Linearity Curve: The Vector App That Stopped Being Free and Started Being Good
Linearity Curve used to be the easy recommendation: a free vector design app for iPad and Mac that was almost as capable as Adobe Illustrator, at zero cost. That was the Vectornator era. In 2024, Linearity introduced subscription tiers, and the free Starter plan now limits you to three files in Curve and three in Move. The Pro plan costs $11.99 per month. That is not a trivial change, and it reframes who this app is for.
But here is the counterpoint: the money funded real development. Linearity Curve 6.11, current as of July 2026, has shipped features that the old free Vectornator never had: a Glass Effect for translucent materials, AI background removal, a Magic Eraser, a Figma plugin, corner smoothing for iOS-style squircle shapes, and a Community hub. The app is genuinely better than it was when it was free. The question is whether the improvements justify the subscription, and that depends entirely on how much vector work you do on Apple devices.
The Vector Tools: Pen, Pencil, and Shape Builder
The Pen tool is the foundation of any vector app, and Linearity Curve's implementation is one of the most intuitive on iPad. Placing anchor points and adjusting curve handles feels natural with the Apple Pencil, and the gesture-based node type switching (changing between smooth and corner points with a single finger tap) is faster than Illustrator's desktop workflow.
The Pencil tool lets you draw freehand paths that are automatically smoothed into clean vector curves. For illustrators transitioning from raster to vector drawing, this is the most natural entry point. The smoothing algorithm produces professional results from freehand input, though it can over-smooth deliberate imperfections in hand-drawn linework.
The Shape Builder, added in recent versions, lets you combine and subtract shapes with a single tap, similar to Illustrator's Pathfinder but optimised for touch. Boolean operations (union, subtract, intersect, difference) are available for more complex compositions. These tools bring Curve closer to Illustrator's capabilities for logo and icon design, though Illustrator still offers more control over complex path operations.
Auto Trace converts raster images to vector paths automatically. Drop in a photograph, a scanned sketch, or a PNG, and Curve generates editable vector paths in seconds. The accuracy is impressive for clean, high-contrast images. For complex photographs with gradients and noise, the results require cleanup, but the time savings over manual tracing are significant. The free Starter tier includes Auto Trace, which is a generous inclusion.
What Is New in 2026: Glass Effect, AI Tools, and Figma
Linearity has been shipping updates roughly every month in 2026. The most visually striking addition is the Glass Effect (version 6.8), which creates translucent materials with adjustable frost, refraction, depth, dispersion, and light settings. You can apply it to vector shapes and text objects to simulate frosted glass, prismatic surfaces, and translucent panels. It is the kind of effect that normally requires a raster tool like Photoshop, and having it inside a vector app is genuinely useful for UI and product mockup work.
AI Background Removal isolates subjects from any image in one tap, and the Magic Eraser cleans up unwanted elements. These are not unique to Linearity (Photoshop and Fresco have similar tools), but having them inside a vector workflow means you can prepare assets without switching apps.
The Figma plugin, launched in 2026, lets you export Figma frames and layers directly into Linearity Curve or Move. If your team designs in Figma but needs to produce polished vector illustrations or animations on iPad, this bridge eliminates the export-import friction.
Other notable additions in 2026 include corner smoothing (creating squircle shapes like iOS app icons), path bending (dragging a path segment bends the curve directly instead of inserting a new node), page color control (the canvas background is no longer fixed), and a Community hub inside the app for tutorials and inspiration.
Typography and Colour
The typography tools are more capable than most free vector apps offer. You get control over font selection, size, leading, tracking, and kerning, with support for OpenType features including ligatures and alternate glyphs. Text on path lets you flow text along curved paths for circular logos and creative headlines. Custom fonts are supported on the Pro tier.
Colour management covers RGB, CMYK, and HSB models. The CMYK support is important for print production work, though it requires the Pro plan (the Starter tier gives you 5 free CMYK uses). Gradients include linear, radial, and the newer mesh-style gradients. Custom colour palettes can be saved and shared, and the app integrates with Brandfetch for pulling brand assets directly.
The integrated asset library pulls from Unsplash, SF Symbols, and Icons8, giving you access to stock photos, Apple's symbol set, and icon libraries without leaving the app. This is a Pro feature and is genuinely useful for marketing and social media design work.
Linearity Move: The Animation Companion
Every Linearity subscription tier includes access to Linearity Move, the companion animation app. Move lets you animate Curve designs with auto-animation, keyframes, and motion presets. The design-to-animation pipeline is seamless: create a vector illustration in Curve, open it in Move, and animate it without exporting or converting files.
