10 Ultimate Graphic Design Software for Designers.

From Choosing Fonts to Designing complex and meaningful Visuals, these tools never disappoint you.
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Two Most Popular Graphic Design Software of 2024

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are some of the most popular choices among designers and are used by millions of artists around the Globe. These graphic design software from Adobe has almost everything a Graphic Designer needs like AI technology, Color Transfer, Neural Filters, Background Replacement, Activity Tracker, Design Management, CAD Tools, and many more.

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is one of the most used Graphic Design tools when comes to creating Illustrations or vector-based Graphics.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is a classic photo editing tool with a lot of powerful features. You can create tons of different things is Photoshop including Logos, Banners, Posters, and more.

Look, Graphic Designing is a vast field and requires some extra creativity on your own to expand your legs but you can’t survive long without using Software. So, ultimately the point is if you are a Graphic Designer and want to Outperform and show your Creativity then you need software, and that’s why we have sorted out some of the best Feature Rich Graphic Design software from the crowd to help you choose the right one that helps you get your job done.

So, finding out the right software according to your needs is somehow difficult but if you don’t want to waste your time researching and testing all the tools to Pop the best one out then this guide will help you do so even more quickly.

But when we started researching, one thing surprised us, that where ever we go like blogs, YouTube videos, or even with personal contacts we get to hear one common name “ADOBE”. Like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, and XD. But surprisingly these are not just for talks, These design software from Adobe are actually super useful, feature-rich, Powerful, and user-friendly. After that, we tested about 24 software and finally sorted out 10 of the best Graphic design software in which “ADOBE dominates the market”.

But before we move to the detailed note, let me confess that what we have chosen for you may not be pin-perfect for your needs but these are the best of the best software we are able to find in the market.

Must Read- In-Demand High-Income Skills To Learn Online In 2024

So, let’s dive into it.

1. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator Home Page
Adobe Illustrator Logo

4.8/5

Adobe Illustrator is one of the tools that offers endless customization to your design. It is specially designed to work with Vector Graphics and Illustrations; if you are obsessed with that, Illustrator is your go-to software.

Illustrator at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $20.99 /month

Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based.

User Reviews: 4.6 out of 5, G2

Best For: Vector Graphics and Illustrations

Adobe Illustrator is a world-class graphic design software that can be used to design anything imaginable. Literally, you can design anything using Illustrator with pinpoint accuracy using its pre-built design tools. It provides a Pro level of Precision to customize your artwork and lots of handy tools like Global Edit, and Shape Builder.

On the way, Illustrator is the best software at any level for creating scalable Graphics like Logos, Infographics, Artwork, Illustrations, Vector Graphics, and much more as it uses Lines, points, curves, and Edges, not Pexels. It sets the standard for Professionals to shape their thinking with Illustrator. Adobe developed Illustrator way back in 1987 and it’s still one of those tools that are a step ahead of today.

Pros:

  • Comes with Adobe Creative Cloud, which helps it integrate with other Adobe Tools.
  • Fully compatible with other Devices.
  • It uses mathematical calculations instead of Pixels for seamless resizing.
  • Get access to Adobe Stock (over 90 million images, videos, and templates)
  • Most Used and one of the Best Vector Design software in the market.

Cons:

  • Not free at all, but gives a free seven-day Trial
  • A bit costly compared to other Vector Graphic software (CorelDraw)
  • If you are new to this it seems quite complicated.

Pricing:

If you go with the monthly plan of any Adobe software it all comes in an average range of $20, but in this case illustrator monthly plan costs $20.99 per month, for individuals. But there are also other subscription types like for Students and Teachers, Businesses, Schools, and Universities, and all these other plans come with Creative Cloud All Apps in a different-different price range.

2. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Home Page
Adobe Photoshop Logo

4.7/5

Adobe Photoshop is a Photo Editing Software that comes with tons of handy design tools and unbeatable features. It is one of the most popular Image editing software among designers.

