# How to Vibe Code Your Own Linearity (and Stop Paying for It)

> AI Design Generator: Editable, On-Brand Campaigns

- Site: https://linearity.io
- Category: Design Software
- Platforms: macOS app, iPadOS app, Web app
- Verdict: **Impossible** (8/100 vibecodeable)
- Estimated effort: 6+ months of full-time work

## Verdict

You cannot build this clone; keep paying for Linearity or use standard design tools, because writing a production-grade real-time vector rendering and AI Bézier-generation engine is a multi-year engineering feat.

Linearity combines a custom high-performance vector editing engine with specialized machine learning models that generate clean, multi-layered SVG paths and Bézier control nodes from text prompts. A solo developer vibecoding with AI tools can easily whip up a wrapper web app using HTML5 Canvas or SVG DOM elements, but it will immediately choke on complex path Boolean operations, anchor node editing, smooth 120Hz stylus interactions, and deterministic raster-to-vector autotracing. The core value of generating clean, editable vector nodes via AI rather than flat raster pixels requires proprietary computer vision and vector layout models that cannot be generated on a whim.

### What you can't replicate

- High-performance native Metal/WebGL vector and Bézier path rendering engine
- Deterministic machine learning pipelines for raster-to-vector auto-tracing
- Advanced motion graphics keyframe compilation and native timeline export
- Enterprise workspace governance, brand guardrails, and role-based permissions

## What it does

A creative software suite featuring Linearity Curve for vector design and Linearity Move for motion graphics, powered by an AI design generator that outputs fully editable, multi-layered vector campaigns.

### Core features

- Real-time vector and Bézier curve editing canvas
- AI design generator for multi-layered vector campaigns
- Automatic raster-to-vector tracing (Auto Trace)
- AI background removal and magic eraser
- Multi-channel auto-resizing and asset localization
- Motion graphics timeline and keyframe animation
- Workspace project sharing and permission management
- Brand kit asset management (colors, fonts, logos)

## The business

### Pricing

- Free: $0
- Pro: $25/mo
- Business: $65/mo
- Enterprise: Custom

### Funding

$25.5M raised.
- Seed
- Series B ($20M in Sept 2021)
Investors: EQT Ventures, 468 Capital, HV Capital, Bradley Horowitz

Founded 2017.
Team size: ~50-85.

## The hard parts

- Writing a high-performance custom vector and Bézier path rendering engine with smooth anchor node manipulation
- Building robust ML vision models that translate raster sketches into clean mathematical vector control points rather than bitmaps
- Compiling complex multi-layered vector compositions into synchronized motion keyframe animations and exporting to video/Lottie
- Delivering a native 120Hz stylus and touch rendering experience across macOS and iPadOS without lag

## How to vibe code Linearity

### Prerequisites

- Node.js (free): Required for running the local frontend development environment and package managers.
- Cursor (free): AI-native code editor for iterative UI development and managing complex codebase structures.
- GitHub (free): Source control and repository hosting for your project code.

### Recommended AI tools

- Cursor: Ideal for inspecting complex canvas rendering code and iterating on UI components via Composer mode.
- Claude Code: Handles multi-file refactoring and scaffolding of complex frontend systems directly from your terminal.

### Stack

- Frontend: Next.js
- Backend: Next.js API Routes
- Database: Turso
- Auth: better-auth
- Payments: Stripe
- Other: Vercel AI SDK, Tailwind CSS

### Hosting

- Vercel (Hosting the Next.js web workspace frontend and serverless API endpoints.): $0-20/mo
- Turso (Lightweight serverless SQLite database for storing user workspaces and project metadata.): $0/mo

### Build guide

1. **Project Scaffolding & Design Workspace Layout** — Initialize the Next.js application with Tailwind CSS and build the core multi-panel workspace layout containing a sidebar for project folders, a top toolbar, and an infinite canvas viewport.

```
Scaffold a new Next.js project using App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Implement a professional design workspace layout inspired by Figma and Linearity, featuring a collapsible left sidebar for project assets and layers, a top navigation bar for document titles and export controls, and an infinite main canvas area with zoom and pan state management using React state and Tailwind utility classes. Ensure the UI is clean, dark-themed, and responsive.
```

2. **Basic Vector Canvas & SVG Path Manipulation** — Implement a simplified vector shape editor allowing users to place rectangles, circles, and custom SVG path elements onto an HTML5 Canvas or SVG workspace with selection and dragging capabilities.

```
Build an interactive vector editor component within the Next.js workspace using an SVG-based viewport. Allow users to select drawing tools (Rectangle, Circle, Path), click and drag to place shapes on the canvas, select existing shapes to move or resize them, and view their layer order in a right-hand layers panel. Implement state management for shape attributes including fill color, stroke color, stroke width, and bounding box coordinates.
```

3. **Brand Kit and Asset Management** — Create a brand management subsystem where users can define custom color palettes, typography rules, and logo assets to apply to their design projects.

```
Implement a Brand Kit settings page and drawer within the workspace. Using Turso as the database and better-auth for user sessions, allow users to create and store custom brand palettes (hex color arrays), typography pairings (heading and body fonts), and logo image URLs. Add a sidebar widget in the canvas view that lets users apply brand colors and logos to selected canvas elements with a single click.
```

4. **AI Campaign Generator Stub & Prompt Interface** — Build an AI prompt modal that accepts a marketing campaign description and simulates generating a structured multi-asset layout specification using the Vercel AI SDK.

```
Create an AI Campaign Generator modal that opens from the workspace toolbar. The modal should accept a text prompt describing a marketing campaign (e.g., 'Energy drink product launch ad') and select output formats (social post, banner, story). Integrate the Vercel AI SDK to call an API route that queries an LLM configured with structured JSON mode, returning a multi-asset layout specification containing text headings, background colors, and placeholder shape positions.
```

5. **File Export & SVG/PNG Download Pipeline** — Implement an export utility that converts the canvas DOM or SVG state into downloadable PNG, JPEG, and SVG file formats.

```
Implement a robust file export dialog supporting SVG, PNG, and JPEG formats. Write client-side utility functions that serialize the active workspace artboard or selected SVG elements into clean SVG markup strings, or render them onto an HTML5 canvas element to export compressed raster images. Provide immediate download triggers for the user.
```

### Cost vs paying

**Starting costs (one-time):**

- Domain name registration: $12/yr
- Total: ~$12 one-time

**Ongoing costs (monthly):**

- Vercel Hobby/Pro Hosting: $0-20/mo
- Turso Database: $0/mo
- Total: ~$0-20/mo

- Paying for the SaaS instead: $25/mo (Pro)
- Build time: 120+ hours (Core subset only; full engine impossible)
- AI tool credits: $20/mo (Cursor Pro / Claude)
- Break-even: N/A (Clone lacks the core vector and ML generation engine)

## Sources

- [Linearity Official Website](https://linearity.io)