Appearance
Developer Tool Pricing Landscape — Q2 2026
This report surveys the pricing, feature gating, and AI strategy of 10 project management tools competing in Kendo's market segment. It is intended to validate or challenge the $0 / $8 / $14 pricing proposed in company/marketing-strategy.md (Section 6).
1. Pricing Matrix (per user/month, annual billing)
| Tool | Free | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | $0 (250 issues, 2 teams) | Basic $10 | Business $16 | — | Custom |
| Jira | $0 (10 users) | Standard $7.91 | Premium $14.54 | — | Custom |
| Asana | $0 (2 users) | Starter $10.99 | Advanced $24.99 | — | Custom |
| Monday.com | $0 (2 users) | Basic $9 (min 3 seats) | Standard $12 | Pro $19 | Custom |
| Shortcut | $0 (10 users) | Team $8.50 | Business $12 | — | Custom |
| ClickUp | $0 (unlimited users) | Unlimited $7 | Business $12 | — | Custom |
| Plane | $0 (12 users) | Pro $6 | Business $13 | — | Custom |
| GitHub | $0 (unlimited) | Team $4 | — | — | Enterprise $21 |
| Notion | $0 (1 user) | Plus $10 | Business $20 | — | Custom |
| Trello | $0 (unlimited) | Standard $5 | Premium $10 | Enterprise $17.50 | — |
| Kendo (proposed) | $0 (3 users, 1 project) | Team $8 | Business $14 | — | — |
Key observations
- The median entry-level paid tier across these 10 tools is $8.50/user/month. Kendo's proposed $8 sits just below the median.
- The median mid-tier is roughly $14/user/month. Kendo's $14 lands exactly at the median.
- Linear has increased its entry price from $8 to $10 since
marketing-strategy.mdwas written (which listed Linear at $10 but described Kendo as "cheaper than Linear ($10)"). This is consistent but the gap has widened: Kendo at $8 would be $2/user cheaper than Linear Basic. - Plane remains the price floor at $6/seat for Pro. Kendo cannot compete on price alone against Plane.
2. Feature Gating Matrix — What's Included vs. Paywalled
| Feature | Linear | Jira | Asana | Monday | Shortcut | ClickUp | Plane | GitHub | Notion | Trello |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Tracking | No | Add-on | Advanced+ ($25) | Pro+ ($19) | No | Business+ ($12) | Pro+ ($6) | No | No | No |
| AI Features | Free (basic), Bus ($16) for full | Premium+ ($14.54) | Starter+ (basic), Advanced+ (full) | Standard+ ($12) via Sidekick | All tiers | Add-on $9/user | All tiers (credit-based) | Copilot (code only) | Business+ ($20) | No |
| MCP Server | Yes (all tiers) | No | No | No | Yes (all tiers) | No | Yes (all tiers) | No | No | No |
| Audit Logging | Enterprise only | Premium+ ($14.54) | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Business+ ($13) | Enterprise ($21) | Enterprise only | Enterprise only |
| SSO/SAML | Enterprise only | Standard+ ($7.91) | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Business+ ($13) | Enterprise ($21) | Business+ ($20) | Enterprise only |
| Sprints/Cycles | All tiers | All tiers | Starter+ ($10.99) | All tiers | All tiers | All tiers | All tiers | No | No | No |
| Custom Roles | Business+ ($16) | Premium+ ($14.54) | Advanced+ ($24.99) | Enterprise | Business+ ($12) | Business+ ($12) | Business+ ($13) | Enterprise ($21) | Business+ ($20) | Enterprise |
Kendo advantage — features included in every tier
Kendo's proposed pricing bundles these features that competitors gate behind higher tiers:
| Feature | Kendo (all tiers) | Cheapest competitor tier offering it |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Free+ | Plane Pro ($6), ClickUp Business ($12) |
| MCP server | Free+ | Linear Free, Shortcut Free, Plane Free |
| AI features | Free+ (limited), Team ($8) full | Plane Free (500 credits), Linear Free (basic) |
| Audit logging | Team ($8) | Plane Business ($13), Jira Premium ($14.54) |
| Hash-chained audit logs | Team ($8) | No competitor offers this |
3. AI Feature Pricing Trends
The landscape is splitting into three models
Model A — AI included at all tiers (credit-gated)
- Plane: 500 AI credits/seat free, 1,000 at Pro ($6), 2,000 at Business ($13)
- Linear: Linear Agent (beta) on free tier; Triage Intelligence + automations at Business ($16)
- Shortcut: Korey AI agent included on all tiers (launched Q1 2026)
Model B — AI as a paid add-on
- ClickUp: Brain at $9/user/month add-on; AI Autopilot at $28/user/month. Charged per workspace member, not per user who uses AI. This is the most expensive AI pricing in the market.
