Linear is $8/user/mo. Roundup is a self-hosted alternative at $0.99/mo. Here's when each makes sense.
| Roundup | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted, your infra | Managed SaaS (cloud only) |
| Data location | Your server, your disk | Linear's cloud |
| Free tier | 3 projects, 50 issues | Paid only |
| Pro pricing | $0.99/mo | $8/user/mo |
| Dependencies | None (single binary + SQLite) | N/A (managed) |
| Setup time | ~30 seconds | Account signup |
| Dashboard | Built-in at /ui | Cloud dashboard |
| License | BSL 1.1 | Proprietary SaaS |
Roundup is a single Go binary with embedded SQLite. Install it with one command, and you are running in under a minute. Your data stays on your server.
curl -fsSL https://stockyard.dev/roundup/install.sh | sh
The decision between Roundup and Linear usually comes down to one question: do you need the breadth of features that Linear offers, or would a focused tool that stays out of your way be a better fit? Linear has spent years building an ecosystem around project tracker. Roundup does one thing well and gives you complete control of the underlying data.
Roundup runs as a single static binary with an embedded SQLite database. There is no application server, no cache layer, no background worker. One process handles HTTP requests and reads from and writes to the database file directly. This simplicity is the entire point — fewer moving parts means fewer things that can break at 2 AM.
Switching from Linear to Roundup is straightforward for most teams. Export your data from Linear (most services offer CSV or JSON export), then POST each record to Roundup's API. A migration script that reads the export and writes to /api/ endpoints typically takes less than 50 lines of code. The reverse migration is equally simple — Roundup's SQLite database is a standard file you can query with any SQLite client.
Single binary. Free to start. $0.99/mo for Pro.