The Best Illustrator AlternativesTop Vector Graphic Apps & Digital Painting Tools like Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is described as 'Vector graphics editor with advanced color controls and creative effects for comprehensive design tools across print, web, and mobile content' and is a leading Vector Graphic app in the photos & graphics category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Adobe Illustrator for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Mac, Linux and iPad apps. The best Adobe Illustrator alternative is Inkscape, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Adobe Illustrator are Affinity Designer, Linearity Curve, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and Figma.

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Adobe Illustrator alternatives are mainly Vector Graphic Apps but may also be Digital Painting Tools or Image Editors.  Other popular filters includes Online + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Adobe Illustrator.
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Vector graphics editor with advanced color controls and creative effects for comprehensive design tools across print, web, and mobile content.

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Adobe Illustrator alternatives page was last updated Dec 13, 2024
  1. Inkscape icon
     2216 likes

    Unlike Illustrator, Inkscape is completely free and open source, and it uses Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) as its native format. This lightweight app is usually recommended if you don't have a powerful computer, as it also has many of the useful features from illustrator, including layers, grouping objects,...

    128 Inkscape alternatives
    Inkscape screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Scalable
    3.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Vectorize raster images
    3.  Support for SVG
    4.  Live Path Effects
    5.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Export to SVG
    9.  Edit PDF
    10.  High-resolution images
    11.  Visual Editing
    12.  Symbols
    Inkscape iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Inkscape VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Inkscape a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Inkscape as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
       
    Comment summary: Adobe Illustrator is praised for its comprehensive features and professional capabilities in vector art but criticized for slowing down with large files. Alternatively, Inkscape is appreciated for being free, open-source, and user-friendly with a robust SVG support. However, it faces criticism for performance issues, especially on macOS, and lacks some advanced features available in Illustrator. Despite its limitations, many consider Inkscape capable and recommend it for SVG-related projects.
    Paulo Coghi

    It's feature complete, professional and as capable (or even more capable) than Illustrator

    Top positive commentNov 24, 2021
    12
    arlenwh

    Slows Down and lags if the file your working on is too large. So if you go ahead and turn a bitmap image into a vector and that image requires too many paths. The application basically becomes useless. Look else where if you need to turn large bitmap images into vector images.

    Top negative commentMar 18, 2023
    2
    banlogics

    The best software for vector art. A fully featured and professional software.

    Positive commentOct 5, 2022
    4
    Show more comments
    3 of 34 comments
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Inkscape icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Inkscape is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • Inkscape is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Inkscape is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Inkscape is Free and Open SourceAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
    • Inkscape is Customizable and Privacy focusedAdobe Illustrator is not according to our users
  2. Affinity Designer icon
     370 likes

    Affinity Designer is fairly new when compared to the more popular vector editing apps, however it has gradually grown in popularity and influence, and for very good reasons. Its one time purchase (perpetual license) turns out to be a good argument for those who do not want to to pay a monthly subscription fe...

    52 Affinity Designer alternatives
    Affinity Designer screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  User friendly

    Features

    1.  No Subscription
    2.  Vector strokes
    3.  Open PSD files
    4.  Support for Layers
    5.  Snapping
    6.  Export to PDF
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Pixel Persona
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Drawing Tablet Support
    11.  Non Destructive Editing
    12.  Pressure Sensitivity
    Affinity Designer iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Affinity Designer VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Affinity Designer a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Affinity Designer as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
       
    Comment summary: Affinity Designer is praised for its affordability, one-time purchase model, and comprehensive features that rival Adobe Illustrator. Users highlight its ease of use, high performance, and seamless integration with other Affinity apps. Its auto-export feature, responsive developers, and absence of subscription fees stand out as notable benefits. While it lacks some specific features like Object Blend, many consider it a superior alternative for both casual and professional users.
    Paul

    Affinity Designer is faster, cheaper and can handle bitmap and vector illustrations. I finally got rid of Adobe.

    Top positive commentJun 17, 2019
    5
    Jonathan Jewell

    Far and away the best of these tools. The Serif/Affinity product is so underrated with the dominance of Adobe out there. I cannot see why anyone not locked into a service contract or who did not need the wider Adobe product suite functionality would stay with them at the price with alternatives like Affinity out there. And they haven't had a password breach that I know in the past two decades I have been with them as a customer...

    Positive commentJan 7, 2023
    1
    Du

    I especially enjoy auto export feature, when changes in artboards are immediately exported to a custom set of formats. Just change the design, and your jpegs, pngs and pdfs of your preferred resolutions are already there, ready to use. A treat for web design, but also very useful for 3d modelling textures and decals.

    Positive commentJul 12, 2022
    2
    Show more comments
    3 of 29 comments
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Affinity Designer icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Affinity Designer is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • Affinity Designer is the most popular iPad alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Affinity Designer is the most popular commercial alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Affinity Designer is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is also Paid and Proprietary
  3. Linearity Curve icon
     349 likes

    Vectonator is a very complete free vector editing app, known mainly for its iPad apps, focusing on simplicity and ease of use. You can export to JPG, PNG, SVG and PDF. Also, unlike Illustrator, you can render a time-lapse video of your project to share on social media (with some limitations). Cloud syncing a...