Photoshop at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $20.99 /month, when billed Yearly

Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based, iPhone/iPad, Android

User Reviews: 4.6 out of 5, G2

Best For Image Editing, Drawing, Painting

No need to explain, It’s a household name among artists (PHOTOSHOP).

Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly the most popular design software of Adobe. Not only popular it is one of the most advanced image editing software in the market that you can buy or rent. Whether you want to play with Images, design Logos, create 3D artwork, Drawing, Painting, Typography, or draw sketches, Photoshop has everything ready for your project.

There are reasons behind its popularity, it has been from long time in the image editing world with more robust features than any other, and Abobe frequently updates it, adding new features and supports for new formats. It has the most advanced AI-based editing tools, one of the most user-friendly interfaces, supports any level of designer, and you can find tons of articles and videos about photoshop shared by professionals, and users, which makes it easier to learn for any new artist.

Pros:

  • Ability to professionally edit Videos.
  • A broad range of image editing tools, drawing, and Typography tools.
  • Most user-friendly interface with lots of Guidance.
  • Custom Canvas size, work in 3D and Create custom Brushes.
  • Comes with capabilities to sync documents and libraries.

Cons:

  • Not free to use but offers a free seven-day trial.
  • It’s quite hard to master all the features.
  • A bit costly for Image editing software, but it’s king.

Pricing

Like any other Adobe software, it also comes with a recurring subscription option that costs $20.99 per month, when billed yearly. It has three subscription options, Monthly, Annual, and Annual Prepaid. Many people say that it’s costly but at the same price, you will get Adobe Express, Photoshop Express, Adobe Fresco, Adobe Portfolio, Behance, Adobe Fonts, and Creative Cloud Libraries. If still not suited for you then you can go with Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps which costs $54.99 per month.

3. CorelDraw Graphics Suite

CorelDraw Features Page
CorelDraw Logo

4.4/5

CorelDraw is a powerful and easy to use Vector based design software. Designed especially for windows OS, now available in macOS, with some extra pro inbuilt feature no one have.

CorelDraw at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $599, One-Time

Platform: Windows, and Mac

User Reviews: 4.3 out of 5, G2

Best For Image Editing, Drawing, Painting

CorelDraw is another popular name when it comes to editing vector-based illustrations. If you are obsessed with vector graphics then CorelDraw is the software to go with, but you might think why, when we have Adobe Illustrator. Look we all know when it comes to designing Adobe is the king, but CorelDraw especially focuses on Vector Graphics and comes with some extra pro features that Adobe Illustrator doesn’t at the moment.

If you want to enter the vector-based illustrations field then CorelDraw is definitely worth a look. As it is primarily focused on vector Illustrations it comes with some powerful editing and collaboration tools, seem Adobe Indesign and Illustrator in the same app. When it first launched it was only available in windows, but now it’s also available for macOS users.

Pros:

  • Comes with some totally unique features.
  • Easy to use with a customizable interface.
  • Offers both subscription and One-time payment models.
  • Capable of exporting in 48 and importing in 35 file types.
  • Smooth transition from desktop to tablet mode.

Cons:

  • Only available on Windows and Mac.
  • Payment options can be straightforward.
  • Not any Free Version but a 15-day trial is available.

Pricing:

Pricing is not straightforward. Like there are 3 subscription options available, but two of them are only available for windows, and the last third option which is for a pro-level graphics suite costs you around $599, one time which is for both windows and mac, and is also available in $249 per year subscription. And yeah it offers a good-looking 15-day trial option which is enough to test it out.

4. Sketch

Sketch Home page
Sketch Logo

4.2/5

Sketch is a mac only vector design software that offers the best in class wireframing, prototyping, interface designing, and collaboration tools.

Sketch at a Glance

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $99 per year.

