A vector editor that runs free in your browser.
Install the app to supercharge it.

The full vector toolset (paths, booleans, text, gradients, effects) runs entirely client-side at app.hector-vector.com. No account, no install, nothing leaves the tab. Download the open-source desktop app and you also get AI image processing, batch, and a local library.

Open the free editor → ↓ Get the desktop app

Open source, MIT licensed. Nothing you draw in the browser build is ever uploaded.

Two ways to run it

Same editor, same open-source code, one repository. The desktop build adds the things a browser sandbox simply can't do.

Free · in the browser

app.hector-vector.com

The complete vector editor
Place reference images to trace over
Web fonts + text → outlines
Open .svg · export SVG / PNG
Zero install · any browser · private (nothing leaves the tab)

Desktop · open source

The download

Everything in the browser build, plus:
AI image pipeline: upscale, background removal, vectorize, restore
Batch job queue
Local library + projects with full undo history
Pro typography (2000+ fonts, complex scripts) · fully offline

Documentation

The short version is on this page. Everything else lives with the source.

README →

Full feature list, architecture notes, and the install/run instructions for the desktop build.

MCP server →

Drive the editor from an AI agent over MCP: every tool, panel, and command exposed 1:1.

Releases →

Tagged desktop builds, changelogs, and the source tarball for each version.

How the two builds relate

There is no separate cloud fork. The browser build at app.hector-vector.com is the same source tree as the desktop app: one editor, one codebase. The desktop app runs a small local Python server for the parts a browser can't do on its own (the AI pipeline, on-disk library, project files); the browser build detects it's running on a hosted domain and simply doesn't show those panels. Any bug fixed or feature added lands in both builds at once.

Full comparison

Everything, honestly. ✅ full · 🟡 reduced · ❌ desktop-only.

Vector editing: identical everywhere
Feature	Browser	Desktop
Draw tools: select, node, pen, curvature, rect, ellipse, line	✅	✅
Live shapes (rounded-rect, polygon, star)	✅	✅
Booleans + Pathfinder (divide/trim/merge/crop/minus-back)	✅	✅
Geometric stroker · outline stroke · offset path · expand	✅	✅
Width tool · Shape Builder · Scissors · Knife · Eraser	✅	✅
Blend · clip & opacity masks · live effects (shadow/blur/glow)	✅	✅
Transforms · Repeat (grid/radial/mirror) · Isolation · Symbols	✅	✅
Gradients · pattern fills · Recolor Artwork	✅	✅
Layers · align · arrange · undo/history · multiple artboards	✅	✅

Text
Feature	Browser	Desktop
System fonts	✅	✅
Web-font browse & apply	🟡 ~86 Google	✅ 2000+
Convert text → outlines	🟡 Latin	✅ full shaping

Raster images
Feature	Browser	Desktop
Place / embed a reference image (drag, drop, paste)	✅	✅
Process: vectorize, upscale, background removal, restore	❌	✅

Documents & storage
Feature	Browser	Desktop
New · open .svg · export SVG/PNG · copy SVG markup	✅	✅
Local library (browse a folder of images/vectors)	❌	✅
.hv projects (document + full undo history)	🟡 see below	✅
Persistence across sessions	🟡 files	✅ on disk

AI / raster pipeline: the download's reason to exist
Feature	Browser	Desktop
Upscale (Real-ESRGAN / spandrel / AuraSR)	❌	✅
Background removal (rembg / BiRefNet / BEN2)	❌	✅
Vectorize / trace (VTracer)	❌	✅
Restore, face-restore, object removal, batch queue	❌	✅

Platform
	Browser	Desktop
Install	none, just open a URL	download
Offline	🟡	✅
Cost · open source	free · ✅	free · ✅

Coming next: connect the desktop app from the browser, and the AI pipeline lights up right inside the web editor. Install to supercharge it, with no window-switching.

FAQ

Is there a free vector editor online?: Yes. app.hector-vector.com is a full-featured vector editor that runs in the browser with nothing to install.
Is it a free alternative to Illustrator?: It covers the core vector work (pen/paths, booleans, Pathfinder, gradients, effects, text-to-outlines, SVG/PNG export) at no cost, in the browser.
Can I edit an SVG in the browser?: Yes. Open an .svg and edit it directly, then export SVG or PNG when done. All client-side.
Can I trace/vectorize an image for free?: You can place a raster as a reference layer and draw over it in the browser for free. Automatic image vectorization (tracing) runs in the open-source desktop app.
Is it private?: Yes. The browser editor computes everything locally, and your artwork never leaves the tab.
What's the difference between hector-vector.com and app.hector-vector.com?: This page (hector-vector.com) is the overview you're reading now. The editor itself lives at app.hector-vector.com: same open-source code, just a different door in.

A vector editor that runs free in your browser.Install the app to supercharge it.