APER vs LinearB
LinearB tracks how fast engineers move. APER evaluates whether they make economically sound engineering decisions. Speed without judgment is just fast failure.
| Dimension | APER | LinearB |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Engineering judgment and economic reasoning | Engineering activity and cycle time metrics |
| Output | Performance rating based on economic impact | Dashboards, benchmarks, team analytics |
| Question answered | "Can this engineer make economically sound decisions?" | "How productive are my engineers?" |
| Use case | Hiring, performance reviews, promotions | Sprint planning, bottleneck detection, team health |
| Approach | AI-powered economic reasoning assessment | Git/Jira data aggregation and analysis |
| Cost | Free (richardewing.io/tools/aper) | $20K-$80K+/yr enterprise contracts |
| AI-proof? | ✅ Tests judgment AI can't replicate | ⚠️ Measures metrics AI can inflate |
The Verdict
Metrics without judgment is measurement without meaning. LinearB tells you engineers are moving fast. APER tells you they are moving in a direction that creates economic value. Use both - but APER for the decisions that matter.
Try the Free APER Assessment →Need an expert verdict?
30-minute rapid-fire evaluation. You describe the problem, I tell you which approach wins - and why.
The Gut-Check Evaluation
$45030-minute rapid triage for founders and executives who need to know if their architecture or cloud bill is on fire.
60-Min Insolvency Audit
$2,500Dedicated teardown of your exact token leakage, retry settings, and technical debt bottlenecks with an immediate remediation plan.
Full R&D Capital Audit
$7,500Complete forensic examination across team payroll, codebase health, and cloud spend. Delivers a 40-page board-ready audit.
AI Cost Governance Retainer
$10,000/moOngoing fractional executive oversight, vendor contract negotiations, and runtime guardrails to stop margin decay permanently.
Richard Ewing: AI Economist & Capital Auditor