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

The best open source alternative to Adobe Illustrator is Inkscape. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Adobe Illustrator and 14 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Adobe Illustrator are Graphite, MyPaint, GodSVG and Karbon.

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Adobe Illustrator alternatives are mainly Vector Graphic Apps, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Digital Painting Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include 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.
Adobe Illustrator iconAdobe 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.

More about Adobe Illustrator
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Adobe Illustrator alternatives page was last updated Apr 1, 2025
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  1. Inkscape icon

    Inkscape

     2249 likes
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    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).

    123 Inkscape alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Inkscape screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Scalable
    3.  Privacy focused
    4.  Lightweight

    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 VS 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.
    Top Positive Comment
    Paulo Coghi
    Nov 24, 2021
    13

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

    Top Negative Comment
    arlenwh
    Mar 18, 2023
    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.

    Most Recent Comment
    qlowf
    Positive Apr 1, 2025
    0
    1. Free.
    2. Extremely capable.
    3. Runs great on all kinds of hardware, even those with lower specs.
    4. Cross-platform.
    5. Did I mention it's free?
    6. Some things it actually does better. However, there are also a few missing features for very specific cases.

    Biggest hurdle is orienting yourself when coming from Illustrator, but it's more than worth the adjustment.

    Logos by Nick is a great resource, he has tons of tutorials.

    https://www.youtube.com/@LogosByNick

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    3 of 36 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. Graphite icon

    Graphite

     73 likes
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    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.

    52 Graphite alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    Made using nondestructive boolean operations and procedural polka dot patterns

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

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

    Graphite VS Adobe Illustrator

     
    Comments about Graphite as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
    Guest
    Positive Aug 6, 2024
    1

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

    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
  4. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     380 likes
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    The biggest difference with Illustrator is that MyPaint works with bitmaps instead of vector graphics. It's open source software designed mainly to illustrate and draw with a digitizer tablet. It has a simple interface, where almost all the basic drawing functions are assigned to keyboard shortcuts, which improves workflow speed. In addition, you can hide the entire graphical interface and focus all attention on the drawing without being distracted by unnecessary or complex buttons or palettes. It's a good option if you are interested in digital illustration without too many overwhelming features.

    121 MyPaint alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Sketching
    2.  Support for Layers
    3.  Infinite canvas
    4.  Portable
    5.  Drawing Tablet Support
    6.  Fullscreen support
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Custom Brushes
    10.  Color blending

    MyPaint VS Adobe Illustrator

     
    Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
    Top Positive Comment
    Dmitrii Kunicin
    Jun 30, 2021
    -2

    the application is suitable for use by children, simple

    Top Negative Comment
    lauraess
    Apr 3, 2024
    1

    Illustrator is a vector image editing app. I can import bitmaps but those are more likely to be traced as vectors. This is a drawing program and is bitmap based.

    Most Recent Comment
    mackenziecarr
    Negative Jan 12, 2025
    0

    It is more accurately considered an alternative to Adobe Photoshop rather than Illustrator, due to the distinguishing features of raster graphics editing in Photoshop versus vector graphics editing in Illustrator.

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    3 of 5 comments
    Adobe Illustrator Icon
    MyPaint icon

    • This alternative is disputed. MyPaint is a legitimate Adobe Illustrator alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceAdobe Illustrator is Paid and Proprietary
  5. GodSVG icon

    GodSVG

     26 likes
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    GodSVG is an editor for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files. Unlike other editors, it represents the SVG code directly, doesn't add any metadata, and even lets you edit the SVG code in real time. GodSVG is inspired by the need for an SVG editor without abstractions that...

    11 GodSVG alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • RU flagRussia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    GodSVG screenshot 1

    GodSVG Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Support for SVG
    6.  GdScript

    GodSVG VS Adobe Illustrator

     
  6. Karbon icon

    Karbon

     53 likes
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    Karbon is a vector drawing application with a user interface that is easy to use, highly customizable and extensible. That makes Karbon a great application for users starting to explore the world of vector graphics as well as for artists wanting to create breathtaking vector art.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Karbon screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  WYSIWYG Support
    4.  Support for Layers
    5.  Non Destructive Editing
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Portable
    8.  KDE
    9.  High Availability

    Karbon VS Adobe Illustrator

     
  7. sK1 icon

    sK1

     37 likes
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    sK1 is an open source cross-platform vector graphics editor like CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, or Freehand. The major feature of sK1 is a professional precise printing and prepress ready PDF output.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • RU flagRussia

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    sK1 screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Last updates occurred on Aug 31, 2021

    sK1 Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Support for Layers
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Non Destructive Editing
    5.  Portable

    sK1 VS Adobe Illustrator

     
  9. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     43 likes
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    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.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

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

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Reads PDN Format
    3.  Transparent images
    4.  Portable
    5.  Pixel accuracy
    6.  Debian package
    7.  Support for SVG
    8.  Export to SVG

    LazPaint VS Adobe Illustrator

     
7 of 14 Adobe Illustrator alternatives