- Asana: AI Studio Basic included on Starter+; AI Studio Plus and Pro are paid add-ons with credit-based pricing.
Model C — AI gated behind mid/upper tiers
- Jira: Atlassian Intelligence only on Premium ($14.54+) and Enterprise. Standard plan users see AI buttons but get upgrade prompts.
- Notion: AI bundled into Business ($20) and Enterprise only since May 2025. Free and Plus users can no longer purchase the AI add-on.
- Monday.com: Sidekick included in Enterprise; available for purchase on Standard ($12) and Pro ($19). Tiered into Lite, Plus, and Super Sidekick.
Trend direction
The market is moving toward Model A (AI included, credit-gated). Shortcut, Plane, and Linear all include AI features on free or low tiers. The holdouts (ClickUp's $9 add-on, Notion's Business-only gate) are increasingly seen as anti-competitive. ClickUp's per-workspace-member billing for AI is particularly criticized.
Kendo's "AI in every tier" strategy is aligned with the winning trend. Gating full AI behind Team ($8) while offering limited AI on Free is the right play — it matches Plane and Linear's approach while keeping the differentiator accessible.
4. Free Tier Comparison
| Tool | User Limit | Project/Issue Limit | Key Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Unlimited | 250 active issues, 2 teams | 10MB file uploads |
| Jira | 10 users | Unlimited | 2GB storage, no audit logs |
| Asana | 2 users | Unlimited | No timeline, no custom fields, no AI |
| Monday.com | 2 users (min 3 seats on paid) | 3 boards | No integrations, no automations |
| Shortcut | 10 users | Unlimited | 1 team, 1 workflow, 5GB storage |
| ClickUp | Unlimited | 200 active tasks | No time tracking, no goals |
| Plane | 12 users | Unlimited | No epics, no custom types, 500 AI credits |
| GitHub Projects | Unlimited | Unlimited | Basic views only, no sprints, no time tracking |
| Notion | 1 user | Unlimited | No AI, 5MB file uploads |
| Trello | Unlimited | 10 boards | No timeline, no calendar, no dashboard |
| Kendo (proposed) | 3 users | 1 project | All core features, MCP, limited AI |
Assessment
Kendo's proposed free tier (3 users, 1 project) is restrictive on users and projects compared to:
- Shortcut (10 users, unlimited)
- Plane (12 users, unlimited)
- Linear (unlimited users, 250 issues)
- ClickUp (unlimited users, 200 tasks)
However, Kendo's free tier is feature-rich — MCP, time tracking, and basic AI are included where competitors strip those out. The trade-off is narrower capacity for broader capability. This is a defensible position for developer-focused users who need the right features more than scale on a free plan.
Potential concern: A 3-user limit may prevent team evaluation. Most dev teams evaluating a tool want to trial it with 5-10 people before committing. Shortcut (10 users) and Plane (12 users) understand this. Consider raising the free limit to 5 users to enable team pilots.
5. Discrepancies with Existing Kendo Docs
marketing-strategy.md discrepancies
| Claim in marketing-strategy.md | Current reality | Status |
|---|---|---|
| "Cheaper than Linear ($10) with time tracking included" | Linear Basic is now $10/user/month (annual only). Kendo at $8 is $2 cheaper. | Still valid but margin is thin — Linear changed to annual-only billing, making the comparison slightly different. |
| "Cheaper than Shortcut ($8.50) with AI story generation included" | Shortcut Team is still $8.50/year, $10/month. But Shortcut now includes Korey AI agent on all tiers, including free. | Weakened — Shortcut now bundles a capable AI agent (Korey) at no extra cost. Kendo's AI advantage over Shortcut is less clear-cut. |
| "More feature-rich than Plane ($6) at the AI layer" | Plane now has AI credits on all tiers, MCP server, and agent framework with @mention support. Plane Pro is $6 with time tracking. | Weakened — Plane's AI and MCP capabilities have grown significantly. The gap is narrower than when this was written. |
| Asana listed as "$0-24.99" | Asana Starter is now $10.99, Advanced $24.99, Personal (free) limited to 2 users. | Minor update needed — pricing tiers renamed (Personal, Starter, Advanced). |
| Monday.com listed as "$0-24" | Monday.com now $0-19 for standard tiers. Pro at $19. 18% price increase on monday service in Feb 2026. | Update needed — tier structure has shifted. |
| ClickUp AI add-on listed as "$9/user" | ClickUp Brain is still $9/user/month add-on. AI Autopilot is now $28/user/month. | Still accurate — but the landscape has added AI Autopilot tier. |
competitors.md discrepancies
| Claim | Current reality | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Shortcut described as "no AI differentiator, stagnating" | Shortcut launched Korey AI agent (Q1 2026) and has an active MCP server. Not stagnating. | Outdated — Shortcut has made significant AI moves. |
| Plane described as "no built-in time tracking" | Plane Pro ($6+) now includes time tracking. | Outdated — Plane added time tracking. |
| Linear described as "no native time tracking" | Still true as of April 2026. | Still accurate. |
6. Kendo Positioning Assessment
Is $8 / $14 competitive?
