Head-to-head

vs

Linear vs Podio

An honest, feature-by-feature look at Linear and Podio for creative teams — where each is stronger, what they cost, and what neither includes.

kloudboard
Kanban Boards
Included
Included
Included
Video & Image Review
Included
Built-in Chat
Included
Included
Freelancer Payments
Included
File Storage & Drive
Included
Calendar & Scheduling
Included
Included
AI Assistant (kloudie)
Included
Included
Free Guest Access
Included
Included
Pricing
Linear is free for unlimited members but caps you at 2 teams, 250 issues, and 10MB file uploads with Google sign-in only; paid plans start at Basic $8/user/mo (billed annually, $10 monthly) and Business $14/user/mo annually ($16 monthly), with SAML/SCIM reserved for custom-priced Enterprise.
Podio's paid plans start at $11.20/user/month (Plus, billed annually; $14 monthly) and $19.20/user/month for Premium (annual; $24 monthly), with a free forever tier capped at 5 employees and just 100 items per organization across all apps and workspaces.
IncludedFree forever for 5

Statuses researched against each tool's official docs and pricing pages. “Limited” means the capability exists with meaningful restrictions.

Where Linear and Podio differ

Of the 8 capabilities creative teams typically stitch together, Linear fully includes 2 and Podio fully includes 4.

Built-in Chat

Podio includes built-in chat; Linear covers it partially.

Calendar & Scheduling

Podio includes calendar & scheduling; Linear doesn't include it.

AI Assistant (kloudie)

Linear includes ai assistant (kloudie); Podio doesn't include it.

Free Guest Access

Podio includes free guest access; Linear covers it partially.

What neither includes

Whichever you pick, you'll still be stitching tools around it for the rest of the workflow. kloudboard includes all of the below in the same workspace:

  • IncludedVideo & Image Review
  • IncludedFreelancer Payments
  • IncludedFile Storage & Drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Linear or Podio better for creative teams?

Podio covers more of the workflow out of the box (4 of the 8 capabilities we track fully included, vs 2), but the right pick depends on which capabilities your team actually uses. The comparison table above shows exactly where they differ.

How much do Linear and Podio cost?

Linear is free for unlimited members but caps you at 2 teams, 250 issues, and 10MB file uploads with Google sign-in only; paid plans start at Basic $8/user/mo (billed annually, $10 monthly) and Business $14/user/mo annually ($16 monthly), with SAML/SCIM reserved for custom-priced Enterprise. Podio's paid plans start at $11.20/user/month (Plus, billed annually; $14 monthly) and $19.20/user/month for Premium (annual; $24 monthly), with a free forever tier capped at 5 employees and just 100 items per organization across all apps and workspaces.

What do both Linear and Podio lack?

Neither fully includes video & image review, freelancer payments and file storage & drive. kloudboard includes all of these in one workspace, with a free plan for up to 5 members.

Is there one tool that replaces both Linear and Podio?

kloudboard combines kanban boards, frame-accurate video and image review, built-in chat (with Slack, Discord, and WhatsApp bridging), freelancer payments, file storage, calendar, and a free AI assistant in one workspace — free forever for up to 5 members, with Pro at a flat $20/member/mo.

Skip the trade-off

Instead of choosing between Linear and Podio, get boards, review, chat, and payments in one workspace. Free forever for up to 5 members — no credit card required.

Get started for free

Full kloudboard comparisons