Astra
Two release trains, zero new features — Astra has been in pure maintenance mode since spring.
Comparison · Design
Linearity vs Spectra
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Linearity and Spectra — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Linearity vs Spectra: at a glance
| Feature | Linearity | Spectra |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Design | Design |
| Velocity score | 3.8 | 6.3 |
| Sparks · 30d | 1 | 1 |
| Top themes | vector-design, generative-ai, ios, macos | wordpress, gutenberg blocks, page building, freemium tiers |
| Last editorial update | 4d ago | 4d ago |
| Website | — | Visit → |
What is Linearity?
Linearity bets on generation that hands back editable layers, not a flat image.
Curve ships roughly every six to eight weeks on iOS and macOS, and until now the releases were craft work: a glass effect with refraction and dispersion, corner smoothing and path bending, Super Resolution and snapping, a noise effect with SVG and performance gains. Version 6.12 changes the subject by adding Quiver AI generation, framed around keeping every layer owned and editable after the model has run. The companion app Move contributes on its own track, with Lottie export for web and mobile motion graphics.
What is Spectra?
Spectra shipped a brand-new block plugin and a paid tier for it on the same afternoon.
Spectra launched Spectra Blocks, a ground-up Gutenberg block plugin, on 13 July 2026, with Spectra Blocks Pro arriving ninety seconds later in the same changelog. The month since has been a tight 1.0.x cadence: version rollback, automatic theme colour sync, and fixes across both the free and Pro builds. Two releases landed on 7 August alone, one for each edition.
Linearity vs Spectra: editorial side-by-side
Linearity
3.8DESIGN
Linearity bets on generation that hands back editable layers, not a flat image.
◆ Current state
Curve ships roughly every six to eight weeks on iOS and macOS, and until now the releases were craft work: a glass effect with refraction and dispersion, corner smoothing and path bending, Super Resolution and snapping, a noise effect with SVG and performance gains. Version 6.12 changes the subject by adding Quiver AI generation, framed around keeping every layer owned and editable after the model has run. The companion app Move contributes on its own track, with Lottie export for web and mobile motion graphics.
◆ Where it's heading
The pitch — generation starts it, the designer owns the layers — is a deliberate contrast with image models that return a finished raster. For a vector tool on Apple platforms, that is the only version of AI that fits the product: output has to arrive as paths a designer can keep working. The release cadence and the Move track suggest the wider ambition is a design-to-motion pipeline on iPad and Mac, with Lottie as the handoff format.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next releases to extend generation deeper into the vector editing surface rather than adding separate AI panels, since editable output is the entire argument. How Quiver AI is priced or metered is not visible in these entries.
Spectra
6.3DESIGN
Spectra shipped a brand-new block plugin and a paid tier for it on the same afternoon.
◆ Current state
Spectra launched Spectra Blocks, a ground-up Gutenberg block plugin, on 13 July 2026, with Spectra Blocks Pro arriving ninety seconds later in the same changelog. The month since has been a tight 1.0.x cadence: version rollback, automatic theme colour sync, and fixes across both the free and Pro builds. Two releases landed on 7 August alone, one for each edition.
◆ Where it's heading
This is an early-life product being hardened in public, and the choices reveal the audience. Version rollback is a safety net for agencies who update client sites and need an exit; theme colour sync is about blocks inheriting the site palette instead of fighting it. Both point at Spectra Blocks being positioned as infrastructure a professional builds on rather than a set of decorative blocks.
◆ Prediction
Expect the 1.0.x fix cadence to continue for several more weeks before the block library itself starts expanding, with Pro staying a release or two behind the free edition. The changelog bodies are truncated in this feed, so which specific blocks ship next is not visible from here.
Alternatives to Linearity and Spectra
Other Design products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Linearity or Spectra.
shadcn/ui
A component library turning into scaffolding for AI apps
Picsart
The editor now prints to a CVS counter, and that is the second business bolted on this summer.
Aseprite
Steady 1.3 maintenance, with the Lua API quietly becoming Aseprite's extension point.
Webflow
Webflow is building for the answer engines, not just the search results page.
Storybook
The 10.6 alphas are an Angular tooling rebuild wearing a version number.
See all Linearity alternatives → · See all Spectra alternatives →
Recent activity from Linearity and Spectra
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4d agoSpectraSpectra Blocks Pro 1.0.1 – Bug Fixes
- 4d agoSpectraSpectra Blocks 1.0.3 – Theme Colour Sync & Bug Fixes
- 6d agoLinearityCurve 6.12 adds Quiver AI generation with editable layers ⚡
- 25d agoSpectraSpectra Blocks 1.0.1 – Version Rollback & Bug Fixes
- 29d agoSpectraSpectra Blocks Pro launches alongside the free edition
- 29d agoSpectraSpectra Blocks launches as a new Gutenberg block plugin ⚡
- 1mo agoLinearityCurve 6.11: noise effect, SVG and performance gains
- 3mo agoLinearityCurve & Move 6.10: corner smoothing, path bending and a community hub
- 4mo agoLinearityCurve & Move 6.9: Super Resolution, snapping and image handling
- 4mo agoLinearityLinearity Curve & Move 6.9 brings smarter tools and cleaner workflows
- 5mo agoLinearityCurve 6.8 adds a Glass Effect with refraction and dispersion
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Linearity and Spectra?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Spectra is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Linearity better than Spectra?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Spectra is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Design products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Linearity?
Top Linearity alternatives in Design are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Linearity alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/linearity for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Spectra?
Top Spectra alternatives in Design are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Spectra alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/spectra for the full list with editorial commentary on each.