Linear alternative
The open source, self-hosted Linear alternative
Kuayle is a keyboard-first issue tracker you run on your own server, under Apache 2.0, with no per-seat price and no paid tier. Linear is a polished hosted product; this page shows where Kuayle matches it, where it does not yet, and what each costs.
At a glance
- Licence
Linear: Proprietary
Kuayle: Apache 2.0
- Hosting
Linear: Vendor cloud only
Kuayle: Self-hosted
- Pricing
Linear: From $10 per user a month
Kuayle: Free, no paid tier
- Difference
- Linear is a mature hosted service billed per user; Kuayle is free software you host, with a smaller feature set.
Why teams look for a Linear alternative
The bill grows with every hire
Linear bills per user: $10 on Basic and $16 on Business, billed yearly. The Free plan stops at 2 teams and 250 issues.
The data has to stay in-house
Linear runs only in its own cloud, with workspace data in the EU or the US. It documents no self-hosted edition.
SSO and SCIM need Enterprise
Google sign-in is on every plan, but SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning are on the custom-priced Enterprise plan only.
Agent work is metered
Linear’s cloud coding agents and Loops draw on separately purchased, prepaid AI credits.
Kuayle vs Linear, side by side
| Topic | Linear | Kuayle |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No Proprietary. The source is not published. | Yes Apache 2.0. The full source is in one public repository. |
| Hosting | No Linear’s cloud only, with an EU or US data region chosen at workspace creation. | Yes Self-hosted with Docker Compose (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API, frontend). There is no hosted Kuayle service. |
| Pricing | In part Free plan (2 teams, 250 issues), then $10 Basic or $16 Business per user a month, billed yearly; Enterprise by quote. | Yes No licence fee and no paid tier. Nothing is gated behind a key; you pay for your own server. |
| SSO and SCIM | In part Google SSO on all plans; SAML and SCIM on Enterprise only. | No Email and password sign-in with invite links. No SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, passkeys or magic links yet. |
| AI and agents | Yes Linear Agent and the agent platform on every plan; cloud coding agents and Loops use prepaid AI credits. | In part Opt-in Dev Machines run coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, opencode and others) in self-hosted containers linked to issues. There are no agents assigned as issue members. |
| MCP server | Yes Official remote MCP server at mcp.linear.app, on all plans. | No No MCP server yet. |
| API and webhooks | Yes GraphQL API and admin-created webhooks on all plans. | In part HTTP API with scoped, expiring personal access tokens, plus HMAC-signed webhooks. No published OpenAPI reference yet. |
| Importers | Yes Jira, GitHub Issues, Asana and Shortcut, plus a CLI importer. | No No importer from other trackers. Kuayle-to-Kuayle workspace export and import (.kuayle.zip) is built in. |
| Git integrations | Yes GitHub (PR linking and two-way issue sync) and GitLab; GitHub Enterprise Server on Enterprise. | In part GitHub App: branches, commits and pull requests link to issues, status automation on PR events, and PR comments. No GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea yet. |
| Where data lives | In part In Linear’s cloud, in the EU or US region you picked. | Yes In your own PostgreSQL and storage (local disk or S3-compatible). You run backups and updates. |
| Issue model | Yes Mature issue workflow with sub-issues, relations, labels, cycles and projects. | Yes Multiple assignees, sub-issues, relations, labels, priorities, due dates, templates, team-specific statuses and title/description version history. |
What Linear costs a year compared with Kuayle
| Team | Linear Basic | Linear Business | Kuayle licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $600 | $960 | $0 |
| 20 people | $2,400 | $3,840 | $0 |
| 50 people | $6,000 | $9,600 | $0 |
| 100 people | $12,000 | $19,200 | $0 |
Moving from Linear to Kuayle
- 01
Export from Linear
Linear exports workspace issues, views and projects to CSV, and its GraphQL API reads everything else. Keep the export as your archive.
- 02
Deploy Kuayle
Run the Docker Compose stack on your server (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API and frontend), then create a workspace and invite the team.
- 03
Recreate teams and workflows
Set up teams (public or private), team statuses, labels and issue templates before moving work, so issues land in the right place.
- 04
Move open work through the API
Kuayle has no built-in Linear importer yet. Script the move of open issues with a scoped personal access token, or start fresh with active work and keep Linear read-only for history.
When to stay on Linear, and when to choose Kuayle
Stay on Linear if
- You want someone else to run, patch and back up the tracker.
- You rely on Linear’s importers, initiatives, agent platform or MCP server today.
- You need SAML SSO now (on Linear Enterprise) and Kuayle does not offer SSO yet.
- Per-seat cost is fine and product maturity matters more than control of the code.
Choose Kuayle if
- Issues and code have to stay on your own infrastructure.
- Headcount should not change what the tracker costs.
- You want to read, audit and change the source under Apache 2.0.
- Multiple assignees per issue, private teams and edit history cover your workflow.
Other Linear alternatives
Kuayle is not the only option. Compare these too, or see every tracker in the full comparison matrix.
- Plane.so alternative AGPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
- It's a Plan alternative AGPL-3.0 · Self-hosted
- OpenProject alternative GPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
- Jira alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- YouTrack alternative Proprietary · Cloud or self-hosted
- Taiga alternative MPL-2.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
Linear alternative FAQ
Is there an open source alternative to Linear?
- Yes. Kuayle is an open source Linear alternative under Apache 2.0 that you host yourself. Plane, It’s a Plan, OpenProject and Taiga are other open source trackers to compare.
Can you self-host Linear?
- No. Linear runs only in its own cloud, with an EU or US data region. To keep the tracker on your own servers you need a self-hosted alternative such as Kuayle.
Is there a free Linear alternative?
- Kuayle is free: no licence fee, no per-seat price and no paid tier. You pay only for the server it runs on. Linear’s own Free plan stops at 2 teams and 250 issues.
Can I import my Linear workspace into Kuayle?
- Not with a built-in importer yet. Export from Linear to CSV or read it through its API, then create issues in Kuayle with a scoped personal access token.
Does Kuayle have SSO and an MCP server like Linear?
- Not yet. Kuayle uses email and password sign-in with invite links and has no MCP server today. If either is a hard requirement now, Linear covers it.
How does Kuayle feel compared with Linear?
- Both are keyboard-first, with a ⌘K command palette, shortcuts, cycles and projects. Kuayle adds multiple assignees per issue, private teams and title and description history.
Sources
- Linear pricing
- Linear SAML and access control docs
- Linear MCP docs
- Linear AI credits docs
- Linear import docs
- Linear API and webhooks docs
- Linear exporting data docs
- Linear GitHub integration docs
- Linear integrations
- Linear security
- Kuayle source code
Linear details were checked against Linear's own pages on 6 November 2026; Kuayle details against the v0.2.15 source code. Prices are list prices before tax and change over time; the vendor's pricing page is authoritative. This is a snapshot, not an endorsement. Kuayle is developed by Bakney and is not affiliated with Linear. Linear is a trademark of its owner.