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Just in case you are looking for a commercial alternative to Inkscape with a more modern UI and Chromium-based rendering engine, check out my project Boxy SVG:

Just in case you are looking for a commercial alternative to Inkscape with a more modern UI and Chromium-based rendering engine, check out my project Boxy SVG: https://boxy-svg.com https://boxy-svg.com The next version (to be released in 2-3 weeks) is going to introduce full support for filters and color swatches. In the upcoming 12 months I expect to reach full feature parity with Inkscape.

new2628 7y ago
Why would someone look for a commercial alternative?
emptysongglass 7y ago
That isn't open source? Get out of here.
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  It's a commercial project, I have updated my comment to make it clear. I would open source it if it was a sustainable option. In the past Gravit and Xara did try to use the open source model, but there was very little interest from the community to contribute.
  - mkl 7y ago
    There was heaps of community interest in Xara, but the company kept the key rendering engine component proprietary, which killed it.
    - jarek-foksa 7y ago
      Yes, heaps of interest from people who can't code or provide financial support but who like to complain. Same with Gravit (then known as Stagestack) who failed to raise 20.000 USD from Fireworks community [1]. Or with Akira and its Kickstarter campaign [2]. [1] http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/stagestack-faces-dead-end http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/stagestack-faces-de... [2] https://youtu.be/mhDjlJk4jQc https://youtu.be/mhDjlJk4jQc
CamperBob2 7y ago
$9 a month? I'm with the other guy, get out of here.
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  Monthly subscription is used only by the web app. The desktop app requires a single payment, after that you can continue using it and receive updates for free.
  - dbrgn 7y ago
    ...and the Web App does not work on Firefox. Maybe call it Chromium-App then?
    - jarek-foksa 7y ago
      I know and I feel bad about it, but I have to make some compromises due to limited resources. Supporting all major operating systems is already a huge undertaking even if you use Electron. Besides, everything seems to suggest that Firefox will be out of the market in the next couple of years. At least unless Mozilla adopts Chromium engine like Microsoft and Opera did.
      - terragon 7y ago
        I understand that you have to focus your resources onto Chromium; but don't count Firefox out yet. The way Google is behaving nowadays coupled with the progress that Firefox keeps making, there will be a sizable group of us Firefox users for the foreseeable future. And, we're a vocal bunch, too!
        dkersten 7y ago
        I’ve also noticed a small uptick in my circle of friends abandoning chrome for firefox lately. I personally also switched back to firefox this year after years of using only chrome.
        7y ago
terragon 7y ago
I'm sad to say that I judged it purely on the fact that it wasn't open source. Then I went ahead and tried it out... mind blown. It's that good. Feels like a native app in it's UI quality and speed. And $9/month is a very good price point, especially for those that regularly create vector art. I'm amazed at the quality of your app. It'll be especially incredible once you're at Inkscape parity. How large is the team you got working full time?
- michaelmrose 7y ago
  Only $1080 over the next decade compared to zero for inkscape! You would probably be better off writing a check for $100 to fund improvements to same and put the other grand in your pocket. Everyone on earth wants to turn a sale into a recurring revenue stream for a reason. Trivial individual costs add up substantially over time.
  - jarek-foksa 7y ago
    Boxy SVG desktop app does not and will not require recurring payments. You pay for it once and after that you will be receiving updates for free as long as I'm in charge of the project (i.e. I won't get hit by a bus or something along those lines).
    - liziwizi 7y ago
      hey, you might wanna change your website a little bit then. it's not obvious right now. i clicked on the link of your site, and the first box i saw said "9$/month". that's enough to click away (for me). only after i did some more clicking and followed an external(!) link to the store it was obvious you can do a one-time purchase. in a normal situation i would never have gotten to that point and would have clicked away immediately after seeing 9/month for a new product that still has to prove itself and doesn't have a big name behind it.
      - mkl 7y ago
        Yes, it's not at all clear. If you switch away from "Web app" by clicking on an OS, you don't get that (or any) pricing info. Going to the stores themselves, Windows and Mac seem to have a one-time payment, and Chrome and Snap don't seem to have a price.
zawerf 7y ago
