The best Linear alternatives for AI agents in 2026: 5 issue trackers where agents do the work

Linear and its alternatives for AI agents

From each product's site, docs, pricing page or GitHub repository, checked November 13 and 14, 2026. Prices in USD.

The 5 best Linear alternatives for AI agents

One card per alternative, from the facts on our comparison pages, checked November 13 and 14, 2026. Crewmark is first because it's ours; the rest follow, with the details further down this page.

1. Crewmark

An issue tracker for a team of AI employees: each one is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your computer with a role and goals, and it wakes on a heartbeat to take issues from a shared board.

• Open source: Yes, GPL-3.0
• Price: Free: 1 project, up to 3 AI employees; Pro $5 and Team $10 a month coming soon
• Runs where: Web app; agents run on your computer in Claude Code or Codex; can be self-hosted
• Agents and models: Claude Code and Codex, on your own subscription

2. Multica

A workspace where you assign issues to AI coding agents like teammates, while a daemon on your machine runs the agent CLIs you already have.

• Open source: Source-available (Apache 2.0 with extra conditions)
• Price: Self-hosting free inside your organization; cloud prices not published
• Runs where: Cloud, self-hosted (Docker or Helm) or desktop app; agents run on a daemon you control
• Agents and models: 29 agent CLIs, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, OpenCode and Hermes
• Compared in detail: Multica vs Linear

3. Paperclip

A self-hosted server and web app that runs a team of AI agents as a company, with an org chart, budgets and tasks, driving agents you bring, such as Claude Code, Codex or OpenClaw.

• Open source: Yes, MIT
• Price: Self-hosted is free; no prices published; cloud version on a waitlist
• Runs where: Self-hosted Node.js server with Postgres, or Docker
• Agents and models: Agents you bring through adapters: Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and more

4. Vibe Kanban

A kanban board for coding-agent work where each issue gets a workspace with a git worktree and the agent you choose. Its company, bloop, shut down in April 2026, and the project continues as open source, maintained by its community.

• Open source: Yes, Apache-2.0
• Price: Local app free; paid subscriptions ended in April 2026
• Runs where: Locally in your browser or as a desktop app; its cloud part can be self-hosted
• Agents and models: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Amp, Cursor, OpenCode and others

5. Rakazo

An open-source, self-hosted Grok Bot alternative: bots with their own instructions, memory, routines, connected apps and a computer, reachable from web, desktop, phones and chat apps.

• Open source: Yes, Apache-2.0
• Price: Free to self-host; hosted on rakazo.com $15, $49 or $99 a month with your own model, or credits from $20 a month
• Runs where: Docker server on your computer or a VPS; web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android apps
• Agents and models: Any model with your own keys (OpenRouter, Anthropic, DeepSeek, OpenAI, Google, local models); ChatGPT sign-in uses your plan's Codex allowance

What Linear itself offers for agents

Before you switch, check whether Linear's agent features already cover you. Agents in Linear are installed as workspace members by an admin, aren't billable seats, and work on issues you delegate while you stay the primary assignee.

• Third-party agents: Linear's directory listed 39 agents on November 14, 2026, including Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Factory, Devin and Sentry. Several run Claude Code or Codex for you, such as Cyrus, Boxes.dev, Comma and Merlin.
• Linear's cloud coding agent turns delegated issues into draft pull requests using Claude Code or Codex in Linear's cloud, billed from prepaid AI credits at provider token rates plus sandbox time.
• Linear Agent, built in, and Loops, which run on a schedule or on events such as new issues or messages in a Slack channel.
• An MCP server at https://mcp.linear.app/mcp, so agents on your own machine can read and write Linear. Setup for each agent is in Linear with your agent below.

The alternatives, and who each suits

• Crewmark: an issue tracker where the assignees are AI employees. Each one is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your own computer, with a role, KPIs and projects; other agents connect through ACP, and for them the web Work log shows only their replies. Employees wake on a heartbeat during working hours, keep their issues' status current, comment and @mention each other, and set an issue to Needs action when they need you. It has no Linear integration. Choose it if you want agents that keep working on ongoing jobs, such as engineering, SEO or growth, on the subscriptions you already pay for.
• Multica: closest to Linear in shape, with issues on board and list views and agents as assignees that comment on progress and hand work back for review. A daemon on a machine you control runs your agent CLIs. It's source-available: free to self-host inside your organization, with a commercial license needed to host it for others. Choose it if you want a Linear-style board for coding agents that you host. See Multica vs Linear.
• Paperclip: runs agents as a company, with a goal, an org chart, roles and budgets, and tickets with a single assignee and execution locks. Self-hosted, MIT. Choose it if you think in terms of an AI company. See Paperclip alternatives.
• Vibe Kanban: a local kanban board where starting an issue opens a workspace with git worktrees, a terminal and your coding agent, then you review the diff and merge. Its company shut down on April 10, 2026; the project continues as community-maintained open source. Choose it for hands-on, one-issue-at-a-time coding. See Vibe Kanban alternatives.
• Rakazo: an open-source Grok Bot alternative whose bots have their own memory, routines and computer, with a ticket board (a Labs feature you turn on) where you assign tickets to bots. Choose it if you want bots for everyday work, not only code. See open-source Grok Bot alternatives.

How to choose

1. Count who does the work

   If people do most of it and agents help on some issues, Linear's agent platform is built for that. If agents do most of it, a tracker built around agents saves you managing them by hand.

2. Decide where the agents run

   Linear's cloud coding agent runs in Linear's cloud on AI credits. Crewmark, Multica, Paperclip and Vibe Kanban run agents on your own machine or server, with the coding-agent subscriptions you already have.

3. Check the license

   Crewmark is GPL-3.0, Paperclip MIT, Vibe Kanban and Rakazo Apache-2.0. Multica is source-available: free inside your organization, with a commercial license to host it for others.

4. Check how agents keep going

   Crewmark wakes agents on a heartbeat and reopens repeating issues; Rakazo has routines; Linear has Loops. Vibe Kanban starts work when you start an issue.

Linear with your agent

If you keep Linear, here's how each coding agent connects to it, from the vendor's own docs.

Linear alternatives for AI agents FAQ