thefrontkit vs Linear
Linear is a polished hosted product management tool. The Kanban PM Kit is a Next.js template you own and customize. Different paths to project management.
Linear is the gold-standard hosted product management tool: fast, opinionated, beautifully designed. It costs $8-12 per user per month and you live with its data model and UI choices. The Kanban PM Kit is a Next.js template you own and customize. It costs $79-299 one-time and you control every aspect of the data model and UI. Different choices: Linear is the right answer if you want polished SaaS with zero engineering investment. The Kanban PM Kit is right if you want to ship your own kanban product, build internal tools your team owns, or run cost math that favors one-time payment.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | thefrontkit | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Own the source code | Hosted SaaS subscription |
| Pricing | $79-299 one-time | $8-12/user/month ($96-144/user/year) |
| Customization | Full (edit any code) | Limited (Linear's settings) |
| Data Ownership | Your database | Linear's servers |
| Drag-and-Drop | Touch + keyboard accessible | Excellent |
| Multiple Views | Board, list, calendar, Gantt, backlog | Board, list, view filters |
| Sprint Planning | Cycle + backlog + burndown | Cycles included |
| Real-Time Sync | You wire it (Pusher, Liveblocks) | Native |
| Maintenance | Yours | Linear handles it |
| Self-Host | Yes | No |
Choose thefrontkit if...
- ✓You want to ship a kanban product of your own (not use one)
- ✓You need full UI customization, not just settings
- ✓Data sovereignty matters (HIPAA, GDPR, on-prem requirements)
- ✓Cost math favors one-time payment over per-seat subscription
- ✓You want to integrate kanban into a larger custom product
Choose Linear if...
- ✓You want polished SaaS with zero engineering investment
- ✓Real-time collaboration with presence is essential
- ✓Your team is small enough that the per-seat price is fine
- ✓You do not have engineering capacity to maintain a kit
- ✓Linear's opinionated workflow matches how your team works
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From $79 with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Skip the boilerplate and start building what matters.