Linear or a bigger suite?

Linear if the work is issues and cycles. A bigger suite if clients need portals, time and invoices in the same login. Do not buy the suite to feel organised.

Should clients live in the tracker?

Give them a view of milestones, not every internal comment. Full access is how a bug list becomes a second inbox.

What makes a tool stick?

The Monday standup uses it. If status still lives in Slack, the tracker is a graveyard.

Tools / Project Management

Best project management tools for studios

The work has a ticket, an owner and a date — without a 40-field form between you and the brief.

Who this is for

Studios and small product teams who run cycles, not enterprise portfolios. Use this list if the Monday standup should live in the tracker. If status still lives only in Slack, buy discipline before another suite.

2 tools below, ordered by quality and recency — not by who paid. Pay to sit on the Leaderboard if you built one of these.

The list

Linear Project Management

Issue tracking that stays out of the way of the actual work.

Open Linear

Free options · 4.9 rating

Height Project Management

Autonomous project software that tries to keep the board honest for you.

Open Height

Free options · 4.3 rating

Questions worth asking

Linear or a bigger suite?: Linear if the work is issues and cycles. A bigger suite if clients need portals, time and invoices in the same login. Do not buy the suite to feel organised.
Should clients live in the tracker?: Give them a view of milestones, not every internal comment. Full access is how a bug list becomes a second inbox.
What makes a tool stick?: The Monday standup uses it. If status still lives in Slack, the tracker is a graveyard.