Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Linear vs Slack 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: Teams that want one place to talk, and that lose time catching up on channels and hunting for old decisions.
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 | Slack | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Fast project tracker for product teams, with an AI agent that can code your issues. | Team chat with AI built in: catch-up summaries, answers from your chats and Slackbot. | A simple to-do list that works everywhere and understands due dates like 'every Monday'. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 | $7/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 | Slack | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5Winner | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| 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 | Slack | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | 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 | Yes | 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 | – | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | No | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 10/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Linear | Slack | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Small teams getting started. | Free $0 Small teams trying Slack. | Beginner Free Anyone with a simple list. |
BasicOur pick $10/user/mo billed yearly Small product teams. | Pro $7.25/user/mo billed yearly ($8.75 monthly) Small teams that want basic AI. | 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+Our pick $15/user/mo billed yearly ($18 monthly) Teams that want the full AI set. | Business $10/user/mo, or $8/user/mo billed yearly Small teams sharing a workspace. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security needs. | Enterprise+ $45/user/mo billed yearly Large companies with many tools. | ||
| 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. | If your team already pays for Pro, try the basic AI first. Move to Business+ when you want AI search, the Slackbot agent and daily recaps, which is where the real time saving is. New teams get 50% off Pro or Business+ for 3 months if they upgrade in the first week. | 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 | Slack | Todoist |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Linear | Slack | Todoist |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Linear | Slack | Todoist |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Linear, Slack or Todoist?
Linear scores highest overall in our ratings (Linear 4.5/5, Slack 4.0/5 and Todoist 4.3/5). Linear is best for tracking bugs and feature requests and planning product roadmaps and sprints. Slack is best for catching up on busy channels after time off and finding past decisions in your team's messages. Todoist is best for personal task management and recurring reminders.
Which is cheaper, Linear, Slack or Todoist?
Linear: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Slack: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Todoist: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $7/mo.
Which is easier to use, Linear, Slack 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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