Platform: macOS

User Reviews: 4.3 out of 5, G2

Best For: UI design, Wireframing, Prototyping

Sketch is a vector-based editing software that mainly focuses on wireframing, Prototyping, Mobile, App, or UI design, and also for Logo or Icon designing. It is not one of its kind but it sets the standard to be used for this because of its ease of use, a massive library of sketch plugins, and designer-friendly layout. It is so easy to use that a non-designer background person can master it in the meantime.

Basically, Sketch is commonly used by designers who need to design Apps or Website Interfaces, Custom Icons, and want to collaborate live with their coworkers on what they are designing. And the best part is your clients can see your design (how buttons work, what happens when we tap any specific icon, and so on) on their laptop or desktop by tapping the artwork. If you wanna save more time creating these kinds of stuff, and simple-to-use software then Sketch is the software to stick with.

Pros:

  • Very easy to use, and has a user-friendly interface.
  • An extensive library of Plugins.
  • Invite unlimited viewers.
  • Perfect for prototyping, and wireframing.
  • Real-time collaboration with your co-workers.

Cons:

  • Only available for Mac Users.
  • Some key design elements are missing.
  • One license per Editor.
  • No free Plan, but you can try free for the first 30 days.

Pricing:

Sketch has a simple pricing plan even if you are solo, Agency, or Team. If you are an Individual or working with a team you can go with the Standard plan that costs you $9 per editor, per month, or you can buy it for a whole year for $99. But if you want to add another editor you have to pay extra.

5. Adobe Indesign

Adobe indesign Home page
Adobe Indesign logo

4.6/5

Adobe Indesign is an industry-leading desktop publishing software for creating online documents rich in text, videos, images, and animation.

InDesign at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $20 per month.

Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based, iPhone/iPad, Android

User Reviews: 4.6 out of 5, G2

Best For: UI design, Wireframing, Prototyping

Another Adobe product on the list, In Adobe words, Adobe InDesign is the industry-leading layout and page design software for Digital and Print media. For instance, you can create Flyers, posters, reports, brochures, digital magazines, books, interactive PDfs, and other online documents enhanced by audio, videos, infographics, tables, and Animations. Along with this Adobe offers a set of tools to improve your work like Professional layout and typesetting tools for enhanced typography and adjustment, Enhanced share for Review for collaboration, Adobe Sensei AI for automatic arrangement and image resizing, and many more.

Pros:

  • Best for creating digital documents like Magazines, eBooks, Pdfs, Posters, and Flyers.
  • Seamlessly integrate with other Adobe software with Adobe CC.
  • InDesign supports HTML exporting for websites.
  • It is also capable of resizing multiple objects at the same time.
  • Global Page adjustment can be done very easily and smoothly.
  • Collaborate 3X faster with the enhanced share for review.

Cons:

  • A less intuitive user interface can be overwhelming for new users.
  • In our view, it’s a bit expensive.

Pricing:

Like other Adobe software InDesign is also a subscription-based service and if you want to use it you have to pay $20.99 per month when you choose to bill annually, if you are obsessed with Adobe Products and want to integrate with other Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator, you can buy Adobe CC which costs $54.99 per month.

6. Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer Software
Affinity Designer/affinity.serif.com
Affinity Designer Logo

4.2/5

Affinity designer is another great software for creating high-quality illustrations like adobe Illustrator. It has the same set of tools at a lower price with more easy-to-use features.

Affinity Designer at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $54.99, one time

Platform: Windows, macOS, iPad

User Reviews: 4.6 out of 5, G2

Best For: Vector-based Illustrations, and Graphics

Affinity Designer is another great tool for creating high-quality vector graphics and illustrations. Created by Serif it’s called to be an Adobe Illustrator competitor, as it has the same features and a similar set of tools that Illustrator has, but at a cheaper price with a very easy-to-use and user-friendly interface. Affinity designer let you work on both vector and Raster graphics and you can switch between them very smoothly, and it is also faster that any other vector editing software with these editing capabilities.

