Is Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI better?

Neither clearly leads. Linearity Curve starts at Free and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI?

Linearity Curve has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Linearity Curve and 5500/month for PaintTool SAI.

Does Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?

Linearity Curve runs on Mac, Ios. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.

Can I use Linearity Curve for free?

Yes. Linearity Curve has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.

What is Linearity Curve best used for?

Linearity Curve is most often used for vector illustration, logo design, ui design, print design. Of those, vector illustration and logo design are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.

What can Linearity Curve do that PaintTool SAI cannot?

Linearity Curve covers Vector editing, Auto Trace, Typography tools, Pen tool. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

Software · head to head

Linearity Curve vs PaintTool SAI

Linearity Curve

Software

Professional vector design for Mac and iPad

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

PaintTool SAI

Software

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From: 5500/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Linearity Curve has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Linearity Curve limited to Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPad, iPhone) with no Windows or Linux support; PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
They diverge on capability: Linearity Curve covers Vector editing, PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Linearity Curve and PaintTool SAI actually diverge.

Attributes where Linearity Curve and PaintTool SAI differ
Attribute	Linearity Curve	PaintTool SAI
Starting price	Free	5500/month
Pricing model	Unknown	one-time
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Mac, Ios	windows
Founded	2017	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Linearity Curve

Vector editing
Auto Trace
Typography tools
Pen tool
iCloud sync
Adobe Creative Cloud
Sketch
Figma

Only in PaintTool SAI

Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support
Anti-Aliased Brushes
16-bit ARGB Color Channels
Lightweight Performance
Crash Data Protection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Linearity Curve

Vector illustrationnot PaintTool SAI
Logo designnot PaintTool SAI
UI designnot PaintTool SAI
Print designnot PaintTool SAI

PaintTool SAI

Digital illustration and manga artnot Linearity Curve
Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot Linearity Curve
Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot Linearity Curve
Character and concept art sketchingnot Linearity Curve

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Linearity Curve

Limited to Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPad, iPhone) with no Windows or Linux support
Requires annual or monthly subscription for commercial use, unlike competitors offering lifetime purchase options
Free plan is severely limited to only 3 Curve files and 5GB storage

PaintTool SAI

Windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
Only supports 32-bit operation, lacking modern 64-bit performance benefits.
Lacks the advanced brush engine customization and layer effects found in tools like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.
No cloud sync or mobile app, unlike many modern illustration tools.

Pricing, plan by plan

Linearity Curve

Free

StarterFree
- 50 lifetime credits
- 3 Curve files
- 5GB storage
Pro$11.99/month
- 250 monthly credits
- Unlimited files
- 100GB storage
Business$65/month
- 500 monthly credits
- 500GB storage
- Brand management

PaintTool SAI

5500/month

Standard License$5500/month
- Perpetual license
- All 1.x.x minor updates
- Free upgrade path to version 2

Which should you pick?

Choose Linearity Curve if

You need vector editing.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Mac, Ios.
You also want auto trace.

Linearity Curve review

Choose PaintTool SAI if

You need pressure-sensitive tablet support.
You work on windows.
You also want anti-aliased brushes.

PaintTool SAI review

Questions people ask

Is Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI better?: Neither clearly leads. Linearity Curve starts at Free and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI?: Linearity Curve has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Linearity Curve and 5500/month for PaintTool SAI.
Does Linearity Curve or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?: Linearity Curve runs on Mac, Ios. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.
Can I use Linearity Curve for free?: Yes. Linearity Curve has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.
What is Linearity Curve best used for?: Linearity Curve is most often used for vector illustration, logo design, ui design, print design. Of those, vector illustration and logo design are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.
What can Linearity Curve do that PaintTool SAI cannot?: Linearity Curve covers Vector editing, Auto Trace, Typography tools, Pen tool. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Linearity Curve: Does Linearity Curve have a free plan?

Yes, Linearity offers a free Starter plan with 50 lifetime credits, 1 basic brand kit, and 5GB cloud storage. No credit card is required to access the free tier.

Source

PaintTool SAI: Is there a free trial for PaintTool SAI?

Yes, PaintTool SAI offers a 31-day free trial with full functionality before requiring purchase of a license.

Source

Linearity Curve: Can I use Linearity Curve on multiple devices?

Yes, Linearity Curve is available on Mac, iPad, and iPhone, with real-time collaboration allowing teams to see changes instantly across devices.

Source

PaintTool SAI: What does the license cover?

The one-time 5,500 JPY purchase provides a perpetual license covering all minor updates within version 1.x.x; a major version 2 upgrade is offered for free.

Source

Linearity Curve: What file formats can I export from Linearity Curve?

Linearity Curve supports exporting to industry-standard formats including .ai, SVG, PDF, PNG, JPG, and TIFF, making it compatible with other design tools.

Source

PaintTool SAI: What operating systems are supported?

PaintTool SAI runs on Windows XP through Windows 11, but only in 32-bit mode, requiring at least a 450MHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM.

Source

Linearity Curve: Does Linearity Curve have AI-powered vectorization?

Yes, Linearity Curve includes an Auto Trace feature with three modes (Sketch, Photography, Illustration) that uses AI to instantly vectorize images into editable paths. It also includes AI-powered background removal.

Source

Linearity Curve vs PaintTool SAI

Linearity Curve

PaintTool SAI

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Linearity Curve

Only in PaintTool SAI

What people use each for

Linearity Curve

PaintTool SAI

Where each one falls short

Linearity Curve

PaintTool SAI

Pricing, plan by plan

Linearity Curve

PaintTool SAI

Which should you pick?

Choose Linearity Curve if

Choose PaintTool SAI if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Linearity Curve

More on PaintTool SAI

Keep looking

Other head to heads