Best Plane Alternatives in 2026

Plane is great for teams that want an open-source, self-hostable alternative to jira or linear, but it is not the only option. Here are the top alternatives ranked by rating, features, and value.

Why People Leave Plane

✕Less polished than Linear
✕Smaller ecosystem
✕Self-hosting requires maintenance

Top 10 Alternatives to Plane

Things 3

situational

The most beautiful task manager ever made. Apple-only, one-time purchase, pure GTD.

★ 4.7 (287 reviews)Pricing: paidFrom $9.99 (iPhone), $19.99 (iPad)

Most beautifully designed task manager availableOne-time purchase — no subscription feesGTD-inspired workflow is intuitive and effective

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Linear

recommended

Issue tracking for software teams who care about speed and design quality.

★ 4.7 (234 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $8/user/mo (Standard)Free tier

Fastest project management UI — every action feels instantBeautiful, minimal design that engineers loveGit integration auto-links issues to PRs and commits

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Sunsama

situational

Calm daily planner with guided morning planning rituals

★ 4.6 (38 reviews)Pricing: paidFrom $20/mo

Beautiful calm interfaceGuided planning rituals are effectiveGood integration ecosystem

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Notion

recommended

All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, projects, and databases. Infinitely flexible.

★ 4.5 (467 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $10/mo (Plus)Free tier

Replaces 5-10 separate tools with one flexible workspaceDatabase system with multiple views is incredibly powerfulGenerous free tier for individuals

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Todoist

recommended

The best personal task manager. Clean, fast, with natural language input that actually works.

★ 4.5 (389 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $5/mo (Pro)Free tier

Natural language input is the fastest way to capture tasksBeautiful, consistent design across every platformPro at $5/mo is exceptional value

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Airtable

recommended

Spreadsheet-database hybrid that powers custom workflows without code.

★ 4.4 (345 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $20/seat/mo (Team)Free tier

Most flexible no-code database with relational capabilitiesMultiple views transform the same data for different use casesInterface Designer creates custom apps without code

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TickTick

recommended

Task manager with built-in calendar, habit tracking, Pomodoro timer, and Eisenhower matrix.

★ 4.4 (198 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $35.99/year (~$3/mo, Premium)Free tier

More features than Todoist at a lower price pointBuilt-in calendar, habit tracker, and Pomodoro timerEisenhower matrix provides unique prioritization view

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Monday.com

recommended

Colorful, visual work OS that non-technical teams actually enjoy using.

★ 4.4 (345 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $12/seat/mo (Standard, min 3 seats)Free tier

Most visually appealing and approachable PM interfaceMultiple products (CRM, Dev, Marketing) on one platformAutomation builder is intuitive and powerful

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Asana

recommended

Enterprise project management that scales from small teams to Fortune 500.

★ 4.3 (389 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $13.49/user/mo (Premium)Free tier

Excellent balance of power and usability for mid-size teamsWorkflow automation eliminates repetitive task managementPortfolio and Goals features connect work to strategy

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#10

Shortcut

recommended

Project management for software teams that find Jira too complex and Trello too simple.

★ 4.3 (112 reviews)Pricing: freemiumFrom $8.50/user/mo (Standard)Free tier

Perfect balance between simplicity and structureExcellent API and Git integration for developer workflowsGenerous free tier with full features for 10 users

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Plane vs Top 3 Alternatives

Criteria	Plane	Things 3	Linear	Sunsama
Rating	★ 3.9	★ 4.7	★ 4.7	★ 4.6
Pricing	open_source	paid	freemium	paid
Starter Price	$7/user/mo	$9.99 (iPhone), $19.99 (iPad)	$8/user/mo (Standard)	$20/mo
Free Tier	No	No	Yes	No
Learning Curve	easy	easy	easy	easy
Features	6 features	6 features	6 features	6 features

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