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Linearity Curve Review

Mac and iPad designers who want a free vector app with auto trace and AI background removal

Visit Linearity Curve →From Free; paid from $10/mo (Pro)

Research-based review. Built from the vendor's own documentation and pricing, plus public user reviews where we found them. We haven't tested it hands-on yet.

The verdict

This vector design app for Mac, iPad and iPhone is free to download outright, with one-click tracing and AI-assisted background removal built in. Its main catch is the bundle: every paid plan buys Curve alongside an animation app and a browser-based generative design tool, not Curve on its own.

Pros

  • Free to download outright, with a Free plan account needing no card and never expiring.
  • Auto Trace converts an image, logo or sketch into editable vector paths in one click.
  • AI Grab, Background Removal and Magic Eraser handle subject isolation and cleanup inside the app.
  • Prompts, content and generated output are not used to train its models unless you separately opt in.

Cons

  • No CMYK colour mode or Pantone spot colour support for print work.
  • No real-time co-editing; simultaneous edits by more than one person create a duplicate file instead of merging.
  • Every paid plan bundles Curve with Linearity Move and Linearity AI, billed per seat, with no way to pay for Curve alone.
From Free; paid from $10/mo (Pro)Free plan YesFree trial No

Linearity Curve is a free vector design app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, with AI tools for tracing and background work built in. What decides whether it suits you is the bundle: every paid plan buys Curve alongside Linearity Move, an animation app, and Linearity AI, a browser-based generative design tool, rather than Curve on its own.

What is Linearity Curve?

Curve is made by Linearity GmbH, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Solingen, Germany. It is a native app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, free to download outright, alongside its sibling app Move. Paid plans add Linearity AI, a separate design tool that runs in the browser at cloud.linearity.io rather than installing.

Drawing and editing vectors in Linearity Curve

Auto Trace converts an image, logo or sketch into editable vector paths in one click, with separate modes for photos, sketches, illustrations and basic shapes. Shaping tools cover boolean operations alongside masking and a Shape Builder tool, and documents support multiple artboards. Gradients cover linear and radial types; there is no mesh or freeform gradient type. Curve can send a document straight to desktop Adobe Illustrator as a continuity feature. Neither a CMYK colour mode nor Pantone spot colour libraries are offered.

AI-assisted editing is built into Curve itself: Background Removal erases backgrounds, AI Grab detects and isolates a subject or object, and Magic Eraser cleans up unwanted elements. Curve does not generate a standalone image from a prompt on its own; that runs through Linearity AI, the browser tool bundled into every paid plan, which composes a complete, editable design from a typed description using Linearity's own Linearity Vector 1.0 model.

Working with other people

Curve has no real-time co-editing: simultaneous edits by more than one person on a shared file can conflict, and the system creates a duplicate rather than merging changes. There is no comments or review workflow. An API is available on the Enterprise plan, and Curve integrates with Figma through its own plugin, with Unsplash for stock imagery, and with desktop Adobe Illustrator through the send-to feature above.

Linearity Curve pricing: what each plan gives

The Free plan costs nothing, needs no card, and gives 250 lifetime credits, one basic brand kit and 5GB of cloud storage; Curve and Move are also downloadable free on their own outside any plan. Paid plans are billed per editor: Pro is $10 a month billed monthly or $8 a month billed annually, with 800 credits a month; Studio is $30 a month billed monthly or $25 a month billed annually; Business is $80 a month billed monthly or $65 a month billed annually. Enterprise pricing is available on request. Every paid plan covers Curve, Move and Linearity AI together; there is no cheaper plan for Curve alone, and no one-time purchase option.

Privacy and support

Linearity does not use your prompts, content or generated output to train its own models unless you separately opt in; that consent is not on by default. Its privacy policy is written around GDPR and names an EU controller in Solingen, Germany, and single sign-on is supported for logging in. Support runs through a ticketed contact form, a Discord community, and the Academy help centre.

Who Linearity Curve suits

Curve suits anyone on Mac, iPad or iPhone who wants a free, capable vector app with one-click tracing, boolean shape tools and AI-assisted background removal and object isolation, and who is open to Linearity AI's prompt-based design generation as part of a paid plan. It also suits anyone happy to buy Move and Linearity AI alongside Curve as one subscription.

It suits less well anyone doing CMYK or Pantone print production, since neither exists, or any team that needs real-time co-editing on a shared file, since simultaneous edits create duplicates instead of merging. It also suits less well anyone who wants to pay for Curve alone, since every paid tier bundles it with Move and Linearity AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Linearity Curve cost?

Curve itself is free to download. The Free plan account adds 250 lifetime credits, a basic brand kit and 5GB of storage at no cost. Paid plans start at $10 a month billed monthly, or $8 a month billed annually, and bundle Curve with Linearity Move and Linearity AI.

Can Curve open files from other design tools?

Curve can send a document to desktop Adobe Illustrator as a continuity feature, and exports to PNG, JPG, SVG and PDF.

Does Curve generate vector art from a text prompt?

Not inside Curve itself. That capability sits in Linearity AI, a browser-based tool bundled into every paid plan, which turns a typed description into a complete, editable design using Linearity's own Linearity Vector 1.0 model.

Does Linearity train AI on my designs?

No, not by default. Linearity does not use your prompts, content or generated output to train its models unless you give separate, explicit consent.

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