If you want to enter vector graphic designing, and considering going with a cheaper option without compromising on features and ease of use then Affinity Designer can be the best Graphic Design software for you. It also has an iPad Application that gives you the same features and functionalities available on the desktop version. Like you can zoom your design at 60fps, you can undo your artwork 8000 steps, and many more.

Pros:

  • Faster than any other vector Graphics software with these features.
  • You can Undo it up to 8000 times.
  • One-time payment is cheaper
  • A dedicated iPad app that is kind powerful than its own desktop version.
  • Create smooth curves with Rope and Window stabilizers.
  • Powerful UI that is designed to feel familiar.

Cons:

  • No cloud services.
  • There is not any vector eraser.
  • Documentation can be confusing.
  • Some tools are missing compared to Illustrator.
  • No upgrading option, when a new version arrives you have to pay the full payment.

Pricing

Unlike Adobe products that are based on a recurring subscription, Affinity Designer doesn’t have any annual or monthly subscription plan, you only need to pay a one-time fee of $54.99 for either Windows or macOS version and you are ready to go. On the other hand, its iPad version costs you around $21.99, and it is one of the cheapest software out there.

It’s cheap right, but not actually, Its developer has the absolute idea of making more money with it by making some tweaks in the payment system. Look it is a one-time payment software but there is no upgrade option available which means whenever there is a new version is released you have to pay the full price.

7. Inkscape

Inkscape Screenshot
Inkscape.org
Inkscape Logo

4.0/5

Inkscape is one of many Graphic Desing tools that can be used primarily for vector-based editing and the best part of Inkscape is it is open source and free of cost.

Inkscape at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: Free

Platform: Windows, Linux, macOS, Web-based

User Reviews: 4.4 out of 5, G2

Best For: Vector-based Illustrations, and Graphics

Inkscape is the only free tool in this list, and if you wanna find more Free Graphic Design software, you can read here.

Inkscape is an open-source, free-to-use Graphic Design software that is best suited for editing vector-based Graphics, and illustrations. Not only that Inkscape has flexible Drawing and robust Text Tools which makes it easier for designers to understand and draw art without difficulties. The best part of Inkscape is it’s Free of Cost and this makes Inkscape one of the best software for beginners or Hobbyists that are on a budget and getting started with vector Drawings.

Inkscape is the only Free Graphic design software in this list, so we don’t talk more about it, you can experience it by just downloading it from Inkscape.org, or you can read more about Inkscape in detail on Opensource.

Pros:

  • Available at absolutely no cost.
  • Regular Updates, because of its community of experienced developers.
  • It supports Plugins.
  • Robust Text and Drawing tools.
  • Dedicated vector editing tools.
  • Inkscape has a built-in XML editor.

Cons:

  • Some lags and errors in the Mac version.
  • Not so intuitive.

Pricing

Free of Cost.

8. Canva

Canva Home Page
Canva Homepage/Canva
Canva Logo

4.7/5

Canva is an all-in-one tool for creating various designs including infographics, Logos, banners, Posters, Social Media Posts, Reports, Data Visualizations, resumes, and other Branded Assets.

Canva at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: Free, $9.95/user/month, or $30.00/user/month

Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

User Reviews: 4.7 out of 5, G2

Best For: Infographics, Logos, Banners, and so like this.

What is better than getting started with Canva when you are not so professional but want to design like a professional, or just want Premium for Free with easy to use interface? Canva is a complete design tool for designers whether he/she is a beginners or a professional in Graphic Designing. Like from creating Professional Logos to creating your next social media Post, you can do it in Canva with just Drag and Drop from anywhere in the world on any device.

For every level of designer, canvas has something to offer. It has a huge selection of Images, Templates, Fonts, and other designs to smooth your workflow without disturbance, and the best part is you can do it all free of cost, but some of the images and templates are premium which you can access with in-app purchases at a very generic cost.

