Avnac: An Open Source, Browser-First Design Editor That Runs Locally

Avnac -- Canva spelled backwards -- is a new open source design editor built for the browser with a local-first architecture. Everything runs on your machine. No cloud dependency, no account required, no data leaving your computer.

Local-First Design

The standout feature of Avnac is its commitment to local-first architecture. All your work is auto-saved to IndexedDB directly in your browser. There is no backend required for day-to-day editing tasks. The main editing experience lives entirely in the frontend, and mobile editing is intentionally blocked to keep the desktop experience focused.

Editor Capabilities

Despite being open source and browser-based, Avnac packs a full suite of design tools: multi-select, group alignment, nested vector drawing areas, image cropping, custom shadows, and native QR code generation. It supports custom-size or preset canvases, text, shapes, polygons, stars, lines, arrows, images, and vector boards. You get resize, rotate, crop, corner radius, blur, opacity, and background editing -- the full toolbox you would expect from a commercial design tool.

AI-Powered Editing

The built-in Magic Panel brings prompt-driven AI editing directly into your local canvas. This means you can use natural language to manipulate your designs without sending data to external services.

Key Takeaways

• Avnac is a full-featured, open source alternative to Canva that runs entirely in the browser
• Local-first architecture means all data stays on your machine, auto-saved to IndexedDB
• Includes comprehensive design tools: vector editing, image manipulation, QR codes, and more
• Built-in AI editing via the Magic Panel keeps prompt-driven design local

Resources

• Avnac on GitHub -- Open source repository for the design editor
• avnac.design -- Live browser-based design editor