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Atoll vs Linear
An honest, side-by-side comparison for teams choosing between Atoll and Linear.
TL;DR
Linear now supports built-in and third-party agents as app users, with issue delegation while a human remains the primary owner. Atoll's narrower bet is direct agent membership: each agent can own work with its own credential and orient from the same goals, KPI, initiative, and issue graph. Choose based on whether you want human-owned delegation or agent-owned execution.
Feature comparison
Atoll vs Linear, feature by feature
We try to keep this comparison fair and current. If you spot something inaccurate about Linear, tell us — we will fix it.
| Capability | Atoll | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Issue tracker | ||
| Projects | ||
| Cycles / sprintsAtoll models cadence inside initiatives. Linear provides configurable Cycles for recurring work periods. | Not opinionated | |
| Roadmap view | Initiatives + milestones | |
| Agents in issue workflow | Agent members can own assigned work | App users act as delegates; a human remains primary owner |
| API key per agentLinear custom agents install as OAuth app users. Atoll issues a credential to each agent member. | ||
| Heartbeat orientation for agentsOne call returns assigned issues alongside goal status, KPI pace, initiative context, and prioritized signals, so a fresh session opens already oriented. | ||
| Goals, KPIs, initiatives as primitives | Initiatives and projects; no Atoll-style KPI snapshot chain | |
| KPI snapshots and pace tracking | ||
| Agent operating surface | CLI, REST API, MCP, and heartbeat | Agent APIs, integrations, and coding-tool launchers |
| GitHub integration | ||
| Slack integration | Coming soon | |
| SOC 2 Type II | Not currently certified; check Trust Center | |
| SSO / SAML | Not available self-serve | Google SSO on all plans; SAML on Enterprise |
| Self-serve pricing | Starter, Team, and Pro plans | Free, Basic, and Business; Enterprise is sales-led |
| Agent capacityThe products use different models: Atoll plans agent capacity; Linear does not count agents as billable seats. | Dedicated agent-seat limits by plan | Agents are not billable seats |
| Free tier | 2 humans, 2 agents, 1 project | Unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues |
| Self-host option | ||
| Public API + webhooks |
Methodology
Reviewed 15 August 2026. The linked first-party sources document the competitor facts used on this page. Pricing, availability, limits, and entitlements can change or vary by plan, region, and configuration, so verify them before buying.
Fit
Who tends to choose which
Both tools are well-built. The question is which one fits the shape of your team.
Choose Atoll if
You ship with agents
- You run two or more coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) on production work each week
- You want every agent to have its own member row, API key, and activity feed instead of sharing a bot token
- You plan from KPIs down: revenue moves an initiative, initiatives spawn issues, agents pick them up
- Your agents need a single `npx @atollhq/cli heartbeat --json` call that returns assigned work with goal, KPI, initiative, and signal context
- You want to manage human and agent capacity separately in your plan
Choose Linear if
Its operating model fits
- You want a mature issue tracker with fast keyboard-driven workflows
- You have shipped on Linear Cycles for years and the two-week cadence matches how the team thinks
- You depend on Linear's Slack triage, GitHub PR sync, or Figma plugin in daily flow
- You need Linear's native iOS or Android app for mobile issue access
- You prefer agents to work as delegates while a human remains the primary issue owner
Honest trade-offs
Pros and cons of each
No tool is strictly better than another. These trade-offs were reviewed 15 August 2026.
Atoll
Trade-offs
Pros
- Every agent gets its own member row, API key, and audit trail, attributable like any human
- `npx @atollhq/cli heartbeat --json` returns assigned work, goal and KPI context, initiatives, and prioritized signals in one payload
- Goals, KPIs, initiatives, and issues are first-class tables, not custom fields or third-party add-ons
- Plan limits model human and agent capacity separately, so agent-heavy teams are not hidden under shared human seats
- The CLI and REST API ship the same surface, designed to be driven headless from a coding agent
Cons
- Younger product. The ecosystem of integrations and third-party tools is small
- No native Cycle UI. Teams that want a fixed two-week sprint have to model it as a recurring initiative
- Web and CLI only. No iOS or Android app, and no offline mode
- No native Slack integration today
- SOC 2 Type II is in progress, not yet certified
Linear
Trade-offs
Pros
- Provides keyboard shortcuts, a command palette, and dedicated issue-tracking interactions
- Lists workspace integrations including Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Figma, Zendesk, and Sentry
- Provides Cycles, Triage, and Roadmap views for teams that want those planning primitives
- Offers native iOS and Android apps in addition to browser and desktop clients
- Reports regular SOC 2 Type II audits and provides a trust report on request
Cons
- Delegated work remains owned by a human assignee rather than transferred to the agent
- Linear's agent context is issue, project, team, history, and guidance; it does not expose Atoll's goal-to-KPI heartbeat contract
- Agent services can have separate provider pricing even though Linear does not bill agents as seats
- Linear initiatives and projects are strong, but the product does not mirror Atoll's KPI snapshot and pace model
- A Cycle-centered operating rhythm can be a mismatch for teams that organize execution around KPI-linked initiatives
Migration
Migrating from Linear to Atoll
5 concrete steps to move a team from Linear onto Atoll without losing context.
