’s review. Usage comes from the AI allowance in your Cloud plan, and coding agents arrive in the self-hosted Community edition with 0.2.
The difference: Linear offers the widest choice of agents. Helpin’s agents start with more of the customer context.
Customer requests and support
Linear has no customer-facing inbox, live chat or help center. It links customer requests from Slack on every plan, and from Intercom, Zendesk and Front on the Business plan.
HelpinHelpin includes the support inbox, chat widget and help center, so requests start in the same product as the task. When the work ships, the team can follow up in the original conversation.
The difference: If you’re happy with your support tool, Linear links to it well. If you want support and projects together, Helpin removes the hand-off.
Customer records and meetings
Linear tracks customer requests and attributes, and can turn Gong call transcripts into requests on Enterprise. It has no CRM or meeting notes of its own.
HelpinHelpin includes a CRM with contacts, companies, deals and pipelines, and a meeting notetaker for Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex. Decisions and action items from calls stay on the same customer record as the conversations and tasks.
The difference: If account context matters to your roadmap, Helpin keeps deals and meetings next to the work.
Git, API and integrations
Linear connects to GitHub and GitLab for pull request linking, and offers a GraphQL API, webhooks, a hosted MCP server and native iOS and Android apps.
HelpinHelpin links GitHub pull requests and GitLab merge requests to tasks and updates delivery status when work merges. It offers a Helpin MCP server (in beta) and connections to external MCP servers, including Linear’s.
The difference: Both connect to your code. Helpin can also reach Linear through MCP, so the two can run side by side.
Docs and knowledge
Linear includes documents for specs and project updates, but no public help center for customers.
HelpinHelpin Knowledge publishes help articles, product guides and interactive API reference docs on a Helpin address, your own domain, or a path like /docs through a reverse proxy. Agents draft updates from unanswered questions and shipped changes, and nothing goes live until your team publishes it.
The difference: If you publish docs for customers, Helpin covers that in the same product as your roadmap.
Why teams look beyond Linear
Four common reasons teams give for looking elsewhere, and how Helpin handles each one.
- Intercom or Zendesk
- Linear issue
Helpin- Support inbox
- Task
Customer requests arrive from another tool
Linear links requests from tools like Intercom and Zendesk, which needs its Business plan. In Helpin the support inbox, help center and CRM are part of the product, so the conversation is already attached to the task.
- Issue
- Coding agent
Helpin- Conversation and history
- Task
- Pull request
The customer context lives elsewhere
Both can hand an issue to a coding agent. Helpin’s agents also see the customer conversation, earlier workarounds and account context behind the task, and open a pull request for your team to review.
- Release
- Support tool
- Customer
Helpin- Release
- Same conversation
Following up means switching tools
When work ships in Linear, the update goes back through your support tool. In Helpin, the same history holds the release and the original conversation, so the team can follow up with the customer from one place.
- Per user
- Hosted only
Helpin- Per workspace
- Cloud or self-hosted
Per-user pricing, hosted only
Linear charges per user and is hosted only. Helpin charges per workspace with unlimited teammates, and is open source, so you can self-host it.
Pricing and value
Linear charges per user: Basic is $10 and Business $16 a month billed annually, with a free plan for up to 250 issues. Coding sessions use prepaid AI credits, the integrations with support tools need Business, and your support tool is priced separately.
HelpinHelpin charges one price per workspace, with unlimited teammates. Starter is $79 and Growth $239 a month billed annually ($99 and $299 billed monthly), and each includes an AI usage allowance. The self-hosted Community edition is free.
Estimate what your team would pay
Change the team size, plans and AI volume to match your team. The estimate uses list prices and says plainly when Linear costs less. See Helpin pricing.
Estimated at list prices · 20 people · billed annually
Helpin costs $972 less a year than Linear.
HelpinGrowth$239/moHelpinGrowth, billed annually
- Growth plan, one workspace
- $239
- 20 people
- Included
- AI usage allowance
- $239 included
- Per month
- $239
- Per year
- $2,868
Heavy AI use can go past the allowance; overage is metered.
LinearBusiness, billed annually
- 20 × Business at $16
- $320
- Per month
- $320
- Per year
- $3,840
- Linear’s coding sessions use prepaid AI credits, and Linear shows annual prices only.
