Helpin vs Linear at a glance
Keep the speed you expect from a modern project tool. Add AI agents that can work from the customer’s first message through planning, code review, docs updates and follow-up.
Linear brings issues, projects, cycles and agents together. Helpin gives your team a fast planning workspace too, with a shared support inbox, CRM, meeting notes and help center built in. The people doing the work can see why it matters.
You can use Helpin’s built-in agents, create your own, or connect compatible external agents through MCP. One workspace price includes unlimited teammates, and you can self-host the open-source edition.
- Give agents the job and the reason behind it. Helpin connects planning and code to live support conversations, deals, meetings and docs in the same product.
- Linear connects engineering to customer requests. It links feedback and account details to issues, with support conversations handled in connected tools.
Compare what your team can do in each product. Plan requirements and connected tools are shown where they matter.
| Capability |  HelpinOpen source · Cloud 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) | |
| Planning | ||
| Roadmaps and sprints | Initiatives, projects and cycles | |
| Triage | ||
| GitHub and GitLab | PR and MR linking | PR and MR linking |
| Code delivery from a task | Built-in planning, coding and review; GitHub PRs and GitLab MRs | 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 | AI answers, own domain, API reference, agent-maintained docs | |
| CRM with deals | Contacts, companies, deals and AI follow-ups | |
| Meeting notes | Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex | Gong transcripts on Enterprise |
| MCP server | Read context, update work and start agents | Hosted |
Comparison data verified October 2026.
Why choose Helpin over Linear?
Give agents the context and tools to carry out work, keep your team in control, and bring everyone into the same fast workspace.
Helpin- Workspace price
- Unlimited teammates
- AI allowance
Invite the whole team without seat fees.
Helpin charges per workspace with unlimited teammates and an included AI allowance. Invite support, engineering and sales without buying another seat. Extra AI usage is metered only if you enable it on a paid plan.
Helpin- Report
- Agent work
- Review
- Follow-up
Give agents the context to build the right thing.
A task can carry the original conversation, account history and linked docs. Planning and coding agents can use that context, plus your repository and connected tools, to investigate and prepare a fix. Your team sees the work and reviews the change.
Helpin- Release
- UI capture
- Article update
Keep the guides current as you ship.
Quill can update your help center and internal docs from released changes and unanswered questions. It can capture fresh screenshots and browser recordings too. Your team reviews and publishes the changes, so customers and agents have current instructions.
Helpin- Your instructions
- Context and tools
- Action
Build agents around the way you work.
Use built-in planning, coding and review agents, or build a custom agent in plain language. Connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Hermes and other compatible tools through MCP. Helpin’s agents can also use external systems with the permissions you allow.
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
HelpinPlan in a fast workspace with objectives, roadmaps, epics, tasks, stories and sprints. Use triage, dependencies, saved views and reports to keep priorities clear. AI agents can break down a request, take on the code work and prepare it for review. Your team can see the customer need, the plan and the progress together.
Linear organizes work into issues, projects, cycles and initiatives, with triage, views and reporting. Insights dashboards are available on Business. Its interface emphasizes quick navigation and keyboard shortcuts.
The difference: Helpin combines fast planning with agents that act on the work and built-in access to the customers asking for it.
AI agents that carry out work
HelpinAsk Helpin AI to investigate an issue and get the work moving. Scribe plans the task, Forge writes and tests the code, Lens reviews it, and Quill updates the docs. Build custom agents and flows in plain language, with your choice of tools, skills and approval rules. Start work in chat or through configured automations.
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.
The difference: Both support coding agents. Helpin also connects planning, review, docs upkeep and customer follow-up in the same workspace.
Customer requests and support
HelpinHelpin gives your team a fast shared inbox for chat and email. Echo, the support agent, can answer from your docs and check connected tools for account details, code and logs. It can follow up after a reply or bring in a teammate. Customer history, internal notes and linked tasks stay with the conversation.
Linear links customer requests to issues and keeps account details such as revenue and customer tier. Connections to tools such as Intercom and Zendesk bring in support context. Customer-facing chat, email and help-center publishing happen in separate tools.
The difference: Helpin keeps the actual conversation and the development work together, so agents and people can act on the same history.
Customer records and meetings
HelpinKeep deals, contacts and companies beside their conversations, meetings and open work. Beacon, the sales agent, can identify buying intent, suggest the next step and carry out approved follow-ups. Record meetings on Google Meet, Zoom, Teams or Webex, then turn decisions into assigned tasks. Your team can see what was promised and what still needs doing.
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.
The difference: Helpin gives your team and agents a deal pipeline, meeting decisions and follow-ups alongside the work customers are waiting for.