$8 Team tier: Yes, competitive. It sits below Linear ($10), below Shortcut ($8.50), and matches Jira Standard ($7.91). With time tracking, full AI, MCP, and audit logging included at $8, the value proposition is strong. The only tool offering more for less is Plane at $6, but Plane gates audit logs and advanced features behind its $13 Business tier.
$14 Business tier: Yes, competitive. It matches Jira Premium ($14.54 for cross-team planning + AI). It undercuts Linear Business ($16) which is the first tier with full AI triage. Plane Business at $13 is close but Kendo offers hash-chained audit logs that no competitor has.
The real question is not price — it is perceived value
At $8, Kendo must convince buyers they get more than Plane at $6 and comparable value to Linear at $10. The pitch:
- vs. Plane ($6): "Kendo includes audit logging and full AI at $8. Plane gates audit logs behind $13 and AI credits are limited."
- vs. Linear ($10): "Kendo is $2/user cheaper with time tracking and audit logging included. Linear charges $16 for full AI triage and gates audit logs behind Enterprise."
- vs. Shortcut ($8.50): "Kendo includes time tracking and audit logging. Shortcut has neither."
- vs. Jira ($7.91): "Same price, no admin overhead, no add-on ecosystem tax. Time tracking and AI included, not sold separately."
Risk factors
Plane's trajectory: At $6 with MCP, time tracking, and improving AI — Plane is the biggest pricing threat. If Plane adds audit logging to Pro, Kendo's $8 Team tier loses a key differentiator.
Shortcut's Korey: Shortcut's AI agent is now included on all tiers. "AI included" is no longer unique to Kendo + Plane + Linear.
Linear's annual-only billing: Linear removed monthly billing for paid plans. If Kendo offers monthly billing, that flexibility is a small but real advantage.
ClickUp's AI pricing backlash: ClickUp's $9/user AI add-on (charged per workspace member) is widely criticized. Kendo can explicitly position against this: "AI for everyone, not an add-on tax."
Recommendation
The $8 / $14 pricing holds up. No changes needed to the price points themselves. The positioning copy in marketing-strategy.md needs updating to reflect:
- Shortcut's Korey AI launch
- Plane's time tracking and expanding AI
- Linear's move to annual-only billing
- The broader trend of AI becoming included rather than add-on
7. Summary Table — Kendo vs. Top 4 Direct Competitors
| Kendo ($8) | Linear ($10) | Shortcut ($8.50) | Plane ($6) | Jira ($7.91) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | Included | No | No | Included | Add-on |
| AI features | Full | Basic (full at $16) | Korey included | Credit-based (1,000/seat) | Premium only ($14.54) |
| MCP server | 26 tools, 10 resources | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit logging | Hash-chained | Enterprise only | Enterprise only | Business ($13) | Premium ($14.54) |
| EU hosting | Amsterdam | US | US | Self-host option | US (data residency on Premium) |
| Free tier users | 3 | Unlimited | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| Monthly billing | TBD | Annual only | Available | Available | Available |
Related
- marketing-strategy.md — Section 6 (Pricing Strategy) references these competitors
- competitors.md — Competitive positioning angles (some now outdated, see Section 5)
- kendo-app-plans-landscape.md — Feature map and architectural decisions
[Librarian] Research conducted 2026-04-04. Prices verified against official pricing pages and independent aggregators. All prices are per user/month with annual billing unless noted.