- Linear needs a separate support tool; Business includes the Intercom and Zendesk integrations. Helpin’s price includes support, CRM and meetings.
- Helpin measures AI usage in tokens, not resolutions. Paid plans can turn on metered overage beyond the allowance.
Hosting and data
Linear is a hosted service, and there’s no way to run it on your own infrastructure.
HelpinHelpin is open source under AGPL-3.0. Use Helpin Cloud, or run the Community edition (0.1 beta) on your own infrastructure with Docker Compose and your own AI provider. Nothing leaves your servers unless you connect it.
Switching and onboarding
Linear imports from Jira, GitHub Issues, Asana and Shortcut, and exports issues as CSV or through its API. Helpin doesn’t import from Linear yet, but its agents can use Linear’s tools through MCP, so you can run both during a move.
HelpinHelpin’s trial runs for 14 days on the Growth plan, with no card. Our team will help you plan the move: what to set up first, how to run both tools side by side, and when to cut over.
Moving from Linear.
You don’t have to move everything at once. Many teams start with support.
Take from Linear
- Issues, as CSV or through the API
- Projects and cycles you want to plan in Helpin
- Specs and docs
Set up in Helpin
- GitHub or GitLab connection
- Roadmap, sprints and objectives
- Support inbox and help center
- Linear connection for agents, through MCP (beta)
- 01
Keep Linear, connect it through MCP
BetaHelpin’s agents can use Linear’s tools through MCP, so engineering can stay in Linear while support runs in Helpin.
- 02
Plan new work in Helpin Projects
Available nowRoadmaps, sprints and objectives, with the customer conversation attached to each task.
- 03
Import Linear issues
Not yetThere is no Linear importer yet. Linear exports issues to CSV and through its API. Helpin imports projects from Shortcut today.
Where Linear is stronger
Linear is a good product. These are the areas where it’s ahead of Helpin today.
Speed and design.
A fast, keyboard-first tracker that engineering teams consistently praise.
Adoption.
Used by more than 40,000 companies, with a large community of templates and practices.
Agent ecosystem.
Assign issues to Linear Agent or to third-party agents such as Cursor, Codex, Copilot and Devin.
Mobile and imports.
Native iOS and Android apps, and importers for Jira, GitHub Issues, Asana and Shortcut.
Which one fits your team?
Many teams love Linear for engineering. Helpin is for teams that want customer requests and the work behind them in the same place.
Choose Linear if…
- You want a fast, keyboard-first issue tracker for engineering.
- You already have a support tool you like and just want to link requests to issues.
- You want a wide choice of third-party coding agents and native mobile apps.
Choose Helpin if…
- You want support, projects, CRM and meetings in one product.
- You want agents to plan and code from the task and the customer conversation behind it.
- You want one price per workspace instead of per user.
- You want to self-host an open-source product.
Questions about Helpin vs Linear
Is Helpin a Linear alternative?
For teams that want projects and customer support in one product, yes. If you want a dedicated issue tracker and already use a separate support tool, Linear is a strong choice.
Can I use Helpin and Linear together?
Yes. Helpin’s agents can use Linear’s tools through MCP, so support can run in Helpin while engineering stays in Linear.
Does Linear have customer support features?
Linear has no customer-facing inbox, live chat or help center. It links customer requests from support tools such as Intercom and Zendesk.
Do both have coding agents?
Yes. Linear Agent can write code in cloud sessions, and third-party agents can be assigned issues. Helpin’s coding agents work from the task and the customer conversation behind it, and open pull requests for review.
Can Helpin import from Linear?
Not yet. Linear exports issues to CSV and through its API, and Helpin imports projects from Shortcut today.
How is AI billed in Helpin?
Every Cloud plan includes a monthly AI usage allowance, measured in tokens at published rates. On an active paid plan you can turn on metered overage if you need more. Self-hosted installs use your own AI provider and pay it directly.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The 14-day trial runs on the Growth plan, needs no card, and includes $140 of AI usage.
Can we self-host Helpin?
Yes. The Community edition is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, and runs with Docker Compose. It is a 0.1 beta, and coding agents arrive with the 0.2 release.
Will you help us switch?
Yes. Book a call and we’ll plan the move with you: what to set up first, how to run both tools side by side, and when to cut over.