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Dev tools · last verified Oct 9, 2026

Linear startup credits: 6 months free (2026)

A free period on Linear's Business plan (list price $16 per user per month billed yearly), typically 3 to 6 months depending on the partner, for non-paying startups with fewer than 50 employees that come in through one of Linear's roughly 490 investor, accelerator or community partners.

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I quick answer

Linear's startup offer: 3 to 6 months of Business plan free (set by your partner).

No equity, no fees. You need a referral or partner code to apply.

Stage fit: Any early-stage company with fewer than 50 employees that has never paid for Linear and has a listed partner. Difficulty: easy.

II key facts

Linear at a glance

Max value
3 to 6 months of Business plan free (set by your partner)
Stage fit
Any early-stage company with fewer than 50 employees that has never paid for Linear and has a listed partner
Takes equity
No
Who files it
You, with a code (investor or partner code)
Geography
Not stated.
Referral needed
Yes
Difficulty
Easy
Review time
Not published
Credits expire
The free Business plan period starts when you redeem and lasts 3 to 6 months depending on the partner (Linear's billing docs say 'up to 6 months'; the main startups page does not state a length).
III available programs and tiers

What Linear actually gives you

  1. Partner-affiliated startup
    Linear Business plan free for 3 to 6 months from the date you redeem, with the exact length set on your partner's own Linear offer page (for example 6AM Accelerator offers six months, Mamram Alumni Association offers three months). List price is $16 per user per month billed yearly. No seat cap is stated, but the company must have fewer than 50 employees.
    Non-paying Linear workspace that has never paid for Linear, fewer than 50 employees, affiliated with an official Linear partner (investor, accelerator or community)
  2. No partner affiliation
    Standard Free plan only: 2 teams, 250 issues (archived issues are unlimited), unlimited members
    Any team; this is Linear's normal free tier, not a program benefit
IV eligibility

Who qualifies

You likely qualify if

  • Your company is affiliated with an official Linear partner (portfolio company of a listed VC, alumni or current cohort of a listed accelerator, or member of a listed community); about 490 partners are listed at linear.app/startups/partners
  • Your company has fewer than 50 employees
  • You are a non-paying Linear user: partner offer pages state the workspace must never have paid for Linear, with one offer per workspace (new workspaces and Free-plan workspaces that have never paid qualify)
  • The person redeeming is an admin of the Linear workspace and is logged in when following the partner's redemption link or entering the partner code

You won't qualify if

  • Companies with 50 or more employees (Linear directs these to its sales team)
  • Workspaces that are paying for, or have previously paid for, a Linear plan
  • Startups with no affiliation to a listed partner (Linear's answer is to ask your investor or accelerator to apply to become a partner)
  • Non-admin workspace members cannot redeem on behalf of their team
  • Partners may only distribute the offer to members of their own organization, so you cannot use another organization's link

Geography. Not stated. No country restriction is published for startups; the partner list includes US, European and global organizations (a16z, Sequoia, Techstars, Antler, STATION F, Seedcamp, 500 Global), so redemption appears to be worldwide via the partner link.

V how to apply

How to apply to Linear for Startups

  1. 01Check that your investor, accelerator or community is on the partner list at linear.app/startups/partners (filter by investors, accelerators or startup communities).
  2. 02Ask that partner for their dedicated Linear redemption link (or partner code, if they use one). Their link opens a partner page that states the length of the free period.
  3. 03Log in to Linear with an account that is an admin of the workspace you want upgraded; the workspace must never have paid for Linear. If you have no workspace yet, sign up first, keeping the partner link open through sign-up.
  4. 04Follow the partner link, or enter the partner code when prompted, while logged in as admin. The Business plan is applied to that workspace from the redemption date; there is no separate application form for startups.
  5. 05If your partner is not listed, ask them to submit the partner application on linear.app/startups. Linear reviews it and contacts the partner; after approval the partner gets a dedicated link to share.

Review time: Not published. Startup redemption is self-serve through the partner link or code with no review step stated. Partner applications are reviewed by Linear with no timeframe given.. Apply at linear.app/startups.

VI what changed

What changed in 2025 and 2026

No dated program change found on official pages. As of October 2026 the linear.app/startups page does not state the length of the free period, while linear.app/docs/billing-and-plans still says 'up to 6 months' and individual partner offer pages show either three or six months. Linear's general Terms carry an effective date of June 09, 2026 but contain no startup-program clauses. The partner counter on the page now reads 493 (the list contained about 490 unique names), up from 491 in the earlier record.

Dated change log for every program →

VII stacks well with

Hold these alongside Linear

VIII the AWS angle

Linear credits and your AWS bill

No AWS relationship: this is a project-management SaaS perk and does not offset any AWS spend. It is often unlocked through the same kinds of investors and accelerators that also run AWS Activate (for example Y Combinator, Techstars and a16z appear in Linear's partner list), but AWS Activate is a separate application.

IXfaq

Linear startup credits, answered

How much does Linear give startups?

Linear's startup offer: 3 to 6 months of Business plan free (set by your partner). There are 2 tiers: Partner-affiliated startup: Linear Business plan free for 3 to 6 months from the date you redeem, with the exact length set on your partner's own Linear offer page (for example 6AM Accelerator offers six months, Mamram Alumni Association offers three months); No partner affiliation: Standard Free plan only: 2 teams, 250 issues (archived issues are unlimited), unlimited members.

Does Linear take equity?

No. Linear for Startups is a credits program, not an investment; you keep 100% of your company. You need a referral or partner code to apply.

Who qualifies for Linear for Startups?

Stage fit: Any early-stage company with fewer than 50 employees that has never paid for Linear and has a listed partner (typically pre-seed to Series A). You usually qualify if: your company is affiliated with an official Linear partner (portfolio company of a listed VC, alumni or current cohort of a listed accelerator, or member of a listed community); about 490 partners are listed at linear.app/startups/partners; your company has fewer than 50 employees; you are a non-paying Linear user: partner offer pages state the workspace must never have paid for Linear, with one offer per workspace (new workspaces and Free-plan workspaces that have never paid qualify). You will not qualify if: companies with 50 or more employees (Linear directs these to its sales team); workspaces that are paying for, or have previously paid for, a Linear plan.

How long does Linear take to approve credits?

Not published. Startup redemption is self-serve through the partner link or code with no review step stated. Partner applications are reviewed by Linear with no timeframe given. Difficulty: easy, a short form, no referral for the base tier.

When do Linear credits expire?

The free Business plan period starts when you redeem and lasts 3 to 6 months depending on the partner (Linear's billing docs say 'up to 6 months'; the main startups page does not state a length). When it ends the workspace moves to Linear's Free plan (2 teams, 250 issues) unless you upgrade; all data is kept and you can pick a paid plan at any time.

Can I combine Linear credits with AWS credits?

No AWS relationship: this is a project-management SaaS perk and does not offset any AWS spend. It is often unlocked through the same kinds of investors and accelerators that also run AWS Activate (for example Y Combinator, Techstars and a16z appear in Linear's partner list), but AWS Activate is a separate application. On AWS, CloudRoute matches you for free with a vetted partner who can file MAP, POC or IW funding when the workload qualifies and AWS approves it. The Linear application you submit yourself.

Verified against linear.app/startups on Oct 9, 2026 (confidence: high). Programs change; always confirm on the official page. 7 sources checked.