Pros:

  • Drag and Drop builder which makes it beginner friendly.
  • You can use it for Free.
  • Massive library of Images, Templates, and fonts.
  • Excellent learning curve.
  • Work with team members.

Cons:

  • Not able to work in offline mode.
  • Limited resources in the free version.
  • Probably not the best image editor.
  • Can’t create custom elements.
  • Cannot resize templates in the Free version.

Pricing

Canva is different, not in just design but also in pricing. It has three different subscription options, First one is Free forever with limited resources, the Second is Canva Pro which costs you $12.99 per month, per person, and the third one is Canva for teams which costs $14.99 per month five users, if you have more than five users then each extra person costs you additional $7 per month. And the best part is Canva is free for Verified Schools, and for non-profit Organizations.

9. Figma

Figma Home Page
Figma Homepage/Figma
Figma logo

4.2/5

Figma is one of the most loved UI (user-interface) design tools in the market that lets designers collaborate in real time and build better prototypes and wireframes.

Figma at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $12 per editor, per month

Platform: Web-Based

User Reviews: 4.7 out of 5, G2

Best For: Prototyping, and Wireframing

Figma is a web-based Vector editing, wireframing, and Prototyping Tool. It is also one of the most popular UI design tools in the market mainly used for creating Web Pages, Applications, Logos, Layouts, and Prototypes. It’s kinda similar to Sketch and AdobeXD which gives you the same features but Figma is different because of its powerful team collaboration features which give you the power to design parallelly with your team members and can show your design work to millions of users in real-time.

Like other tools, it has a robust community of developers and designers who develops plugins and share designs to increase its functionality and power up the workflow. It is one of the most loved software among designers working with teams because of just one Team Collaboration feature. Figma is also used by some big companies including Slack, Zoom, and Dropbox.

Pros:

  • Free version available, sufficient for one person.
  • Unlimited cloud storage in the Free version.
  • Powerful collaboration features.
  • Prototyping is straightforward and intuitive.
  • showcase your project to unlimited users.

Cons:

  • Security can be compromised until you upgrade to the organization.
  • Limited projects in Free Plan.

Pricing

Figma is a Freemium software which means it has a free plan available for everyone, and 3 other Figma Professionals that costs $12 per editor/month, Figma Organization that costs $45 per user/month, when billed annually, and last Figma Enterprise that costs $75 per editor/month, and one last important and the good thing about Figma is if you are a student or any college or High school you get free access to Figma Professional.

10. Procreate

Procreate Home Page
Procreate Homepage/Procreate
Procreate logo

4.8/5

Procreate is a raster-based graphic design software used to create illustrations, Paintings, animations, and more exclusively made for iPad, and iOs.

Procreate at a Glance:

Use Cases: Not available

Pricing: $9.9 one time

Platform: iPad, iOs

User Reviews: 5.0 out of 5, G2

Best For: Original Art (illustrations, animations)

Procreate is a raster-based Graphic Design software used for creating original art like illustrations, animations, Paintings, sketches, and much more. It claims itself a complete art studio and its kind of that because it is built to create original art, unlike other design tools like Photoshop it isn’t designed to edit photos, except you can draw different designs using more than 200 customizable brushes.

Procreate is exclusively made for iPad that tends to work smoothly with Apple Pencil which gives it the advantage to attract Professional Artists, illustrators, and Designers. There are several reasons responsible for making Procreate a super design App, anyone can create 2D and 3D drawings in it and preview them in real-time in AR with high customization and an intuitive User Interface.

Pros:

  • No recurring fee, and affordably priced.
  • Feature Rich.
  • Attractive User Interface.
  • Finishing Filters

Cons:

  • Only Available for iPad and iPhone.
  • Not any Free version or Trial.
  • Can’t edit vector-based graphics.

Pricing

Procreate has a flat one-time fee of just $9.99 with no Account Setup, Recurring Subscription, and Upgrade, and there is an iPhone App of Procreate called Procreate Pocket that costs $4.99 for all, and that’s all.

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