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Cursor vs Linear

Head-to-head Churn Signal Index comparison. Higher index means more churn signals in public data.

Verdict

Linear has a lower Churn Signal Index (30) than Cursor (58), a difference of 28 points. Linear has a materially better public signal profile than Cursor.

Cursor signals

  • June 2025 pricing restructure reduced Pro plan effective capacity ~50%
  • CEO publicly apologized and issued refunds per TechCrunch July 2025
  • AI support hallucinated a lockout policy and drove user cancellations
  • Opaque credit counter described as 'anxiety-inducing' across Reddit

Linear signals

  • Expanded free tier to unlimited team members in 2026 (counter-signal to industry trend)
  • Concern in G2 reviews that enterprise direction could compromise product philosophy
  • Per-seat pricing at 50+ teams creates procurement friction vs Atlassian bundles
  • Strong loyalty signal across Hacker News and developer communities

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