Frequently Asked Questions
General
Is Varve free?
Yes, the Varve Community Edition is free to download and use, and it stays free. There are no subscriptions, no feature lockouts, and no cloud requirements. The source code is available on GitHub. If a paid Pro edition ever exists, it will be a separate product — it will never be this one.
What platforms does Varve support?
Varve supports Linux (x86_64), macOS (Apple Silicon, macOS 13 Ventura or later), and Windows 10/11 (x86_64). Linux packages include AppImage, deb, and rpm. There is no Intel macOS build yet, and ARM builds are not available on Linux or Windows.
Has Varve shipped a release yet?
Yes. Varve 0.1.0 was published in August 2026 with installers for Linux (AppImage, deb, rpm), macOS (Apple Silicon), and Windows (x86_64). It is an early beta: expect bugs, incomplete tools, and a document format that may still change. See the download page for checksums and the release notes for what changed. Downloads labeled "Varve" anywhere other than the official GitHub repository are not official.
What does FSL-1.1-MIT mean?
FSL-1.1-MIT (Functional Source License, Version 1.1, MIT Future License) is a source-available license. You can use, modify, and redistribute Varve for any Permitted Purpose — anything other than a Competing Use, such as offering a substitute product or hosted service. After two years, each release converts to the MIT license. See the license page for details.
Is Varve open source?
The source code is publicly available, but Varve is licensed under FSL-1.1-MIT, which is a source-available (not OSI-approved open-source) license. After two years from each release, the code converts to the MIT license and becomes fully open-source. See the license page for the reasoning behind this choice.
Features & Capabilities
Does Varve have real-time collaboration?
Not yet. Collaboration features are currently UI scaffolding only with no transport or wire protocol. This is planned for future development.
Can I use Varve for professional print work?
Varve has CMYK color management, ICC profiles, PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 export, crop marks, color bars, and print preflight checks. However, Varve is in beta — test thoroughly before using for critical print production. See the Color & Effects page for current status.
Does Varve support ARM processors?
Varve supports Apple Silicon (ARM) on macOS via ARM64 builds. Linux ARM and Windows ARM are not currently supported.
What export formats does Varve support?
Varve exports to SVG, React/Tailwind, React/CSS-Modules, Flutter, SwiftUI, and PDF with CMYK support. See the Export & Code Generation page for details.
Development & Community
Who develops Varve?
Varve is built by one designer-developer independently. See the About page for the full story.
How can I contribute?
You can contribute code, documentation, testing, or design. See the contribution guidelines for details. Non-financial contributions are equally valuable to financial support.
How can I support the project financially?
Varve accepts financial support via GitHub Sponsors. See the Support Project page for sponsorship tiers and what support enables.
Still have questions?
Check the documentation or ask in GitHub Discussions.