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Design · head to head

Adobe Creative Cloud vs Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Creative Cloud logo

Adobe Creative Cloud

Design

Creativity for all

From
$20.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Adobe Illustrator logo

Adobe Illustrator

Design

Professional vector graphics software

From
$22.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Adobe Creative Cloud the vendor's own Plans and Pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 1 January 2022 listed, in US dollars per month: Photography (20GB) at $9.99, Photography (1TB) at $19.99, Creative Cloud All Apps at $52.99, Acrobat Pro at $14.99, and single apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign each at $20.99, all with a 30 day free trial and a separate Adobe Stock add-on; Adobe Illustrator listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Creative Cloud covers Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Illustrator actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Illustrator differ
AttributeAdobe Creative CloudAdobe Illustrator
Starting price$20.99/month$22.99/month
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Ios, Android, WebWindows, Macos, Ios

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design), founded (1982).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Illustrator
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Lightroom
  • Creative Cloud Libraries
  • Microsoft Office
  • Google Workspace
  • Slack

Only in Adobe Illustrator

  • Vector drawing
  • Bezier tools
  • Shape tools
  • Typography
  • Gradients & effects
  • Symbols & instances
  • Artboards
  • 3D capabilities

Both cover

  • Photoshop
  • InDesign
  • XD
  • Dropbox
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • Encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Graphic designnot Adobe Illustrator
  • Photo editingnot Adobe Illustrator
  • Video productionnot Adobe Illustrator
  • Web designnot Adobe Illustrator
  • Digital artnot Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator

  • Logo designnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Vector illustrationnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Icon designnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Print designnot Adobe Creative Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • The vendor's own Plans and Pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 1 January 2022 listed, in US dollars per month: Photography (20GB) at $9.99, Photography (1TB) at $19.99, Creative Cloud All Apps at $52.99, Acrobat Pro at $14.99, and single apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign each at $20.99, all with a 30 day free trial and a separate Adobe Stock add-on

Adobe Illustrator

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Creative Cloud

$20.99/month
  • Photography$20.99/month
    • Lightroom
    • Lightroom Classic
    • Photoshop
  • Single App$22.99/month
    • One app of your choice
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • All Apps$59.99/month
    • 20+ Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • Teams$89.99/month
    • Everything in All Apps
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Advanced admin console

Adobe Illustrator

$22.99/month
  • Single App$22.99/month
    • Illustrator desktop app
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Fonts
  • All Apps$59.99/month
    • All Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Stock trial

Which should you pick?

Choose Adobe Creative Cloud if

  • You need illustrator.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want premiere pro.
Adobe Creative Cloud review

Choose Adobe Illustrator if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
  • You also want bezier tools.
Adobe Illustrator review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Illustrator better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Adobe Illustrator at $22.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Illustrator?
Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Adobe Illustrator at $22.99/month.
Does Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Illustrator run on more platforms?
Adobe Creative Cloud runs on Windows, Macos, Ios, Android, Web. Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, Macos, Ios.
What is Adobe Creative Cloud best used for?
Adobe Creative Cloud is most often used for graphic design, photo editing, video production, web design. Of those, graphic design and photo editing are not what Adobe Illustrator is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Creative Cloud do that Adobe Illustrator cannot?
Adobe Creative Cloud covers Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom. Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography. Both handle Photoshop, InDesign, XD, Dropbox.
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