Design Tools · head to head
Adobe Illustrator vs PaintTool SAI
Adobe Illustrator
Design Tools
Professional vector graphics software
- From
- $22.99/month
- Rated
- -
PaintTool SAI
Design Tools
Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows
- From
- 5500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
- They diverge on capability: Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Adobe Illustrator and PaintTool SAI actually diverge.
| Attribute | Adobe Illustrator | PaintTool SAI |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $22.99/month | 5500/month |
| Pricing model | subscription | one-time |
| Platforms | Windows, Macos, Ios | windows |
| Founded | 1982 | Unknown |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design Tools).
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 Illustrator
- Vector drawing
- Bezier tools
- Shape tools
- Typography
- Gradients & effects
- Symbols & instances
- Artboards
- 3D capabilities
Only in PaintTool SAI
- Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support
- Anti-Aliased Brushes
- 16-bit ARGB Color Channels
- Lightweight Performance
- Crash Data Protection
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Adobe Illustrator
- Logo designnot PaintTool SAI
- Vector illustrationnot PaintTool SAI
- Icon designnot PaintTool SAI
- Print designnot PaintTool SAI
PaintTool SAI
- Digital illustration and manga artnot Adobe Illustrator
- Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot Adobe Illustrator
- Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot Adobe Illustrator
- Character and concept art sketchingnot Adobe Illustrator
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
PaintTool SAI
- Windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
- Only supports 32-bit operation, lacking modern 64-bit performance benefits.
- Lacks the advanced brush engine customization and layer effects found in tools like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.
- No cloud sync or mobile app, unlike many modern illustration tools.
Pricing, plan by plan
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
PaintTool SAI
5500/month- Standard License$5500/month
- Perpetual license
- All 1.x.x minor updates
- Free upgrade path to version 2
Which should you pick?
Choose Adobe Illustrator if
- You need vector drawing.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
- You also want bezier tools.
Choose PaintTool SAI if
- You need pressure-sensitive tablet support.
- You work on windows.
- You also want anti-aliased brushes.
Questions people ask
- Is Adobe Illustrator or PaintTool SAI better?
- Neither clearly leads. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Adobe Illustrator or PaintTool SAI?
- Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and PaintTool SAI at 5500/month.
- Does Adobe Illustrator or PaintTool SAI run on more platforms?
- Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, Macos, Ios. PaintTool SAI runs on windows.
- What is Adobe Illustrator best used for?
- Adobe Illustrator is most often used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Of those, logo design and vector illustration are not what PaintTool SAI is typically brought in for.
- What can Adobe Illustrator do that PaintTool SAI cannot?
- Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography. PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
PaintTool SAI: Is there a free trial for PaintTool SAI?
Yes, PaintTool SAI offers a 31-day free trial with full functionality before requiring purchase of a license.
SourcePaintTool SAI: What does the license cover?
The one-time 5,500 JPY purchase provides a perpetual license covering all minor updates within version 1.x.x; a major version 2 upgrade is offered for free.
SourcePaintTool SAI: What operating systems are supported?
PaintTool SAI runs on Windows XP through Windows 11, but only in 32-bit mode, requiring at least a 450MHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM.
SourceRelated pages
More on Adobe Illustrator
More on PaintTool SAI
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