Linear

Easy to use, nice clean UI

I like Linear because it's the first project tracker I've used in fifteen years where the keyboard shortcuts feel like they were designed by someone who actually uses the product to ship. Cmd-K does what Cmd-K does in every other modern tool. Cycles round-trip from Slack to issue and back without losing context. The default views are sensible enough that we haven't had to standardize on a custom configuration across teams.

The git integration is the part I keep recommending. Linking PRs to issues by branch name (or by mentioning issue ID in commit messages) and having the issue auto-progress through Started, In Review, and Done is exactly the workflow our small team needs without us having to script it ourselves.

Honest cons: the cycle-based planning model is opinionated, and if you don't run cycles you'll find Linear's UI nudging you toward them. The pricing for larger teams gets steep. And the lack of true sub-projects has been a friction point on bigger workstreams.

Overall: comfortably the best PM tool I've used. We migrated from Jira and never seriously considered going back.

Once you figure out how to use it, Linear is great. Fast, keyboard-driven, beautifully designed, it feels like it was built by people who actually use issue trackers rather than people selling them. Cycles, projects, and the built-in Git integration all work the way you'd hope. The catch is the first hour or two. Linear has its own opinions about how work should be structured issues, projects, cycles, initiatives and if you come from Jira or Trello the mental model doesn't map directly. A bit overwhelming at first. Once it clicks, you stop noticing it, which is the best compliment you can give a tool like this. Would drop half a star for the learning curve if I could.

Love the simplicity of this app. Not complicated like Jira and much faster than most of the project management tools.