It's sad that you're getting downvoted. I was trying this out on my phone and although I had to switch to landscape to make the UI fit, it was buttery smooth! I was really impressed with the sheer amount of features included, many of which I have never seen implemented in any other web based editor.
marble-drink 7y ago
Thanks but I'll stick with free software. Why don't you give me an option to pay you to contribute to Inkscape instead?
- hutzlibu 7y ago
  Probably because not everyone wants to mess with decade old dependency and just start with something fresh? So it is sad, that it is not open source, but apparently he proved the starting new approach is worth it.
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  There are already some Inkscape developers who accept donations, for example Tavmjong Bah [1] who has been a long time contributor and still actively works on it. I'm not sure why you want new developers to donate to when the existing ones clearly didn't reach their goals yet. [1] https://www.patreon.com/tavmjong https://www.patreon.com/tavmjong
  - marble-drink 7y ago
    Thanks. Now this is an appropriate link asking for money for this thread. The post I was replying to was completely inappropriate and shameless hijacking of an Inkscape thread.
solarkraft 7y ago
"Unsupported browser. Please view this page in Internet Explorer 6.0"
Crinus 7y ago
"Unsupported browser" what exactly does Firefox not support?
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  https://caniuse.com/#compare=firefox+71,chrome+80 https://caniuse.com/#compare=firefox+71,chrome+80
  - Crinus 7y ago
    I meant what it doesn't support that your application needs, not the general differences in terms of functionality.
    - jarek-foksa 7y ago
      I need a rock solid support for Custom Elements, Shadow DOM and Pointer Events. There is a ton of browser-specific bugs that need special handling and workarounds.
chrismorgan 7y ago
Full feature parity with Inkscape in a year is a bold claim, and I’m rather sceptical of it. You have built an impressive app (and I’m sure that being just one person helped with that), but there is a lot of advanced functionality in Inkscape that you don’t have at present. A few examples that spring to mind: full pressure-sensitive tablet support (and sure, this is the beauty of using the web as your platform—it’s all there in the PointerEvent; well, until you need more fine control, then you’re completely stranded), live path effects, extensions, tracing. I’d also like a much stronger keyboard interface. I’d be interested to see your take on some of Inkscape’s extensions particularly, like JessyInk and font editing.
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  I did test the app for compatibility with Wacom Intuos. "Blob" tool already supports pressure sensitivity [1], as you said it was relatively easy to implement with the Pointer Events API. I'm not sure how pressure and tilt information could be used by other tools (other than "Spray") as SVG does not support stroke with variable width. Tracing could be easily implemented using third party libraries [2]. Custom extensions would be initially limited to the "Generators" panel. I haven't thought about the live path effects yet. The hardest part remaining is full support for filters, but I have this feature mostly sorted out in the dev branch and the UI is going to be much nicer than in Inkscape [3][4]. [1] https://i.imgur.com/e08OW5x.png https://i.imgur.com/e08OW5x.png [2] https://boxy-svg.com/ideas/5/vectorize-generator https://boxy-svg.com/ideas/5/vectorize-generator [3] https://i.imgur.com/oGbfa5q.png https://i.imgur.com/oGbfa5q.png [4] https://i.imgur.com/l0IkfKK.png https://i.imgur.com/l0IkfKK.png
  - chrismorgan 7y ago
    Ah, didn’t spot the blob tool. Good show. Inkscape 1.0 adds what’s basically a more powerful version of that, a pressure-sensitive pencil, implemented with the powerstroke live path effect—more powerful, I say, because it’s editable, because it’s not immediately flattening it to what SVG can represent, but is also keeping its own editor information in namespaced attributes. That’s how you can add things like that and mesh gradients before SVG supports the concept. I’m still intensely sceptical of your claim of full feature parity with Inkscape in a year, but I’ll believe parity for >95% of users and use cases. My biggest problem with your app at the moment looks to be that path editing is painful compared with Inkscape. I like to show the outline of the path, and its keyboard and mouse operation also feels just all-round superior at present, and I don’t think that that’s just my greater familiarity with Inkscape showing through. I’d also like more text labels and fewer icons. Iconless labels have no place on something like your filters panel; text labels are objectively superior. I’d say similar for the Defs panel and other such panels. I wish you joy!
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mixmastamyk 7y ago
> a more modern UI… This is typically code for "doesn't respect my OS theme." I didn't like skinz in the past and that hasn't changed over the years, though the name has. Good luck on an otherwise cool app however.

