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Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes

Granola vs Linear vs Trello

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Granola

4.4

From $14/user/mo

Best overall

Linear

4.5

From $0

Trello

4.1

From $0

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Founders, consultants and managers who sit in back-to-back calls and hate the awkward recording bot.

Best overall

Pick it if: Startups and product teams who build software and want a fast, clean place to plan and track the work.

Pick it if: Individuals and small teams who want a simple visual to-do list without learning a big project tool.

Overview

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
In one lineTakes meeting notes from your computer's audio, so no bot ever joins the call.Fast project tracker for product teams, with an AI agent that can code your issues.Simple drag-and-drop boards for tasks and projects, with AI that tidies cards for you.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$14/user/mo$0$0
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Overall rating4.44.5Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
4.5
5.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
5.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No Yes Yes
Understands images No––
Makes images No No Yes
Makes video No No No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No Yes No
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages Yes No Yes
Capabilities score8/ 1710/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Plans

Basic

Free

Trying it, or anyone who only needs the last month of notes.

Free

$0

Small teams getting started.

Free

$0

Personal use and small teams getting started.

BusinessOur pick

$14/user/mo

Anyone in regular client or sales calls.

BasicOur pick

$10/user/mo billed yearly

Small product teams.

StandardOur pick

$5/user/mo billed yearly ($6 monthly)

Small teams that want AI and unlimited boards.

Enterprise

$35/user/mo

Companies that need admin control over who records what.

Business

$16/user/mo billed yearly

Growing teams with support requests and private work.

Premium

$10/user/mo billed yearly ($12.50 monthly)

Teams that need more ways to see the work.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies with security needs.

Enterprise

$17.50/user/mo billed yearly

Large organisations.

Which plan to pickStart on Basic and see how it fits your week. If you find yourself wanting a call from six weeks ago, that's your signal to move to Business. Enterprise is only for IT-managed rollouts.Start free, then move to Basic when you pass 250 issues. Go to Business when you want AI triage, support-tool integrations or private teams. Add AI credits only if you plan to have Linear Agent write code; top-ups start at $10.Free is enough for personal use. Small teams that want AI and unlimited boards should take Standard. Go to Premium only if you need calendar or timeline views.

Key features

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Standout features
  • Bot-free capture
  • Notes built on yours
  • Ask across meetings
  • Templates
  • Phone apps
  • Claude connection
  • Issues, projects and cycles
  • Roadmaps and initiatives
  • Linear Agent
  • Triage Intelligence
  • Linear Asks
  • MCP and API
  • Boards, lists and cards
  • Inbox
  • Planner
  • AI features
  • Automation
  • Power-Ups

Pros and cons

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Pros
  • No bot in the call keeps clients and candidates relaxed
  • Notes read like something you wrote, not a wall of transcript
  • Quick to set up and almost nothing to learn
  • Cross-meeting chat is genuinely useful for follow-ups
  • Phone apps cover in-person meetings
  • Very fast and pleasant to use
  • Generous free plan with unlimited members
  • Built-in agent that can write code for issues
  • Official MCP server for Claude and Claude Code
  • Clear, published pricing
  • Extremely easy to learn
  • Generous free plan for small teams
  • Cheap paid plans
  • AI that tidies cards and captures tasks
  • Official MCP server
Cons
  • No video recording or shareable clips
  • The free plan locks notes older than 30 days
  • No annual discount shown, so $14 a user adds up for a team
  • Needs the desktop app running; it won't record from a phone call on your laptop if the app is closed
  • Built for software teams, not general business projects
  • Free plan stops at 250 issues
  • Coding sessions and Loops cost extra through prepaid credits
  • AI triage and dashboards need Business
  • Too simple for complex team projects
  • Calendar, timeline and table views need Premium
  • Free plan caps a workspace at 10 boards
  • Reporting is basic

Who each one is for

AttributeGranolaLinearTrello
Best for
  • Client and sales calls
  • Interviews and one-on-ones
  • Bot-free recording
  • Asking questions across past meetings
  • Tracking bugs and feature requests
  • Planning product roadmaps and sprints
  • Handing issues to an AI agent to code
  • Teams using Claude Code on their product
  • A simple visual to-do list
  • Small team projects and checklists
  • Planning content or a launch
  • Capturing tasks from email and Slack
You'll find it used by
  • Founders
  • Consultants
  • Managers
  • Sales teams
  • Recruiters
  • Startups
  • Product managers
  • Software teams
  • Founders
  • Freelancers
  • Small teams
  • Content creators
  • Students
  • Marketing teams

Questions people ask

Which is better, Granola, Linear or Trello?

Linear scores highest overall in our ratings (Granola 4.4/5, Linear 4.5/5 and Trello 4.1/5). Granola is best for client and sales calls and interviews and one-on-ones. Linear is best for tracking bugs and feature requests and planning product roadmaps and sprints. Trello is best for A simple visual to-do list and small team projects and checklists.

Which is cheaper, Granola, Linear or Trello?

Granola: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14/user/mo. Linear: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Trello: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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