Image and video decision
Linearity Curve
A capable engineer can build a narrow, usable prototype (prompt→generated assets→simple editor→resize/exports) but reproducing Linearity's full product (large template library, polished vector editor, enterprise governance and scale) is a much larger effort and not realistic for one person to match.
Visit website↗Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need — the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship.
What a replacement has to do
- Turn a text prompt + brand kit into a set of editable design files, tweak them, auto-resize/localize, then export assets.
What it still won’t have
- Proprietary template library and hundreds/thousands of curated templates
- Polished multi-layer vector editor UX and animation features
- Enterprise governance features (SSO, role-based export permissions, org shared credits)
- Performance, scale, and managed hosting/SLAs
- Integrated brand intelligence features marketed as 'Linearity Intelligence'
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 7 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal Linearity-like web app using React (frontend) + Node.js/Express (backend) + Postgres. In scope: user signup, brand-kit CRUD (logos, colors, fonts), a prompt form that calls external generative APIs (configurable endpoint) to produce campaign image assets, store generated assets as SVG/PNG, a simple SVG-layer editor (use an existing open-source library such as SVG-Edit or react-sketch) to allow basic text/logo edits, an auto-resize feature to create multiple channel-sized variants, and export endpoints for PNG/JPEG/SVG/PDF. Out of scope: full-featured animation editor, enterprise SSO, multi-tenant org billing, and an extensive template marketplace. Require: input validation, retries and rate-limit handling for external APIs, background job queue for generation (e.g., BullMQ), automated tests (unit + a couple integration tests), and Docker deployment configuration.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 4 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- 3/3 assessment runs agreed+4
- Evidence score67
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time — so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 4
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productLinearity | AI Design Generator: Editable, On-Brand Campaigns
- official pricingLinearity pricing plans: Upgrade your design game
- official productMarketing templates for scaleable asset creation | Linearity
- open sourcemikesheehan54/Claude-Code-Design-AI
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
