project management tool · head to head
Basecamp vs Linear
Comparison Summary
Linear scored 6.5 and Basecamp scored 5.6 on our project management tool test script.
Linear: Linear is the fastest and lightest app we have tested in this category, and its AI agent is free and got everything right. But it is a tool for software teams, and it shows: there is no calendar view or task-level timeline, no rule builder, no plain CSV import, and the free plan makes every invited person an admin.
Basecamp: Basecamp is calm and quick: the Windows app opened in about 3 seconds, used the least memory of any app we tested here, and kept due dates, weekend days and weekly repeats exactly as entered. But it is not a task manager in the usual sense. There are no priorities, custom fields, dependencies, automation rules, Gantt chart or built-in AI, it imports only Markdown or plain text, and the free plan is a single project.
Editor's Verdict
Choose Linear if…
Best for: Software and product teams who live on the keyboard and want a fast issue tracker with a capable free AI agent.
- Very fast: usable about 5 seconds after launch with roughly 0.55 GB of memory, the lightest app in the category
- Linear Agent is included on the free plan; its summary and overdue answer were accurate and it made real sub-issues
- Keyboard shortcuts for every field, natural-language due dates
Choose Basecamp if…
Best for: Small teams and client work that need one calm place for to-dos, messages, files and a calendar, without fields and charts.
- The fastest and lightest desktop app in our tests: about 3 seconds from a cold start and under 1.3 GB of memory
- Due dates stay as entered, weekends included, and recurring to-dos have clear repeat options
- Markdown import of 500 to-dos in under 40 seconds, with done to-dos ticked
Head to Head
Task by task
The same prompts, pasted word for word into each app on a clean Windows 11 PC. On the 8 tasks both apps were graded on, Basecamp completed 1 and Linear completed 3.
| Task | Basecamp | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| P1 · Build a project | Partial≈ 15–20 min | Pass≈ 18 min |
| P2 · Views | Partial≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 3 min |
| P3 · Rules | Partial≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 5 min |
| P4 · 200-row import | Fail≈ 5 min | Fail≈ 10 min |
| P5 · Scale | Pass≈ 2 min | Pass≈ 45 s import |
| P6 · Permissions | Partial≈ 3 min | Partial≈ 3 min |
| P7 · AI | Fail– | Pass≈ 20–55 s each |
| P8 · Leave | Partial≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 5 min |
Measured on the same PC
| Measurement | Basecamp | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Admin rights | No | Not needed |
| On disk | 527 MB | 369 MB |
| Starts with Windows | No | No |
| 40-task project | ≈ 15–20 min | ≈ 18 min |
| Views on the free plan | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 |
| Cold start | ≈ 3 s | ≈ 5 s |
| Memory | 0.9 – 1.2 GB | 0.55 GB |
| Left after uninstall | ≈ 120 MB | ≈ 280 MB |
Pros and cons
Basecamp
+ What works
- The fastest and lightest desktop app in our tests: about 3 seconds from a cold start and under 1.3 GB of memory
- Due dates stay as entered, weekends included, and recurring to-dos have clear repeat options
- Markdown import of 500 to-dos in under 40 seconds, with done to-dos ticked
- A free plan forever, and flat paid prices instead of per-user fees
- Complete export of every to-do and date as a browsable website
− What falls short
- No priority, status or custom fields, so our brief's priorities had nowhere to go
- No dependencies, no automation rules and no built-in AI assistant
- No Gantt chart or timeline; the Kanban Card Table is separate from to-dos
- No CSV import: only Markdown or text files, with titles and done state only
- Pasting a list makes one to-do, and dates can only be clicked in a calendar
- Free plan: one project, three people, 1 GB
Linear
+ What works
- Very fast: usable about 5 seconds after launch with roughly 0.55 GB of memory, the lightest app in the category
- Linear Agent is included on the free plan; its summary and overdue answer were accurate and it made real sub-issues
- Keyboard shortcuts for every field, natural-language due dates
- Dependencies and weekly recurring issues work on the free plan
- The full CSV export arrived by email in under a minute, with dependencies, milestones and sub-issues
- No marketing emails by default, a choice of EU or US data region, no startup entry
− What falls short
- No plain CSV import: our file was rejected until we rewrote it in Jira's export format, and priorities and due dates were then lost
- Only list and board views for issues; no calendar, and the timeline covers projects rather than issues
- No custom automation rules, only presets such as auto-close; stale issues are auto-cancelled after six months by default
- No bulk paste: each of our 40 issues was entered one by one
- Invites have no role choice, and every member on the free plan is an admin
- The free plan lists a 250-issue limit (it did not stop our imports on day one)
- The AI created sub-issues without asking first
- The uninstall leaves about 280 MB and a linear:// link handler
Privacy and security
What we saw on our own test PC. Each review also lists what the vendor states about data handling, training and certifications.
Basecamp
Signed installer
The installer is signed by 37signals LLC with a valid certificate.
No background services
The app added no startup entry, services or listening ports.
Invite-only projects
New projects are visible only to people you add; outside collaborators and clients get limited access.
No AI by default
The app has no built-in AI assistant reading your projects.
Linear
Quiet defaults
Marketing and onboarding emails are off by default, and you choose an EU or US data region when you create a workspace.
Everyone is an admin on Free
Invites have no role choice, and the invited user was listed as an admin.
Stale issues auto-close
Issues not updated for six months are cancelled automatically unless you switch this off.
Left after uninstalling
A 223 MB updater cache, a 58 MB profile and the linear:// link handler.
Features & Pricing
| Basecamp | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| macOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | — | — |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paid from | $29/mo | $10/mo |
Basecamp plans
- Free$0
- Freelancer$29/mo
- Pro$79/mo
- Pro Plus$99/mo
- Pro Unlimited$199/mo
From Basecamp's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Linear plans
- Free$0
- Basic$10/user/mo
- Business$16/user/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
From Linear's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Who makes them
- Company
- Basecamp:37signals LLC
- Linear:Linear Orbit, Inc.
- Headquarters
- Basecamp:Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Linear:San Francisco, California, USA
- Founded
- Basecamp:1999
- Linear:2019
- Funding
- Basecamp:Privately held; run by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.
- Linear:Series C of $82 million in 2025 at a reported $1.25 billion valuation.
Timelines, official links and sources are in each review: Basecamp · Linear.
Read the full reviews
This page compares the two side by side. Each full review has the complete test log, every screenshot, the scoring notes, pricing, security and company details.
Basecamp reviewSituational 5.6 Basecamp is calm and quick: the Windows app opened in about 3 seconds, used the least memory of any app we tested here, and kept due dates, weekend days and weekly repeats exactly as entered. But it is not a task manager in the usual sense. There are no priorities, custom fields, dependencies, automation rules, Gantt chart or built-in AI, it imports only Markdown or plain text, and the free plan is a single project. Read the full review → Linear reviewSituational 6.5 Linear is the fastest and lightest app we have tested in this category, and its AI agent is free and got everything right. But it is a tool for software teams, and it shows: there is no calendar view or task-level timeline, no rule builder, no plain CSV import, and the free plan makes every invited person an admin. Read the full review → Project Management Alternatives
ClickUp Recommended Small teams that want lists, boards, Gantt charts, automations and AI in one free workspace and do not mind a busy, heavy app 7.4 Read reviewReview 
Notion Situational Individuals and small teams who want tasks living next to their docs and wiki, and who are happy to build their own setup 6.9 Read reviewReview 
Airtable Situational Teams who want a flexible database behind their projects, with automations and reliable CSV in and out 6.8 Read reviewReview 
