Software · head to head
Krita vs Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
Software
Professional vector graphics software
- From
- $22.99/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Krita has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Krita not portable across Windows/macOS/Linux with consistent performance; 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: Krita covers Digital painting, Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Krita and Adobe Illustrator actually diverge.
| Attribute | Krita | Adobe Illustrator |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $22.99/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Macos, Ios |
| Founded | 1999 | 1982 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Krita
- Digital painting
- Brush engines
- Layer management
- Animation
- Vector tools
- OpenEXR
- PSD files
- Graphics tablets
Only in Adobe Illustrator
- Vector drawing
- Bezier tools
- Shape tools
- Typography
- Gradients & effects
- Symbols & instances
- Artboards
- 3D capabilities
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Krita
- Digital paintingnot Adobe Illustrator
- Concept artnot Adobe Illustrator
- Character designnot Adobe Illustrator
- 2D animationnot Adobe Illustrator
- Texture paintingnot Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
- Logo designnot Krita
- Vector illustrationnot Krita
- Icon designnot Krita
- Print designnot Krita
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Krita
- Not portable across Windows/macOS/Linux with consistent performance
- Performance limits on large projects with many layers compared to professional software
- Requires system administrator privileges for installation on managed systems
- Limited professional support compared to commercial alternatives
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
Krita
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Krita review.
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 Krita if
- You need digital painting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
- You also want brush engines.
Choose Adobe Illustrator if
- You need vector drawing.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
- You also want bezier tools.
Questions people ask
- Is Krita or Adobe Illustrator better?
- Neither clearly leads. Krita starts at Free 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, Krita or Adobe Illustrator?
- Krita has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Krita and $22.99/month for Adobe Illustrator.
- Does Krita or Adobe Illustrator run on more platforms?
- Krita runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, Macos, Ios.
- Can I use Krita for free?
- Yes. Krita has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month.
- What is Krita best used for?
- Krita is most often used for digital painting, concept art, character design, 2d animation. Of those, digital painting and concept art are not what Adobe Illustrator is typically brought in for.
- What can Krita do that Adobe Illustrator cannot?
- Krita covers Digital painting, Brush engines, Layer management, Animation. Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Krita: Is Krita free and open source?
Yes, Krita is completely free and open source software developed by the KDE community. It is distributed under the LGPL license with no licensing fees.
SourceKrita: What platforms does Krita support?
Krita is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can be downloaded from krita.org or installed via package managers on Linux distributions.
SourceKrita: What animation capabilities does Krita have?
Krita supports frame-by-frame animation with onion skin view, timeline management, and export to video formats for creating animated sequences.
Source