    35 Linearity Curve alternatives
    Linearity Curve screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad

    Top Linearity Curve Features

    1.  Vector strokes
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Artboards
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Vectorize raster images
    6.  Vector painting
    7.  Support for Layers
    8.  No Coding Required
    9.  Cloud Sync
    10.  Hardware Accelerated
    11.  Live Preview
    12.  Drawing Tablet Support
    Linearity Curve iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Linearity Curve VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Linearity Curve a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Linearity Curve as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
    FearedFusionX

    This used to be a great app for both Mac and iOS, but ever since the subscription update, the app has been reaching it's breaking point.

    Negative commentOct 9, 2024
    0
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Linearity Curve icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Linearity Curve is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • Linearity Curve is the most popular iPhone alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Linearity Curve is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
  4. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite icon
     212 likes

    It is one of the oldest and most reliable vector tools in the industry, not only offering excellent performance, but also providing an intuitive interface that's ideal for any beginner designers. Different from Illustrator, you can choose to pay a monthly subscription or obtain a license through a one-time p...

    84 CorelDRAW Graphics Suite alternatives
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Desktop Publishing
    2.  Pixel accuracy
    3.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    4.  Support for Layers
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Pressure Sensitivity
    7.  Drawing Tablet Support
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Custom Brushes
    11.  Non Destructive Editing
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is this a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about CorelDRAW Graphics Suite as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
    Guest

    The first vector illustrator I ever used. Sadly not available on the Mac

    Positive commentMar 15, 2018
    2
    Guest

    It's much easier to use and understand. It gives the average user a quicker grasp of editing and creating graphics. It is also less greedy with RAM.

    Positive commentMay 31, 2017
    1
    Guest

    Compatibility with .ai files, is a vector manipulator. Includes a "Hairline" stroke weight, which is very useful for certain applications. One-time license purchase

    Positive commentDec 10, 2019
    1
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite icon
    • Almost everyone thinks CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is the most popular Web-based alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is also Paid and Proprietary
    • CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is CustomizableAdobe Illustrator is not according to our users
  5. Figma icon
     211 likes

    Figma has a bigger focus on UI design, wireframing and collaborative work. Like Sketch, its interface is cleaner and easier to understand than Illustrator. It's can also be used throught web browsers and collabore with more members of your team in real time. It features automatic cloud synchronization so you...

    79 Figma alternatives
    ,

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    Top Figma Features

    1.  Prototyping
    2. Sketch icon  Import from Sketch
    3.  UI Design
    4.  Wireframing
    5.  Cross-Platform
    6.  Brainstorming
    7.  Export to SVG
    8.  Cloud Sync
    9.  Support for Layers
    10.  Create UI Components
    11.  Design handoff
    12.  Auto Layout
    Figma iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Figma VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Figma a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Figma as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
    RCLeahcar

    Figma places a heavier focus on user interface design, while Illustrator is a general vector graphics editor.

    Negative commentAug 16, 2020
    7
    Guest

    With a focus on UI, it is a much better tool to use for UI design and prototyping

    Positive commentOct 22, 2020
    2
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Figma icon
    • Most users think Figma is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • Figma is the most popular SaaS alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

    • Figma is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
  6. Corel Vector icon
     203 likes

    Excellent alternative to Illustrator since it allows you to edit vector graphics directly from the browser without the need to download any software. It has online storage space similar to Dropbox or OneDrive where you can save your designs as well as upload existing graphics and add them to your current des...

    72 Corel Vector alternatives
    Corel Vector screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Built-in Color Picker
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Website wireframing
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Drawing Tablet Support
    8.  Cloud Sync
    9.  Support for Layers
    10.  Embedded tutorials
    11.  Web fonts
    12.  Browser-based
    Corel Vector iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Corel Vector VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Corel Vector a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Corel Vector as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
       
    Guest

    It is a simple yet powerful vector editing program suitable for vector artists, web designers, publishers, logo designers, etc. It also features non-destructing boolean operations (better pathfinder), showcase mode, multiple strokes and fills, global palettes, and more, surprisingly without any clutter.

    Top positive commentJul 18, 2017
    3
    FearedFusionX

    Corel Vector is my favorite because it is extremely simple to use and even gets the job done without a license.

    Positive commentOct 9, 2024
    0
    arlenwh

    Even though it's no longer free. It does everything Adobe Illustrator does. Also it's completely web based. So you can run it on any operating system especially Linux which almost no vector design application supports.

    Positive commentMar 18, 2023
    1
    Show more comments
    3 of 11 comments
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Corel Vector icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Corel Vector is a great Adobe Illustrator alternative.

    • Corel Vector is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Corel Vector is LightweightAdobe Illustrator is not according to our users
  7. Graphite icon
     57 likes

    Graphite is a free, open source vector and raster graphics editor, available now in alpha. Get creative with a fully nondestructive editing workflow that combines layer-based compositing with node-based generative design.

    53 Graphite alternatives
    Illustration made with the help of procedurally generating hundreds of circles in the node graph

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Online

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Support for Layers
    5.  Live Preview
    6.  Node Based
    7.  Text to Image Generation
    8.  WYSIWYG Support
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Non Destructive Editing
    11.  Export to SVG
    Graphite iconAdobe Illustrator Icon

    Graphite VS Adobe Illustrator

    Is Graphite a good alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
     
    Comments about Graphite as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
     
    Guest

    Its goal to be all in one tools and the vision is really good. But it's under the development.

    Positive commentAug 6, 2024
    0
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    Graphite icon
    • Graphite is Free and Open SourceAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
    • Graphite is Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe Illustrator is not according to our users
7 of 93 Adobe Illustrator alternatives