Illustrator AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Image Editors for Mac

There are many alternatives to Adobe Illustrator for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac Image Editor alternative is Inkscape, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe Illustrator and 11 are Image Editors available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac Image Editor alternatives to Adobe Illustrator are Affinity Designer, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, Affinity and LazPaint.

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Adobe Illustrator alternatives are mainly Image Editors, but if you're looking for Vector Graphic Apps or Graphic Design Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Android, Mac, Linux, Free, iPad and Online + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Illustrator.
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Alternatives list

  1. Inkscape icon

    Inkscape

     2313 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, drawing, shape, calligraphy, pencil tools, path simplification with variable threshold, bitmaps, and boolean operations. Plus, you can open or import a wide range of file formats including SVG, PDF, EPS, CDR, or even AI (Adobe Illustrator).

    124 Inkscape alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Inkscape screenshot 1
     
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    38
    Comments about Inkscape as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
    Top Positive Comment
    Paulo Coghi
    13

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

    Top Negative Comment
    arlenwh
    0

    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.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    I love how fast it operates and some of the cool color palettes (Munsell) but the functionality made it almost useless. Too many steps to change and quick copy objects. Like changing font or color and weird tool names/keyboard shortcuts.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 38 comments
    Inkscape icon
    Inkscape icon
    • Inkscape is Free and Open SourceAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
    • Inkscape is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe Illustrator is not according to our users
  2. Affinity Designer icon

    Affinity Designer

     381 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 fee like Adobe's. In addition, it's available on iPad with an app that has ALL the features from the desktop version, which makes it probably the most complete vector editing mobile app on the market. It also has some unique features that Illustrator doesn't, like the ability to switch between raster and vector workspaces within the same tool, one million+ percent zoom, and unlimited redo.

    63 Affinity Designer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
    Affinity Designer screenshot 1
     
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    29
    Comments about Affinity Designer as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    5

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

    Jonathan Jewell
    Positive
    0

    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...

    Du
    Positive
    1

    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.

    3 of 29 comments
    Affinity Designer icon
    Affinity Designer icon
    • Affinity Designer is Paid and ProprietaryAdobe Illustrator is also Paid and Proprietary
  4. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite icon

    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

     216 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 purchase (although a bit expensive), which will include other compatible Corel design software such as Photo-Paint (Corel's alternative to Photoshop), as well as a font manager and content organization applications. CorelDRAW lets you edit multi-page documents, non-destructively convert bitmaps to vectors, and create QR codes.

    89 CorelDRAW Graphics Suite alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Comments about CorelDRAW Graphics Suite as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
    Guest
    Positive
    1

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite icon
    CorelDRAW Graphics Suite icon
    • 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
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  6. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     58 likes

    Unified design solution merging advanced photo, vector, and layout tools for seamless workflow, non-destructive editing, RAW support, batch processing, AI enhancements, GPU acceleration, file compatibility, cloud asset integration, and tailored workspace options.

    67 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  7. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     46 likes

    Raster & vector graphic editor with many tools and filters, written in Lazarus. Portable, 32bit & 64bit versions, ORA format & 16384x16384 image support. In app 3D import & rendering.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Main UI
     
  8. VectorStyler icon

    VectorStyler

     3 likes

    VectorStyler (for Mac) is an advanced vector graphics and illustration software, with a competitive feature set, and several new features and workflow enhancements. VectorStyler is developed with the goal of providing all the capabilities, designers and illustrators are familiar...

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    VectorStyler screenshot 1
     
  10. iVinci icon

    iVinci

     8 likes

    iVinci is a new starting point in vector design industry. It's just incredibly easy, and incredibly fast, for both beginners and experts.

    Notable features: -Use SVG as native file format. You can use files created by iVinci directly in may other Apps. -Powerful Bezier path e.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    iVinci screenshot 1
     
  11. DrawPad icon

    DrawPad

     4 likes

    DrawPad Graphic Design and Drawing software is an easy-to-use image composition and manipulation program, an essential tool for all types of graphic design projects. Easily draw and create graphic images.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    DrawPad screenshot 1
     
  12. DrawBerry icon

    DrawBerry

     6 likes

    All the features of other vector editing applications such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, in a free, easy to use, powerful application.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    DrawBerry screenshot 1
     
  13. Draw icon

    Draw

     2 likes

    Draw is a graphics painting app to draw, color, or edit pictures. You can use Draw like a digital sketchpad to make simple pictures, creative projects, or to add text and designs to other pictures, such as those taken with your digital camera.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Draw screenshot 1
     
  14. Xfig icon

    Xfig

     8 likes

    Xfig is an interactive drawing tool which runs under X Window System Version 11 Release 4 (X11R4) or later, on most UNIX-compatible platforms, and e.g. under Darwin on the MacIntosh and any X server under Microsoft Windows.

    21 Xfig alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Library - importing drawings
     
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