new2628 7y ago

Why would someone look for a commercial alternative?

emptysongglass 7y ago

That isn't open source? Get out of here.

jarek-foksa 7y ago
It's a commercial project, I have updated my comment to make it clear. I would open source it if it was a sustainable option. In the past Gravit and Xara did try to use the open source model, but there was very little interest from the community to contribute.
- mkl 7y ago
  There was heaps of community interest in Xara, but the company kept the key rendering engine component proprietary, which killed it.
  - jarek-foksa 7y ago
    Yes, heaps of interest from people who can't code or provide financial support but who like to complain. Same with Gravit (then known as Stagestack) who failed to raise 20.000 USD from Fireworks community [1]. Or with Akira and its Kickstarter campaign [2]. [1] http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/stagestack-faces-dead-end http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/stagestack-faces-de... [2] https://youtu.be/mhDjlJk4jQc https://youtu.be/mhDjlJk4jQc

CamperBob2 7y ago

$9 a month? I'm with the other guy, get out of here.

jarek-foksa 7y ago
Monthly subscription is used only by the web app. The desktop app requires a single payment, after that you can continue using it and receive updates for free.
- dbrgn 7y ago
  ...and the Web App does not work on Firefox. Maybe call it Chromium-App then?
  - jarek-foksa 7y ago
    I know and I feel bad about it, but I have to make some compromises due to limited resources. Supporting all major operating systems is already a huge undertaking even if you use Electron. Besides, everything seems to suggest that Firefox will be out of the market in the next couple of years. At least unless Mozilla adopts Chromium engine like Microsoft and Opera did.
    - terragon 7y ago
      I understand that you have to focus your resources onto Chromium; but don't count Firefox out yet. The way Google is behaving nowadays coupled with the progress that Firefox keeps making, there will be a sizable group of us Firefox users for the foreseeable future. And, we're a vocal bunch, too!
      - dkersten 7y ago
        I’ve also noticed a small uptick in my circle of friends abandoning chrome for firefox lately. I personally also switched back to firefox this year after years of using only chrome.
      - 7y ago

terragon 7y ago

I'm sad to say that I judged it purely on the fact that it wasn't open source. Then I went ahead and tried it out... mind blown. It's that good. Feels like a native app in it's UI quality and speed. And $9/month is a very good price point, especially for those that regularly create vector art. I'm amazed at the quality of your app. It'll be especially incredible once you're at Inkscape parity. How large is the team you got working full time?

michaelmrose 7y ago
Only $1080 over the next decade compared to zero for inkscape! You would probably be better off writing a check for $100 to fund improvements to same and put the other grand in your pocket. Everyone on earth wants to turn a sale into a recurring revenue stream for a reason. Trivial individual costs add up substantially over time.
- jarek-foksa 7y ago
  Boxy SVG desktop app does not and will not require recurring payments. You pay for it once and after that you will be receiving updates for free as long as I'm in charge of the project (i.e. I won't get hit by a bus or something along those lines).
  - liziwizi 7y ago
    hey, you might wanna change your website a little bit then. it's not obvious right now. i clicked on the link of your site, and the first box i saw said "9$/month". that's enough to click away (for me). only after i did some more clicking and followed an external(!) link to the store it was obvious you can do a one-time purchase. in a normal situation i would never have gotten to that point and would have clicked away immediately after seeing 9/month for a new product that still has to prove itself and doesn't have a big name behind it.
    - mkl 7y ago
      Yes, it's not at all clear. If you switch away from "Web app" by clicking on an OS, you don't get that (or any) pricing info. Going to the stores themselves, Windows and Mac seem to have a one-time payment, and Chrome and Snap don't seem to have a price.

zawerf 7y ago

It's sad that you're getting downvoted. I was trying this out on my phone and although I had to switch to landscape to make the UI fit, it was buttery smooth! I was really impressed with the sheer amount of features included, many of which I have never seen implemented in any other web based editor.

marble-drink 7y ago

Thanks but I'll stick with free software. Why don't you give me an option to pay you to contribute to Inkscape instead?

