project management tool · head to head
Linear vs Smartsheet
Comparison Summary
Linear scored 6.5 and Smartsheet scored 6.0 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.
Smartsheet: Smartsheet is a spreadsheet that runs projects: pasting or importing our data was the easiest of any app we have tested, dependencies rescheduled tasks properly, and its AI was the only one to get everything right and create subtasks on request. But there is no free plan, recurring tasks are missing, the interface switches between a new and a classic look, and the Windows app we tested is being retired in January 2027.
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 Smartsheet if…
Best for: Teams who already think in spreadsheets and want Gantt charts, dependencies and automation on top, and are happy to pay and use it in the browser.
- Paste a spreadsheet and the project is built: 40 rows with phases, dates and priorities in one go
- CSV import mapped all 7 columns itself; 200 of 200 rows came back identical in the export
- Dependencies reschedule tasks automatically and skip weekends
Head to Head
Why Linear wins overall while Smartsheet leads on more axes: the axes are not weighted equally. Linear’s 3.5-point lead on Value for money (7.5 against 4.0, counted 2×) outweighs Smartsheet’s smaller leads on Views & flexibility, Automation & AI, and Integrations. The weights are the same for every project management tool and published on How we test.
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, Linear completed 3 and Smartsheet completed 4.
| Task | Linear | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| P1 · Build a project | Pass≈ 18 min | Pass≈ 5 min |
| P2 · Views | Partial≈ 3 min | Partial≈ 6 min |
| P3 · Rules | Partial≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 12 min |
| P4 · 200-row import | Fail≈ 10 min | Pass≈ 2 min |
| P5 · Scale | Pass≈ 45 s import | Pass≈ 2 min |
| P6 · Permissions | Partial≈ 3 min | Partial≈ 3 min |
| P7 · AI | Pass≈ 20–55 s each | Pass≈ 4 min |
| P8 · Leave | Partial≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 4 min |
Measured on the same PC
| Measurement | Linear | Smartsheet |
|---|---|---|
| On disk | 369 MB | 379 MB |
| Admin rights | Not needed | No |
| Starts with Windows | No | No |
| 40-task project | ≈ 18 min | ≈ 5 min |
| Cold start | ≈ 5 s | ≈ 14 s |
| Memory | 0.55 GB | 1.1 – 1.6 GB |
| Left after uninstall | ≈ 280 MB | ≈ 87 MB |
Pros and cons
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
Smartsheet
+ What works
- Paste a spreadsheet and the project is built: 40 rows with phases, dates and priorities in one go
- CSV import mapped all 7 columns itself; 200 of 200 rows came back identical in the export
- Dependencies reschedule tasks automatically and skip weekends
- Smart Assist got the summary and overdue answer right, and created subtasks after asking
- Per-user install with no admin rights; uninstall removes almost everything
− What falls short
- The Windows desktop app is being retired on or after January 6, 2027
- No free plan: Pro starts at $9 per member a month, billed yearly
- No recurring tasks; workflows can remind you but not create a task
- Two interfaces: Calendar, Gantt and settings open in the older classic view, which needs saving by hand
- Gantt needs a second date column, and Ctrl+V did not paste in the new table view
- No CSV export; Excel, Google Sheets or PDF, one sheet at a time
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.
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.
Smartsheet
Signed installer
The installer is signed by Smartsheet Inc with a valid certificate.
No background services
The app added no startup entry, services or listening ports.
Clear sharing roles
Admin, two kinds of Editor, Commenter and Viewer, per sheet or per workspace.
EU data region
Sign-up offered a European Union data region (app.smartsheet.eu), which our account used.
Features & Pricing
| Linear | Smartsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| macOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | — | — |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free plan | ✓ | — |
| Paid from | $10/mo | $9/mo |
Linear plans
- Free$0
- Basic$10/user/mo
- Business$16/user/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
From Linear's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Smartsheet plans
- Pro$9/member/mo
- Business$19/member/mo
- EnterpriseContact sales
- Advanced Work ManagementContact sales
From Smartsheet's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Cost for your team
- Smartsheet$540per year
- Linear$600per year
Cheapest paid plan × seats × 12, at list price. Annual discounts and volume deals not included. Linear also has a free plan.
Who makes them
- Company
- Linear:Linear Orbit, Inc.
- Smartsheet:Smartsheet Inc.
- Headquarters
- Linear:San Francisco, California, USA
- Smartsheet:Bellevue, Washington, USA
- Founded
- Linear:2019
- Smartsheet:2005
- Funding
- Linear:Series C of $82 million in 2025 at a reported $1.25 billion valuation.
- Smartsheet:Listed on the NYSE in 2018; taken private by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners in 2025.
Timelines, official links and sources are in each review: Linear · Smartsheet.
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.
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 → Smartsheet reviewSituational 6.0 Smartsheet is a spreadsheet that runs projects: pasting or importing our data was the easiest of any app we have tested, dependencies rescheduled tasks properly, and its AI was the only one to get everything right and create subtasks on request. But there is no free plan, recurring tasks are missing, the interface switches between a new and a classic look, and the Windows app we tested is being retired in January 2027. 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 