Git, API and integrations
HelpinConnect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Hermes and other compatible AI tools through Helpin’s MCP server. They can find context, update tasks and docs, and start Helpin agent runs with the access you allow. Helpin agents can also use external MCP tools. GitHub, GitLab and the web SDKs connect your code and product to the same workflow.
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.
The difference: Helpin supports your existing AI tools and connects agents to external systems, including Linear, through MCP.
Help center and internal docs
HelpinKeep your help center and internal docs spaces current as your product changes. Quill can turn unanswered questions and released changes into article updates, with fresh screenshots and browser recordings. Your team reviews and publishes them. Customers can search your help center or ask AI for an answer with article citations.
Linear includes documents for specs and project updates, but no public help center for customers.
The difference: Helpin covers the full docs workflow, from internal decisions to current customer guides with screenshots and browser recordings.
Pricing and value
HelpinHelpin charges per workspace, with unlimited teammates. Starter is $79 and Growth $239 a month billed annually, or $99 and $299 billed monthly. Every Cloud plan includes an AI usage allowance. Extra usage is metered only when you enable it on a paid plan. Self-hosting has no Helpin license fee; you pay for your infrastructure and AI provider.
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.
Estimate what your team would pay
Compare the plans for your team size and AI usage. Check the notes for costs outside the estimate, including any extra tools you need. See Helpin pricing.
Estimated at list prices · 20 people · billed annually
HelpinGrowth$239 a month
$2,868 a year
- Growth plan, one workspace
- $239
- 20 people
- Included
- AI usage allowance
- $239 included
Every Cloud plan includes an AI allowance. Extra usage is metered only if you enable it.
$320 a month
$3,840 a year
- 20 × Business at $16
- $320
Helpin is an estimated $972 less a year on these inputs.
Linear costs less up to 14 people. From 15 people, Helpin costs less.
- 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.
Cloud or open source
Helpin is the same product either way. Let us run it on Helpin Cloud, or self-host the open-source Community edition on your own servers.
HelpinRun Helpin Cloud or self-host the open-source Community edition with Docker Compose. Support, projects, CRM, docs and AI agents are included under AGPL-3.0. When you self-host, you choose the infrastructure, AI providers and external services your workspace uses.
Linear is a hosted service, and there’s no way to run it on your own infrastructure.
Helpin Cloud
Hosted by Helpin- One price per workspace, unlimited teammates
- AI usage allowance included in every plan
- Your own AI keys on Enterprise
- Managed by Helpin, with support
Community edition
Open source · AGPL-3.0- Free, with no plan limits or seat counts
- Every product, coding agents included
- Runs on your own AI provider and keys
- Docker Compose on your own servers
Switching and onboarding
HelpinTry Helpin Growth for 14 days with no card and $140 of AI usage. Start with one support address or a real project, invite your team, and give the agents a job. We can help you plan the move around the data and tools you already use.
Linear provides importers for tools including Jira, GitHub Issues, Asana and Shortcut. Helpin does not import Linear history yet. You can start a new project in Helpin and connect Linear through MCP while you decide what to move.
Moving from Linear.
Start with one project or support inbox, then move more work when your team is ready.
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.
Check the features your team depends on.
These specific requirements are worth checking as you plan your move from Linear.
Native mobile apps.
Linear offers native iOS and Android apps. Helpin currently provides a web workspace.
Company single sign-on.
Linear offers SAML on Enterprise. Helpin does not currently provide SAML sign-in.
Historical issue imports.
Linear provides importers for several trackers. Helpin imports Shortcut projects today; a Linear importer is not available yet.
Existing team integrations.
Check the exact Linear apps your team uses. Helpin connects to GitHub, GitLab and external tools through supported integrations and MCP.
Keep the speed. Bring the customer into the workflow.
Helpin combines structured planning and agent delivery with support and sales. Check any specific Linear integration your team depends on.
Choose Helpin if…
- You want a fast workspace for roadmaps, objectives, epics, sprints and tasks.
- You want agents to plan, code and review with the original customer conversation attached.
- You want built-in support, CRM, meetings and AI-maintained docs.
- You want built-in, custom or external agents, without per-user pricing.
Check Linear if…
- Your team needs Linear’s native mobile apps or a specific existing integration.
- You require its SAML sign-in or a built-in importer for your current issue tracker.
FAQs about Helpin vs Linear
Is Helpin a Linear alternative?
Yes. Helpin includes fast project planning with objectives, roadmaps, epics, sprints, dependencies and reports. Agents can plan, code and review while support conversations, deals, docs and meeting context stay in the same product.
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 supports its own coding sessions and connected agents. Helpin has built-in planning, coding and review agents, plus custom agents and MCP access for compatible external tools. Helpin also connects that work to support, docs and sales follow-ups.
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 includes support, projects, CRM, docs and AI agents, including coding and review.
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.