This is Linearity's biggest differentiator against Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer. Neither of those apps has a built-in animation companion. If your work involves creating animated logos, motion graphics for social media, or animated illustrations, the Curve-plus-Move combination is a compelling workflow.
The catch: as of version 6.10, exporting from Move is a Pro feature. On the free Starter tier, you can create animations but cannot export them. This effectively makes Move a Pro-only tool for any practical use.
Pricing: Starter vs Pro vs Org
Linearity's pricing has three tiers, and the differences matter more than they appear.
Linearity Starter (Free) gives you three files in Curve and three in Move, access to Auto Trace, AI background removal, the Magic Eraser, 4,000+ templates, and sync across Mac, iPad, and iPhone. You can create and edit designs, but you are limited to six total files across both apps. PNG and JPEG export are included. SVG and PDF export are limited. CMYK print features are limited to 5 uses. This is enough to try the app and complete small projects, but not enough for professional work.
Linearity Pro ($11.99/month) removes all file limits, unlocks unlimited exports (SVG, PDF, AI, EPS, TIFF), local file storage, full CMYK support, custom fonts, the full effects library (Glass, Shadow, Repeat), and same-day support. If you are doing client work or producing designs regularly, Pro is the tier you need. An education discount brings Pro to $4.00/month for students and teachers, which is a 58% reduction.
Linearity Org adds premium support, a personalised onboarding workshop, and a dedicated account manager. Pricing is custom-quoted. This tier is aimed at teams and organisations.
Linearity Curve vs Adobe Illustrator vs Affinity Designer
Adobe Illustrator ($22.99/month, or included in Creative Cloud All Apps at $59.99/month) remains the industry standard. Its toolset is deeper: gradient mesh for photorealistic vector rendering, the Perspective Grid, the Symbol Sprayer, three decades of plugin ecosystem, and 2026 AI features like generative recolor and text-to-vector. If you work in a professional design studio, Illustrator file compatibility is often non-negotiable. Curve can export to AI format, but complex Illustrator files with advanced features may not round-trip perfectly.
Affinity Designer ($69.99 one-time, or $179.99 for the Universal License across Mac, Windows, and iPad) is the strongest alternative for designers who refuse to subscribe. It runs on Windows and Mac (not just Apple devices), supports both vector and raster workflows in the same document, and has excellent performance on Apple Silicon. It lacks Curve's AI tools and animation companion, but its one-time pricing and cross-platform support make it a better long-term value for many designers.
Linearity Curve sits between these two. It is more touch-optimised and iPad-native than either competitor. Its AI tools (background removal, magic eraser, auto trace) are built into the workflow rather than bolted on. The Move animation companion is unique. But it is Apple-only, the free tier is too limited for professional use, and its vector toolset is not as deep as Illustrator's for complex production work.
Insider Tips
- The free Starter tier's 3-file limit is across both Curve and Move combined. If you are testing the app, use those three files wisely. Delete old files before creating new ones.
- Auto Trace works best on high-contrast images with clean edges. Photographs with busy backgrounds produce messy vector paths. Run the image through AI Background Removal first, then Auto Trace the isolated subject.
- The Figma plugin is free to use but requires a Linearity account. If your team uses Figma, this is the fastest way to get assets from Figma into an iPad-native vector workflow.
- The Glass Effect only works on vector shapes and text, not raster images. If you need glass over a photo, place the photo on a separate layer and apply the effect to a vector shape above it.
- Students and teachers get Pro for $4.00/month. The verification process takes about four questions and is worth doing if you qualify.
- Files are stored in Linearity's cloud by default. There is no local-only option on the free tier. If cloud storage is a concern for client work, you need Pro for local file storage.
Final Verdict: Who Is This Actually For?
Linearity Curve is for iPad-first designers who want a native vector tool with AI features and a built-in animation companion. If you live in Apple's ecosystem, design logos and marketing graphics on iPad, and want something more touch-friendly than Illustrator or Affinity Designer, Curve is the best option available. The Curve-plus-Move workflow for design-to-animation is genuinely unique and worth the subscription if motion graphics are part of your work.
It is not for Windows users, Android users, or designers who need Illustrator's full production toolset. If you need gradient mesh, the Perspective Grid, or deep print production controls, Adobe Illustrator remains the standard. If you want a one-time purchase that runs on Windows, Affinity Designer is the better call.
The free Starter tier is worth downloading to test the interface and try Auto Trace on a few projects. If it fits your workflow, Pro at $11.99/month is competitively priced against Illustrator's $22.99/month, and the education discount at $4.00/month is generous.
Download Linearity Curve from the App Store or visit the Linearity website to compare plans and start designing.
