Guidon vs Linear: an alternative for teams that work with their own AI agents
Linear is the fast, polished issue tracker. Guidon keeps dead ends and verified knowledge with each task, and lets you self-host.
Checked 2026-11-09. Features change - see Linear's site for theirs. All comparisons
The short answer
Linear is the benchmark for speed and polish, and it now runs its own coding agent. Guidon is for teams that bring their own agents and want the project's memory - what was tried, what was decided, what a person verified - attached to every task, on a server they can own.
Choose Guidon if
- You use your own agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) and pay no AI credits
- You want failed attempts and verified facts to be part of each task
- You want to self-host, or to keep your context in your repository
Choose Linear if
- You want the most polished, fastest issue tracker
- You want a built-in agent that writes code for you
- You need cycles, triage and initiatives for a growing product team
At a glance
Guidon is better on 5 of 7 topics below; Linear is better where it says so.
| Topic | Guidon | Linear |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosting | Docker Compose with plain PostgreSQL; every feature, no plan limits on your own install. | Cloud only. |
| Source code | Open source (AGPL-3.0). | Closed source. |
| What was already tried | Better: attempts are part of every task - approach, outcome and why it failed. An agent starting the task gets the dead ends with start_task, and is reminded to record its own. | Not a built-in feature in their docs (as of 2026-11-09); attempts end up in comments, if anywhere. |
| Verified vs AI-guessed knowledge | Better: project memory keeps what a person verified apart from what an AI wrote; anything an agent adds or changes waits in a review queue. | No separate verified-vs-AI status in their docs (as of 2026-11-09). |
| Context in your repository | Better: export the project as AGENTS.md - approved brief, verified facts, known dead ends - for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. | No AGENTS.md export in their docs (as of 2026-11-09). |
| AI agents (MCP) | MCP server and REST API; works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex and any MCP client. You bring the AI - no AI credits. | Official MCP server and a built-in agent; coding sessions use AI credits. |
| Speed and polish | Fast enough for daily work. | Better: famously fast, keyboard-first. |
Switching from Linear
Export your Linear tasks to CSV and use Import on a Guidon board: titles, descriptions, statuses, priorities, labels, assignees and due dates are matched to your columns, with a preview of anything that doesn't match. Nothing on the board changes until you confirm.
Questions
Does Guidon have Linear's speed?
Linear sets the bar; Guidon aims to stay out of the way, but polish isn't where it competes.
Can my Linear issues come over?
Yes - Linear's CSV export imports, with statuses and priorities matched to your board.
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Try Guidon free - start a project or explore the sandbox. Self-hosted with every feature: self-hosting guide.