Adobe Illustrator is no doubt one of the most iconic and heavily relied upon graphic design software currently available. This is a software that, since its inception, has constantly seen quite a few users because the editing capabilities it offers are extensive. As far as vector graphics are concerned, Illustrator has remained as one of most reliable software to edit and design these for quite some time and this doesn’t really come as a surprise because this software is fully kitted with all the tools necessary for users to put together some truly exceptional vector graphics and designs.
Over the years, however, we’ve seen quite a few exceptional pieces of software released that have provided graphic designers and editors with great alternatives to pick from if, for whatever reason, they don’t necessarily feel like using Adobe Illustrator. There’s no doubting the fact that Adobe Illustrator is certainly an exceptional piece of software that’s capable of great feats but it’s definitely fair to say that there’s always going to be an audience of users out there that would much rather have an alternative due to whatever reason.
This particular article has been written primarily keeping in mind that aforementioned audience that’s on the hunt for an Adobe Illustrator alternative.
We’ve gone through quite a few exceptional software to pick out five of the best alternatives currently available and we’re certain that at least one of these is sure to appeal to you if Illustrator just doesn’t fit your preferences.
Each individual software in this list has several defining aspects that help it stand out from the crowd and, all things considered, they’re all more than capable of living up to your graphic design needs if you spend the time necessary to get a hang on their basics.
Without further ado, let’s get into five of the best Adobe Illustrator alternatives currently available in India.
1: Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a software that’s entirely been based on the idea of providing designers and users with an experience that’s superior to what Illustrator has to offer and, since its release back in 2014, it’s definitely managed to deliver on most of its promises.
Affinity Designer is a software that consists of absolutely every single thing that one would need to put together high-end vector graphics which, of course, are Illustrator’s specialty and it presents all of its tools in a neat and clever fashion that makes them fairly easy to master, even for those who don’t have that much prior experience with graphic design.
One of the hallmarks of Affinity Designer that helps set it apart from Adobe Illustrator is the fact that it features an interface that’s incredibly straightforward. Illustrator is no doubt a capable piece of software but the learning curve that comes with it is fairly steep so it can be a bit off-putting to newbie designers. On the other hand, Affinity Designer features a sleek and simplified interface that’s quite accessible. On top of all this, though, Affinity Designer is also cheaper so it’s certainly a worthwhile alternative worth looking into.
2: Sketch
It’s important to highlight before going into any further details that Sketch isn’t necessarily the be-all-end-all replacement for everything that Adobe Illustrator does. However, there are definitely instances in which this particular software stands out above Illustrator and is more effective and this is exactly why it’s on this list.
One of the key reasons to consider Sketch over Illustrator if you’re among the audience of designers that focuses primarily on the design of UI. Although Illustrator can also be used for this purpose, Sketch is simply miles ahead of its competition when it comes to UI design. The software allows users to design clean, consistent and appealing menus that are consistent across the board and this is why it absolutely outshines Adobe Illustrator when it comes to designing interfaces.
Another advantage worth highlighting is the fact that importing and exporting elements in the Sketch workflow is a much smoother and almost seamless task as compared to adobe Illustrator and this is certainly something that makes this software worth considering.
3: CorelDraw
CorelDraw is often regarded as the primary competitor to quite a few of Adobe’s graphic design offerings and this is the case with illustrator as well. This is without a doubt one of the most well-rounded and appealing pieces of graphic design software currently available. CorelDraw is popular not only because it does everything that Adobe Illustrator can but also because it has a whole lot more to the table.
Starting off the list of CorelDraw’s advantages is the simple fact that it features a cleaner and more user-friendly interface that simply makes the software more appealing to those who are just getting started in this space.
While Illustrator’s interface is definitely powerful, it’s quite complex and takes a while to get the hang of before users are able to master it and make the most out of what it has to offer. On the other hand, Corel’s fundamentals are fairly easy to grasp and will allow you to do just as much, if not more, than Illustrator.
CorelDraw also gives users much more ways through which they can customize and fine-tune their workspace to their liking and preferences and this is a major highlight that a lot of players will appreciate.
Alongside everything else, there’s also the fact that CorelDraw is simply cheaper than Adobe Illustrator and this, along with all the aforementioned factors, make this one of the most worthwhile alternatives currently available to Illustrator.
4: Inkscape
Inkscape is no doubt among the most unique software on this list because it’s one of the few truly worthwhile open-source alternatives available to Adobe Illustrator. The open-source nature of this software is actually one of the key reasons why it’s an alternative worth considering because this paves the way for several exciting things that other similar software does not bring to the table.
- The open-source nature of Inkscape has allowed there to be a truly vast array of different plugins and enhancements for the software that users can download off the internet in order to enhance their workflow and improve their designs.
- It’s also worth highlighting that the learning curve of Inkscape isn’t as steep as that of Illustrator thereby making it a much better option for designers who are just starting off.
Thanks to all the plugins available, Inkscape can do pretty much everything Illustrator can but the best part of all this is the fact that it does so without being as demanding on system resources thereby making it a great option for users who want an alternative that they can run on a system that doesn’t necessarily have high-end hardware to run resource-intensive software.
5: Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is an absolutely incredible app that’s definitely capable of serving as a truly worthwhile alternative to Illustrator for a variety of different reasons. Before we go into the specifics, though, we want to highlight one of the biggest advantages of this software which is its compatibility with an array of platforms. Illustrator is only compatible with MacOS and Windows whereas Gravit Designer works with Linux, MacOS, Windows, ChromeOS and more thereby making it a much more accessible piece of software that you can use no matter what type of operating system you prefer to use.
Moving further, though, there’s a whole lot else going for Gravit Designer as well that helps make it stand out from the crowd and among these is a truly spectacular user-interface that features a modern-day design.
- The interface of this software helps streamline a lot of processes that are usually a bit tedious and time-consuming in Illustrator and the side-benefit to all this is that it makes Gravit Designer much easier to learn, even for those who don’t have any prior design experience.
- Of course, it goes without saying that Gravit Designer comes with all the tools necessary through which users can create stellar vector graphics.
- It’s important to highlight, though, that truly advanced users might not like using Gravit Designer as it can feel a bit too simplified at times and this actually hinders its functionality a tad bit.
For basic design needs, Gravit Designer is absolutely worthwhile but, on the other hand, it can fall behind a bit when it comes to truly advanced tasks that require complex tools and such.
All things considered, though, the five aforementioned software are without a doubt the best alternatives currently available for Adobe Illustrator. Each of these do come with their fair share of pros and cons but they’re certainly worth considering if you don’t necessarily like Illustrator and are on the hunt for a software that can do everything it can and then some.
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