Design Tools · alternatives
Alternatives to Adobe Illustrator
14 design tools tools sit alongside Adobe Illustrator in this directory. Below is what separates each from Adobe Illustrator on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 14
- With a free tier
- 10
- Cheaper to start
- 8
- Adobe Illustrator starts at
- $22.99/month
Why people look past Adobe Illustrator
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Adobe Illustrator entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month. Across the 8 design tools tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $12/month.
There is no free tier
The record for Adobe Illustrator carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 10 of the 14 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Professional graphic design software for everyone
- Starts $47 a one-time dearer, at $69.99/one-time.
- Sold on a one-time model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Free vector graphics editor in the cloud
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Illustrator cannot.
- Starts $22.99 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Professional vector design for Mac and iPad
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Illustrator cannot.
- Starts $10.999999999999998 a month cheaper, at $11.99/month.
- 3 tiers to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Create advanced interactive prototypes
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Illustrator cannot.
- Starts $2.0100000000000016 a month dearer, at $25/month.
- 3 tiers to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Design version control and asset management
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Illustrator cannot.
- Starts $10.989999999999998 a month cheaper, at $12/month.
- 3 tiers to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Rapid prototyping and design platform
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Illustrator cannot.
- Starts $10.989999999999998 a month cheaper, at $12/month.
- 3 tiers to Adobe Illustrator's 2.
Every Adobe Illustrator alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Illustrator (this page) | $22.99/month | Subscription | 2 | |
| Affinity DesignerProfessional graphic design software for everyone | $69.99/one-time | One-time | 1 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Gravit DesignerFree vector graphics editor in the cloud | Free | Freemium | 1 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Linearity CurveProfessional vector design for Mac and iPad | Free, then $11.99/month | - | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| ProtoPieCreate advanced interactive prototypes | Free, then $25/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Abstract | Free, then $12/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Marvel | Free, then $12/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Rive | Free, then $9/month | - | 4 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Spline | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Subframe | Free | Freemium | - | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Vectr | Free, then $1.99/month | - | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Zeplin | Free, then $19/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Balsamiq Wireframes | On request | Subscription | - | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Krea | On request | Usage-based | - | vs Adobe Illustrator |
| Magnific | On request | Usage-based | - | vs Adobe Illustrator |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Adobe Illustrator badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (10)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Gravit Designer , Free
- Linearity Curve , Free, then $11.99/month
- ProtoPie , Free, then $25/month
- Abstract , Free, then $12/month
- Marvel , Free, then $12/month
- Rive , Free, then $9/month
- Spline , Free
- Subframe , Free
Cheaper than Adobe Illustrator (8)
Entry price under Adobe Illustrator's $22.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Gravit Designer , Free
- Linearity Curve , Free, then $11.99/month
- Abstract , Free, then $12/month
- Marvel , Free, then $12/month
- Rive , Free, then $9/month
- Spline , Free
- Vectr , Free, then $1.99/month
- Zeplin , Free, then $19/month
What you would be giving up
Adobe Illustrator is most often brought in for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Adobe Illustrator is broadly right and the question is cost, the Adobe Illustrator pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Design Tools category lists everything the directory holds, and best design tools tools ranks them.
Adobe Illustrator runs on windows, macos, ios. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Adobe Illustrator alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Adobe Illustrator?
- 14 other design tools tools are listed in this directory, led by Affinity Designer, Gravit Designer, Linearity Curve, ProtoPie. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
- 10 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Gravit Designer, Linearity Curve, ProtoPie, Abstract, Marvel.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
- Yes. 8 of the alternatives below start under Adobe Illustrator's $22.99/month: Gravit Designer at Free, Linearity Curve at Free, then $11.99/month, Abstract at Free, then $12/month, Marvel at Free, then $12/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: it costs more than the category median; there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Adobe Illustrator?
- Adobe Illustrator is most often brought in for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Adobe Illustrator?
- None of the design tools tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Adobe Illustrator alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Design Tools, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Adobe Illustrator against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Adobe Illustrator covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every design tools tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Design Tools category, 14 tools beside Adobe Illustrator. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.