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.- Vector Graphic App
- Paid • Proprietary
- 123 Inkscape alternatives
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).
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Snapcraft
- Flathub
- PortableApps.com
- Haiku
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 CommentTop Negative CommentarlenwhSlows 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 Commentqlowf- Free.
- Extremely capable.
- Runs great on all kinds of hardware, even those with lower specs.
- Cross-platform.
- Did I mention it's free?
- 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
- 52 Graphite alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Online
Comments about Graphite as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
Its goal to be all in one tools and the vision is really good. But it's under the development.
- 121 MyPaint alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Switzerland
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- PortableApps.com
Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Adobe Illustrator
Top Positive CommentDmitrii Kunicinthe application is suitable for use by children, simple
Top Negative CommentlauraessIllustrator 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 CommentmackenziecarrIt 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.
- 11 GodSVG alternatives
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...
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Russia
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
GodSVG Features
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
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Linux
- KDE Plasma
- Flathub
- Flatpak
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
Russia
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
DiscontinuedLast updates occurred on Aug 31, 2021
sK1 Features
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
France
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- Flathub
- Flatpak
It's feature complete, professional and as capable (or even more capable) than Illustrator