Amadine

Amadine is a Mac-native vector drawing app from BeLight Software (the makers of Live Home 3D + Get Backup Pro) — pitched as a friendlier, lighter, native-Mac alternative to Adobe Illustrator. If you're a designer or illustrator who wants Illustrator's vector workflow without Adobe's subscription tax and without Illustrator's 25-year-old UI debt, Amadine is one of the serious options alongside Affinity Designer + Sketch + Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) + Inkscape. What you get: full vector drawing toolset (pen, pencil, shapes, boolean operations, path editing), multiple artboards per document, layers + groups + masks, gradient + pattern fills, typography with OpenType features, vector + raster mixed workflows (Amadine handles raster images alongside vectors), SVG + PDF + AI + EPS + PNG + JPEG import/export, Apple Pencil support on iPad (Amadine has an iPad version), and a native Mac interface that respects macOS conventions (no Adobe weirdness). Where Amadine fits in the landscape: Affinity Designer is the heavyweight Illustrator alternative — more features, more pro-level, one-time $70 purchase. Sketch is UI-design-focused, not illustration. Linearity Curve is the closest competitor to Amadine (Mac/iPad vector tool, modern UI, friendly pricing). Inkscape is free + open source but the UX is rough. Amadine sits in the friendly mid-tier — more capable than free tools, simpler than Affinity Designer, native to Mac. Where it's not for you: if you're a working illustrator producing professional client work all day, Affinity Designer's depth or Illustrator's industry-standard file compatibility might matter more. If you need Windows or Linux, Amadine is Mac/iPad only (use Affinity or Inkscape). If you're doing UI/UX design, use Figma or Sketch — Amadine is illustration-focused. Pricing is the BeLight Software pattern: one-time purchase (around $20-30 for Mac last I checked) or modest subscription, plus an iPad version. No Adobe subscription, no per-user-per-month enterprise pricing. Verify current pricing on amadine.com. Honest take: Amadine is a quietly good app for designers who want a real Mac vector tool without paying Adobe. The interface is friendly, the toolset is comprehensive enough for 80% of vector work, and the BeLight team ships steadily. For hobbyist illustrators + indie designers + students + Mac users who want Illustrator's workflow without the cost, recommended. For working professionals on tight deadlines with Adobe-heavy client workflows, stay with Illustrator or Affinity.