The short answer. Amadine and Vectornator are the illustration apps: paths, shapes, gradients and a canvas, aimed at drawing rather than at interface design. Vectr is the free, simpler one. Lunacy is the design tool with built-in assets and collaboration, which puts it closer to interface work than to illustration. PaintCode is the unusual one: you draw and it emits Swift or Objective-C in real time, so the drawing is a specification. macSVG edits SVG as a document with animation, and svgus cleans and transforms SVG files rather than drawing them. Art Text 3 is the lettering tool — text effects and typography rather than general vector work. The dividing question is what the output is: an image, a code asset, or a cleaned file, because those three workflows share a file format and almost nothing else.
This guide covers 8 vector graphics editors for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amadine | vector graphics editor | not published | not published | 1.8.4 |
| Art Text 3 | graphic design app | not published | not published | — |
| Lunacy | design tool | Free | not published | 14.1 |
| macSVG | design tool | Open source | not published | 1.2.0 |
| PaintCode | developer tool | not published | not published | 3.6.2 |
| svgus | design tool | not published | not published | — |
| Vectornator: Design Software | design tool | not published | not published | 7.0.0 |
| Vectr | design tool | Free | not published | — |
What actually decides this
- What the output is. An illustration exports as an image or a PDF. A code asset exports as a class or a path constant. A cleaned SVG is a file that already exists and needs fixing. The tool is chosen by the output, not by the drawing surface.
- Whether the drawing is the source of truth. In PaintCode the drawing generates code, which means changing the code by hand breaks the link. In an illustration app the file is the source and the export is disposable. Mixing the two expectations produces a file nobody can maintain.
- How it handles a path with many nodes. Illustration work is mostly node editing. A tool with good node manipulation and boolean operations is worth more than one with a large asset library, and the asset library is what the marketing shows.
- Whether it can open what other people send. SVG is the interchange format and every tool imports it differently. Gradients, masks and text-on-path are where the import fails, and the failure is silent until someone opens the file on the other side.
- What the collaboration story is. Real-time collaboration in a vector tool means a cloud document with a version history. That is convenient and it changes the file from something you own to something you access.
- Whether text stays text. A lettering tool keeps text editable and applies effects to it. A general vector tool may convert text to outlines on export, which is correct for print and fatal for a later edit.
Our picks
- Amadine — Its record describes a vector drawing app with an intuitive interface for graphic designers, which is the illustration case. Choose it when you want a focused illustration app with good path tools.
- Vectornator: Design Software — Its record describes intuitive and precise illustration software, which is the drawing case. Choose it when you want precise illustration with a modern interface.
- PaintCode — Its record describes generating code in real time from a vector drawing, which is the code-asset case. Choose it when the drawing has to become Swift or Objective-C.
- macSVG — Its record describes designing HTML5 SVG art and animation, which is the SVG-document case. Choose it when the file is SVG and the animation is part of it.
- svgus — Its record describes organising, cleaning and transforming SVGs, which is the cleanup case. Choose it when you need to clean and transform SVGs rather than draw them.
- Art Text 3 — Its record describes graphic design software for lettering, typography and text effects, which is the lettering case. Choose it when the work is lettering and text effects.
The apps
Amadine
Amadine is a vector graphics editor for macOS. Vector drawing app with an intuitive interface for graphic designers. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Amadine, intuitive vector graphic design software for Mac, iPad and iPhone–download free Trial now!
Amadine is listed with current version 1.8.4.
Full profile and verified facts for Amadine →
Art Text 3
Art Text 3 is a graphic design app for macOS. Graphic design software for lettering, typography, and text effects. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Art Text is a graphic design software tuned for creating text effect and text style based graphics.
Full profile and verified facts for Art Text 3 →
Lunacy
Lunacy is a design tool for macOS. Vector design tool with built-in assets and real-time collaboration. It is free.
What it does. Lunacy by Icons8 is free graphic design software for Windows, macOS, Linux. Open, edit sketch files with ease. Built-in vector, photos, UI kits, and more.
Lunacy is listed with current version 14.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Lunacy →
macSVG
macSVG is a design tool for macOS. Designing HTML5 SVG art and animation. It is open source.
What it does. macSVG - An open-source macOS app for designing HTML5 SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) art and animation with a WebKit web view ➤➤➤.
macSVG is listed with current version 1.2.0.
Full profile and verified facts for macSVG →
PaintCode
PaintCode is a developer tool for macOS. Vector drawing app that generates Objective-C or Swift code in real time. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. PaintCode is a unique vector drawing app that generates Objective-C or Swift code in real time, acting as a bridge between developers and graphic designers.
PaintCode is listed with current version 3.6.2.
Full profile and verified facts for PaintCode →
svgus
svgus is a design tool for macOS. Organize, clean and transform your SVGs. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for svgus →
Vectornator: Design Software
Vectornator: Design Software is a design tool for macOS. The Most Intuitive and Precise Illustration Software in the Galaxy. Its pricing is not published.
Vectornator: Design Software is listed with current version 7.0.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Vectornator: Design Software →
Vectr
Vectr is a design tool for macOS. Free graphics editor used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It is free.
What it does. AI Logo Maker & Vector Editor – Background Remover, AI Image Generator, SVG Converter.
Full profile and verified facts for Vectr →
How to choose
- Free of charge. Lunacy and Vectr — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. macSVG — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Amadine, Art Text 3, PaintCode, svgus and Vectornator: Design Software — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: macSVG (1 of 8).
Common mistakes
- Drawing in a code-generating tool and then editing the generated code by hand.
- Exporting text as outlines and losing the ability to change a word later.
- Assuming an SVG imports identically everywhere. Gradients and masks are where it breaks.
- Using an interface design tool for illustration and fighting the component model all day.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these vector graphics editors?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 8 vector graphics editors: Amadine, Art Text 3, Lunacy, macSVG, PaintCode, svgus, Vectornator: Design Software and Vectr. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these vector graphics editors free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Amadine, Art Text 3, PaintCode, svgus and Vectornator: Design Software), free (Lunacy and Vectr) and open source (macSVG). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these vector graphics editors are open source?
macSVG (not published) is open source.
Do these vector graphics editors support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
