Linearity Free tier

What Linearity actually does

Linearity is a Berlin-based design company that sells two apps under one subscription: Curve, a vector illustration and graphic design app formerly known as Vectornator, and Move, a motion-graphics and animation tool. It's built natively for Apple hardware and pitched as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

The core product

Curve is the vector-editing core — illustration, logo and graphic design work done on a traditional vector canvas — while Move handles motion graphics and animation, and both are included in the same subscription rather than sold as separate products. AI-assisted tools sit directly inside that canvas rather than bolted on as a separate app: background removal, auto-trace for converting raster images to editable vectors, and automated resizing or translation of a layout across multiple formats or languages. The company targets both individual illustrators and marketing or brand teams who want a native Illustrator alternative that runs well on Mac, iPad and iPhone specifically, rather than a cross-platform Electron app that happens to also run on Apple devices. Linearity has raised roughly $35 million from venture investors, but the Berlin-based founding team retains control, and the company has not been folded into a larger design platform.

What's new or notable

Pricing is built around a credits system that scales with plan tier: the free plan includes 250 credits, but they're a one-time allotment rather than a monthly renewal, so they disappear quickly once AI features like background removal or upscaling get regular use. Paid plans replace that with a monthly credit refresh that scales from 800 credits a month on Starter up to 6,500 a month plus rollover credits on Business, alongside growing cloud storage allowances (5GB free, up to 500GB on Business) and, at the top end, brand-management and organisation-wide credit pooling for teams on Enterprise contracts.

Who should use Linearity

Great fit if…

• You want illustration and motion design in one subscription. Curve and Move are bundled together, so static vector work and animated output don't require separate tools or separate bills.
• You're fully on Apple hardware. Native Mac, iPad and iPhone apps mean the tool feels built for the platform rather than ported to it, which matters if you're switching away from a slower cross-platform editor.
• You want AI tools built into the vector workflow, not bolted on. Background removal, auto-trace and automated resize/translation happen inside the same canvas as the rest of the design work.
• You want to test real projects before paying. 250 one-time credits on the free tier are enough to try the AI features on an actual project rather than just a demo file.

Skip it if…

• You're on Windows. There's no full native Windows application, which rules Linearity out for teams or individuals who aren't on Mac, iPad or iPhone.
• You use AI features constantly and want to stay free. The free tier's 250 credits are a one-time grant, not a monthly one, so anything beyond light, occasional AI use will need a paid Starter, Pro or Business plan.
• Your team needs more than 5GB of shared storage without paying. Cloud storage scales with plan tier — 5GB free, 100GB on Starter and Pro, 500GB on Business — so teams with large asset libraries will land on a paid tier fairly quickly.
• You want to pay in euros. Every paid plan is priced and billed in US dollars on Linearity's own site, with no currency switcher, even though the company is based in Berlin.

Pricing in detail

Linearity Curve is priced per editor per month, with a discount for annual billing, plus a custom Enterprise tier.

Where it falls short

• Free credits don't renew. The 250 credits on the free tier are a one-time allotment rather than a monthly refresh, so they're consumed quickly once AI features see regular use, unlike the monthly pools on every paid plan.
• No native Windows app. The product is built primarily for Apple hardware, so anyone not using a Mac, iPad or iPhone loses the native app experience entirely and has no equivalent alternative from Linearity itself.
• Billed in US dollars, not euros. Despite being a Berlin company, Linearity shows no currency switcher on its pricing page; every plan is priced and charged in USD, so European subscribers absorb whatever conversion their card issuer applies.

Privacy & data

Linearity is a cloud-connected app: projects, brand kits and assets are backed by cloud storage tied to the plan (5GB up to 500GB), which means files sync to Linearity's servers rather than staying purely local, even though the apps run natively on-device. The company is based in Berlin, Germany, placing it under EU/GDPR jurisdiction as a matter of where it operates. We could not verify from the pricing page whether images processed through its AI features (background removal, upscaling) are retained or used for model training beyond generating the requested result — anyone working with sensitive or client material should check Linearity's own privacy policy rather than assume a position either way.

How we checked this

This entry is based on linearity.io/pricing (checked 2026-09-05), which lists all five plan tiers, their prices for monthly and annual billing, and their credit, storage and feature allowances directly. The page was also checked from an EU-based browser to confirm there is no currency switcher or region-based EUR pricing; the only locale option is a language selector (English, Mandarin, Spanish), and prices stay in USD regardless. We did not run a hands-on trial of the AI tools or Move's animation features; the description of what's included in each tier reflects the vendor's own published comparison, and known limitations — the one-time free credits and the lack of a native Windows app — are structural facts about the product rather than something dependent on a specific testing session.

What you get, what you give up