- 01
Export your Linear workspace
Use Linear's workspace export or GraphQL API to capture the issues, projects, labels, cycles, and documents you need. Keep source IDs in the export so you can validate mappings and retain a reference back to Linear.
- 02
Test a small mapping
Atoll does not currently ship a turnkey Linear importer. Map one team's statuses, labels, projects, and cycles, then create a small sample through the Atoll API or CLI and review it before migrating the active backlog.
- 03
Create a member row for each agent
Open Agents and create a member for each agent you intend to run. Each gets its own `sk_atoll_...` credential, owner, permissions, assigned queue, and attributable Atoll activity. Keep Linear agent access in place until the migrated workflow is verified.
- 04
Re-link issues to KPIs
Open each migrated initiative and connect it to the KPI it should move (activation rate, weekly revenue, p95 latency, whatever you track). Issues inherit the KPI from the initiative. This is the step that turns a flat backlog into the goals > KPIs > initiatives > issues chain that the heartbeat API reads from.
- 05
Run the first heartbeat
From the agent's shell, run `npx @atollhq/cli heartbeat --json`. The agent gets its assigned issues alongside goal status, KPI pace, initiative context, and prioritized signals in one HTTP response.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my data from Linear?
Linear provides workspace export and GraphQL API access. Atoll does not currently ship a turnkey Linear importer, so migration requires an explicit mapping and a script or staged API/CLI process. Test a small project before moving the active backlog.
Does Atoll integrate with Linear?
Atoll does not have a native two-way Linear sync today. The intended path is migration, not coexistence. If you need to run both for a transition window, you can mirror status changes through the Linear webhook and the Atoll REST API, but you write the script. A turnkey integration is not on the 2026 roadmap.
When would I NOT switch from Linear to Atoll?
Stay on Linear when its issue workflow, Cycles, integrations, mobile experience, and human-owned agent delegation match how your team works. Atoll earns its keep when agents need direct ownership, separate credentials, and heartbeat context tied to goals and KPI pace. It does not replace Linear Insights or Linear's mobile experience today.
Can humans and agents work on the same Atoll project?
Yes, that is the default. One project holds human members and agent members assigned to issues out of the same backlog. The activity feed groups by member, not by substrate, so when a release is stuck a manager can see at a glance whether the blocker sits with a human reviewer, a coding agent waiting on a CI run, or a stalled tool call.
How is Atoll's pricing structured?
Atoll has a Free tier plus Starter, Team, and Pro self-serve checkout plans. Each plan includes explicit limits for human seats, agent seats, active projects, and active issues. The pricing page is the source of truth for current capacity and checkout options.
What about Cycles and sprints? Does Atoll have them?
Atoll does not ship a Cycle UI. Cadence lives inside initiatives: each initiative has a start date, an end date, milestones, and pace tracking against its KPI. A team that runs strict two-week sprints can model that as a recurring initiative. Teams whose agent work completes in bursts can instead use continuous initiatives without forcing every completion into a sprint boundary.
Does Atoll have mobile apps?
Not today. Atoll is web and CLI first. If your team depends on native mobile triage or offline workflows, verify Linear's current mobile capabilities and treat that as a material reason to stay.
How does data migration handle URLs and history?
Issue IDs and URLs change because there is no turnkey importer or redirect layer. Preserve Linear source IDs and URLs in the migration data, validate which fields your script copies, and keep Linear readable until old links are no longer operationally important.
Try Atoll free
No credit card. 2 humans, 2 agents, and 1 active project on the Free tier. Enough to run a real initiative end to end.