hutzlibu 7y ago
Probably because not everyone wants to mess with decade old dependency and just start with something fresh? So it is sad, that it is not open source, but apparently he proved the starting new approach is worth it.
jarek-foksa 7y ago
There are already some Inkscape developers who accept donations, for example Tavmjong Bah [1] who has been a long time contributor and still actively works on it. I'm not sure why you want new developers to donate to when the existing ones clearly didn't reach their goals yet. [1] https://www.patreon.com/tavmjong https://www.patreon.com/tavmjong
- marble-drink 7y ago
  Thanks. Now this is an appropriate link asking for money for this thread. The post I was replying to was completely inappropriate and shameless hijacking of an Inkscape thread.

solarkraft 7y ago

"Unsupported browser. Please view this page in Internet Explorer 6.0"

Crinus 7y ago

"Unsupported browser" what exactly does Firefox not support?

jarek-foksa 7y ago
https://caniuse.com/#compare=firefox+71,chrome+80 https://caniuse.com/#compare=firefox+71,chrome+80
- Crinus 7y ago
  I meant what it doesn't support that your application needs, not the general differences in terms of functionality.
  - jarek-foksa 7y ago
    I need a rock solid support for Custom Elements, Shadow DOM and Pointer Events. There is a ton of browser-specific bugs that need special handling and workarounds.

chrismorgan 7y ago

Full feature parity with Inkscape in a year is a bold claim, and I’m rather sceptical of it. You have built an impressive app (and I’m sure that being just one person helped with that), but there is a lot of advanced functionality in Inkscape that you don’t have at present. A few examples that spring to mind: full pressure-sensitive tablet support (and sure, this is the beauty of using the web as your platform—it’s all there in the PointerEvent; well, until you need more fine control, then you’re completely stranded), live path effects, extensions, tracing. I’d also like a much stronger keyboard interface. I’d be interested to see your take on some of Inkscape’s extensions particularly, like JessyInk and font editing.

jarek-foksa 7y ago
I did test the app for compatibility with Wacom Intuos. "Blob" tool already supports pressure sensitivity [1], as you said it was relatively easy to implement with the Pointer Events API. I'm not sure how pressure and tilt information could be used by other tools (other than "Spray") as SVG does not support stroke with variable width. Tracing could be easily implemented using third party libraries [2]. Custom extensions would be initially limited to the "Generators" panel. I haven't thought about the live path effects yet. The hardest part remaining is full support for filters, but I have this feature mostly sorted out in the dev branch and the UI is going to be much nicer than in Inkscape [3][4]. [1] https://i.imgur.com/e08OW5x.png https://i.imgur.com/e08OW5x.png [2] https://boxy-svg.com/ideas/5/vectorize-generator https://boxy-svg.com/ideas/5/vectorize-generator [3] https://i.imgur.com/oGbfa5q.png https://i.imgur.com/oGbfa5q.png [4] https://i.imgur.com/l0IkfKK.png https://i.imgur.com/l0IkfKK.png
- chrismorgan 7y ago
  Ah, didn’t spot the blob tool. Good show. Inkscape 1.0 adds what’s basically a more powerful version of that, a pressure-sensitive pencil, implemented with the powerstroke live path effect—more powerful, I say, because it’s editable, because it’s not immediately flattening it to what SVG can represent, but is also keeping its own editor information in namespaced attributes. That’s how you can add things like that and mesh gradients before SVG supports the concept. I’m still intensely sceptical of your claim of full feature parity with Inkscape in a year, but I’ll believe parity for >95% of users and use cases. My biggest problem with your app at the moment looks to be that path editing is painful compared with Inkscape. I like to show the outline of the path, and its keyboard and mouse operation also feels just all-round superior at present, and I don’t think that that’s just my greater familiarity with Inkscape showing through. I’d also like more text labels and fewer icons. Iconless labels have no place on something like your filters panel; text labels are objectively superior. I’d say similar for the Defs panel and other such panels. I wish you joy!

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

mixmastamyk 7y ago

> a more modern UI… This is typically code for "doesn't respect my OS theme." I didn't like skinz in the past and that hasn't changed over the years, though the name has. Good luck on an otherwise cool app however.