Unlock Your Creativity: Can Linearity Dethrone Adobe as the Go-To Design Software?

The name Adobe is synonymous with creativity in digital design for a reason. Its products have a reputation for quality. Not to mention that it has been the sole leader of this space for a long time. That might be about to change. New competition from an up-and-comer has been gaining traction while offering a unique freemium style. Its business model could spell trouble for Adobe’s dominance. Is Linearity the answer to overruling Adobe’s suite of apps for designers and animators? Let’s break down exactly what sets Linearity apart from the world of digital design and see if its freemium style could be the answer to your design problems.

A Fresh Hope for Designers: Exploring Linearity's Offerings

Linearity Curve

Let’s say you want to present a linear graph. Linearity also has a vector-drawing programme, Linearity MOVE, for animation. On Mac and iPad OS, users can draw curves or make a composition with the software in Linearity, or use the resource for further animation with Linearity MOVE. Both Linearity Curve and Linearity MOVE support users of Figma, Adobe and Sketch. Linearity can be used for a wide range of purposes, from animation to branding.

But there are write limits on the Free Starter plan: you can’t edit a document (although you can lock it), you can’t export from it, and so on. The Pro plan (cheap in comparison) is packed with features that make it easier to work together and offers lots of support.

Comparing Apples and Oranges: Linearity versus Adobe

Image Manipulation Showdown

Though Adobe Photoshop is unquestionably the undisputed reigning champion in this area, Linearity Curve has its own strengths – especially in vector image editing. Even though its direct manipulation of raster images is more limited, the strength of Linearity’s layering and blending, combined with its excellent background removal tool, has its uses.

The Animation Arena

Linearity MOVE is a winner here, where it gives away animation tools that can compete with Adobe’s After Effects and Photoshop, and where it is friendly towards both vector and raster images, and perfectly follows you between iPad and Mac. Its only major shortcoming for animators, the lack of an option to integrate audio into animations, is a feature they say is coming in the not-too-distant future.

The Video Editing Verdict

Sadly, Linearity MOVE is just not up to much in the video editing game – Premiere Pro from Adobe remains the tool of choice for video enthusiasts (I still use it), while a newcomer such as CapCut, which offers a similar range of free-to-use tools, might make a good companion for Linearity.

Vector Drawing Victory

And Linearity Curve (see below) takes the prize in the vector design arena: You’ll notice a hefty selection of tools available here – comparable to what you’d find in Adobe Illustrator, without having to purchase it, which is nice. So if it’s a no-frills, cross-platform vector design experience you’re looking for, Linearity Curve has you covered.

Dueling Layout Design

However, while Adobe InDesign is still the industry’s gold standard for professional layout design, Linearity Curve stands just as a good chance to win over buyers, and probably goes against Adobe Express more in the category of layout projects.

The AI Features Face-off

While Adobe’s suite includes many more AI tools, Linearity’s down-to-earth, time-saving AI features including background removal, Auto Animate, Auto Trace are very usable and valuable for many useful applications, and are rather practical than novel.

Breaking Down the MOVE to Linearity

But Linearity Curve and MOVE are compelling alternatives to Adobe’s Creative Cloud, especially for designers who want to scale back on subscription costs without severely limiting functionality. Linearity’s Pro plan is far more affordable than Adobe’s suite and is a great option for those who don’t need all the bells and whistles that come with it.

Why Make the MOVE to Linearity?

All of these factors are driving the shift to Linearity – price, an excellent free plan that is perfect for freelancers working on passion projects, and a focus on the fundamental design and animation tools you need for almost any project. The tools we’re expanding Linearity with, especially Linearity MOVE for animation, point to a promising future for designers who wish to experiment beyond the boundaries of Adobe’s ecosystem.

Conclusion

There’s an eternal struggle between established titans and upstart upstarts in the landscape of design and animation software, and Linearity eliminates Adobe’s stranglehold for many by placing accessibility, flexibility and affordability ahead of all else. This isn’t to say that Adobe is dead or irrelevant; there are complex niches that Linearity can’t replace. But as a great bulk of designers and animators become an assemblage of huge lanes of intersection, Linearity offers a tremendous alternative to most designers, animators – and everyone else. Next time you need to decide between these two, it’s going to feel less like a decision of tools, and more like a declaration of values: innovation, cost, utility.