Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Linear vs Notion vs Obsidian
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: Anyone who wants one place for their notes, plans and team knowledge, from solo creators to whole companies.
Pick it if: People who want private notes they own, and Claude Code users who want a knowledge base Claude can read and write.
Linear scores highest overall, but Obsidian gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Fast project tracker for product teams, with an AI agent that can code your issues. | One workspace for notes, docs, wikis and project tracking, with AI built in. | Free, private notes app that saves plain files on your computer, so Claude can read them. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $10/member/mo | $4/user/mo |
| 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.
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5Winner | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | No |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | – |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | – | No | – |
| Works in many languages | No | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Small teams getting started. | Free Free One person getting organised. | ObsidianOur pick Free Everyone, including work use. |
BasicOur pick $10/user/mo billed yearly Small product teams. | Plus $10/member/mo billed yearly Small teams who want shared docs without the AI. | Sync $4/user/mo billed yearly ($5 monthly) Keeping notes the same on phone and computer. | |
Business $16/user/mo billed yearly Growing teams with support requests and private work. | BusinessOur pick $20/member/mo billed yearly Teams who want the AI properly switched on. | Publish $8/site/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly) Turning notes into a public website or wiki. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security needs. | Enterprise Custom Larger companies with security and compliance needs. | Commercial licence $50/user/yr (optional) Businesses that want to support development. | |
| 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. | Solo users can stay on Free for a long time. For a team the honest answer is Business, because Plus leaves out the AI that makes Notion interesting now. Note that yearly billing is what gets you the $10 and $20 prices, and monthly billing costs more. | Use the free app. Add Sync if you want your notes on your phone and computer without setting up your own sync. A commercial licence is optional, even for business use. |
Key features
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Linear | Notion | Obsidian |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Linear, Notion or Obsidian?
Linear scores highest overall in our ratings (Linear 4.5/5, Notion 4.3/5 and Obsidian 4.2/5). Linear is best for tracking bugs and feature requests and planning product roadmaps and sprints. Notion is best for team wikis and documentation and personal notes and planning. Obsidian is best for A private second brain you fully own and A notes folder Claude Code can read and write.
Which is cheaper, Linear, Notion or Obsidian?
Linear: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Notion: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/member/mo. Obsidian: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4/user/mo.
Which is easier to use, Linear, Notion or Obsidian?
Linear rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Startups and product teams who build software and want a fast, clean place to plan and track the work.
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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