Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Linear vs Motion (AI calendar) vs Todoist
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
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: Busy owners and small teams juggling lots of tasks and meetings who want the planning done for them.
Pick it if: Anyone who wants a dependable task list that is fast to use and stays out of the way.
Linear scores highest overall, but Todoist gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Fast project tracker for product teams, with an AI agent that can code your issues. | AI calendar that plans your day around your tasks and moves things when plans change. | A simple to-do list that works everywhere and understands due dates like 'every Monday'. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $19/seat/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5Winner | 3.6 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 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 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | No |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | No |
| Works in many languages | No | No | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Small teams getting started. | Pro AIOur pick $19/seat/mo billed yearly ($29 monthly) Professionals and small teams. | Beginner Free Anyone with a simple list. |
BasicOur pick $10/user/mo billed yearly Small product teams. | Business AI $29/seat/mo billed yearly ($49 monthly) Teams that plan around capacity. | ProOur pick $7/mo, or $5/mo billed yearly Anyone who wants more projects and the calendar view. | |
Business $16/user/mo billed yearly Growing teams with support requests and private work. | Business $10/user/mo, or $8/user/mo billed yearly Small teams sharing a workspace. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security needs. | |||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Pro AI covers individuals and small teams. Take the free trial for at least a week of real work before paying, and pay yearly to save about a third. Move to Business AI only if you need capacity planning and Gantt charts. | Beginner is fine until you hit the five-project wall. Pro on the yearly plan is the obvious move after that. Business is for teams who want a shared space; it is not a substitute for a real project tool. |
Key features
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Linear | Motion (AI calendar) | Todoist |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Linear, Motion (AI calendar) or Todoist?
Linear scores highest overall in our ratings (Linear 4.5/5, Motion (AI calendar) 3.6/5 and Todoist 4.3/5). Linear is best for tracking bugs and feature requests and planning product roadmaps and sprints. Motion (AI calendar) is best for planning your day around tasks and meetings automatically and replanning when meetings run over. Todoist is best for personal task management and recurring reminders.
Which is cheaper, Linear, Motion (AI calendar) or Todoist?
Linear: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Motion (AI calendar): There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/seat/mo. Todoist: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $7/mo.
Which is easier to use, Linear, Motion (AI calendar) or Todoist?
Todoist rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who wants a dependable task list that is fast to use and stays out of the way.
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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