Pilotless vs LinearB and Swarmia
We're not a metrics dashboard. LinearB and Swarmia are engineering intelligence platforms: DORA metrics, cycle time, AI-impact measurement, investment balance, software capitalisation, surveys [1][2][4][5]. LinearB's entry plan is "built for engineering teams with 50+ developers" [1]. Swarmia says it fits "small startups and large enterprises", and it's free for companies with fewer than 10 software developers [4][5]. Pilotless is a free GitHub App that writes one weekly digest in a GitHub issue, listing stalled PRs and unassigned issues so someone can act on them. No charts, no benchmarks.
TL;DR: if you have a management layer and need numbers for it, look at LinearB or Swarmia. If you're a 3–30 person team trying not to build a management layer, our opinion is that you need a short list of what's stuck more than a dashboard.
Facts were checked on linearb.io and swarmia.com on 2026-10-21. Sources are at the bottom.
At a glance
| Pilotless | LinearB | Swarmia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Weekly status digest, written into one GitHub issue | "Engineering productivity platform" [1][2] | "Engineering intelligence" platform [4][5] |
| Main output | A weekly digest: summary line, Shipped, In flight, Needs a decision or a nudge (stalled PRs, unassigned issues), Closed, Who moved code | Metrics, benchmarks, AI code reviews, workflow automation [1][2] | Metrics (cycle time, DORA, CI), investment balance, capitalisation, surveys [4][5] |
| Lists stalled PRs | Yes (open PRs with no activity for 7+ days) | Not as a list. PR metrics, notifications and automations instead [1] | Lists a "PR inbox" and Slack/Teams PR notifications [5]; whether they single out stalled PRs isn't stated |
| Lists unassigned issues | Yes (no assignee, quiet for 14+ days) | Not a listed feature [1] | Not a listed feature [5] |
| Nudges inside the PR or issue thread | No (on the roadmap, not live) | PR automations via programmable workflows [1][3] | Chat notifications about PRs in Slack or Teams [5]; in-thread comments not listed |
| Flags on unowned issues in their thread | No (on the roadmap, not live) | Not listed [1] | Not listed [5] |
| Slack | No (on the roadmap, not live) | Developer automations in Slack and Teams listed on Enterprise [1] | Yes: notifications about PRs, issues and working-agreement digests in Slack or Teams [5] |
| DORA / cycle-time metrics | No | Yes [1] | Yes [5] |
| Who it's built for | Teams of roughly 3–30 | Essentials: "engineering teams with 50+ developers"; Enterprise: 100+ [1] | "Small startups and large enterprises" [4]; free under 10 developers [5] |
| Price | Free | $29 or $59 per user/month, billed annually; 50 or 100 user minimum [1] | Free for <10 devs; $45 or $55 per developer/month, billed annually [5] |
Why we're not building a dashboard (our opinion)
Dashboards answer "how are we doing on average?" In a small team, the more useful question is "which three things are stuck right now, and whose move is it?" A cycle-time chart tells you PRs are slow. It doesn't list which PRs have gone quiet this week.
So Pilotless doesn't produce charts or benchmarks. It writes one weekly digest in GitHub [6][7]. If that ever stops being enough, that's a good sign you've grown into the tools on this page.
LinearB in brief
Positioning: helps engineering leaders "prove AI improves throughput without sacrificing delivery confidence, flow efficiency, or developer experience" [2].
Features: DORA and delivery metrics, benchmarks, AI code reviews, programmable workflows, auto-PR descriptions, MCP server. Project tracking and forecasting, resource allocation, R&D cost capitalisation and developer automations in Slack and Microsoft Teams are listed on Enterprise [1][3].
Pricing: Essentials $29/user/month and Enterprise $59/user/month, both billed annually only. The minimum billable users are 50 and 100. Essentials supports GitHub Cloud only. There's a 45-day free trial [1].
What that means for a small team: by LinearB's own published minimums, Essentials starts at 50 × $29 × 12 = $17,400/year [1].
Swarmia in brief
Positioning: "Engineering intelligence you can trust", with a focus on getting AI-driven speed "all the way to production" [4].
Features: code metrics (PR cycle time, throughput, batch size, review time), DORA, CI visibility, working agreements, investment balance, custom reports, a PR inbox, chat notifications in Slack or Microsoft Teams, developer surveys, AI adoption and cost metrics [5].
Pricing: Standard $45 and Enterprise $55 per developer/month, billed annually. Modules are sold separately ($5–$23). There's a free plan for companies with fewer than 10 software developers (Standard features minus HRIS integrations and Swarmia AI), and partner startup discounts [5].
What that means for a small team: under 10 developers it's free. At 15 developers, Standard is 15 × $45 × 12 = $8,100/year [5].
Pick LinearB if…
You have 50+ developers and need metrics, benchmarks and AI-impact reporting [1].
You want PR policy automation (routing, approvals, AI reviews) [1][3].
Finance needs R&D cost capitalisation reports (Enterprise) [1].
Pick Swarmia if…
You want DORA and PR-flow metrics with team working agreements [5].
You're under 10 developers and want those metrics free, or you qualify for a partner discount [5].
You need investment balance or capitalisation reporting [5].
Pick Pilotless if…
You're 3–30 people, in GitHub, and want stalled PRs and unassigned issues listed every week.
You want a list, not DORA or cycle-time metrics.
You want it free, with nothing new to log in to.
FAQ
Can I use Pilotless and Swarmia (or LinearB) together?
Yes. They read the same GitHub data for different purposes. Nothing to migrate.
Does Pilotless show DORA metrics?
No. It lists stalled PRs and unassigned issues; it doesn't calculate DORA or cycle-time metrics.
Sources (all accessed 2026-10-21)
LinearB pricing: https://linearb.io/pricing
LinearB homepage: https://linearb.io/
LinearB DevOps Workflow & Automations: https://linearb.io/platform/ai-workflow-governance
Swarmia homepage: https://www.swarmia.com/
Swarmia pricing: https://www.swarmia.com/pricing/
Pilotless homepage: https://pilotless.nl/
Pilotless install page: https://pilotless.nl/install
Not verified: whether LinearB's "PR notifications" include in-thread comments. LinearB lists developer automations in Slack and Microsoft Teams on Enterprise [1].
Geekbot, Standuply, Range, Steady, Status Hero, LinearB, Swarmia and GitHub are trademarks of their respective owners. Pilotless is not affiliated with them.