Linear set a new bar for how pleasant an issue tracker can feel. Starlex shares that obsession with speed, then keeps going where Linear deliberately stops.
Comparison table
| Starlex | Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard first | Yes, shortcuts and a command palette | Yes |
| Iterations | Sprints with a backlog | Cycles |
| Workflow rules | Yes, conditions, validators, screens, post functions | No, simple statuses by design |
| Gantt chart | Yes | Project timeline |
| Whiteboards | Yes, live with cursors and voting | No |
| Diagram editor | Yes | No |
| Team calendars | Yes, with .ics feeds | No |
| SLA targets | Yes | No |
What Linear does well
Linear links branches and pull requests to issues automatically, and its triage flow suits product teams that live in GitHub. If a tracker is all you need, it is a lovely one.
Why teams pick Starlex
Real projects need more than a list of issues. Starlex gives you whiteboards with live cursors for planning, a draw.io style diagram editor for architecture, notes for specs, calendars with time off for availability and a Gantt chart for dates, all next to the issues they describe. When the process matters, Jira-style transition rules make sure work moves the way the team agreed. Starlex connects to Git and CI through signed webhooks and API tokens.
Verdict
Choose Linear if you want the leanest possible issue list. Choose Starlex if you want the same speed with the planning tools your team would otherwise buy separately.