Hey Everyone! Welcome to our comprehensive Graphic Design Software guide!
This guide will explore 17 of the best free and paid Graphic Design Software to help you with your next visual concept project.
We’ll go over the basics of what each design software offers, so you can determine the right one that will suit your needs and meet industry standards.
In summary, this guide will cover:
- The top free Graphic Design Software
- The top paid-for Graphic Design Software
- Free vs. paid Graphic Design Software: What works best?
- Challenges and benefits of Graphic Design Software
So, let’s dive straight in!
What is the best Graphic Design Software for Designers?
Choosing Graphic Designing as a career option for creatives is excellent since it allows you to illustrate information regularly and is also associated with steady employment prospects.
However, while the job provides several perks, you’ll need to be good at it before enjoying any benefits.
Part of being good at Graphic Designing involves having the right software to help you deliver on the technical skills needed to put a visual concept together.
So what makes a quality Graphic Design Software?
Quality Graphic Design Software provides impeccable ability concerning photo manipulation, web and, vector graphics, and desktop publishing, to mention a few.
Many free and paid Graphic Design Software offers a wide range of design features like the ones outlined above to make a Designer’s work stand out.
In the next section, we’ll explore the top paid Graphic Design Software before delving into the top free Graphic Design Software.
The top paid-for Graphic Design Software
Adobe Photoshop
Many Graphic Designers consider Adobe Photoshop the best Graphic Design and image editing software of recent times.
Among the reasons why it has received such high praise are its flexibility and depth in editing and designing.
Furthermore, Photoshop is popular for its features that reduce task repetition.
Other great Adobe Photoshop features include access to a synchronized Adobe creative cloud, a customizable user face, and various mobile and web design tools.
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Pricing
Adobe Photoshop costs $20.99 per month per user.
Sketch
Sketch focuses on providing Designers with software that facilitates an all-in-one collaborative design process.
Apart from offering a “one-stop-shop” interface, its intuitive UI assists beginner Designers in quickly navigating the software with little to no instruction.
Other key features include its compatibility with custom plugins, Smart Layout, Efficient snap to grid functionality, and excellent device responsiveness.
Though Sketch boasts several great features, Android and Windows users cannot access Sketch as it’s exclusively made for macOS and iOS users.
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Pricing
Sketch is free for the first 30 days.
After that, Sketch’s monthly cost is $9 per editor and $99 yearly per editor.
Affinity Designer
Developed by Microsoft, Affinity Designer is a vector and pixel Graphic Design software that revolutionizes how creatives work.
It is compact with several valuable tools and functionalities, including pan and zoom at 60 fps and easy transition between tools.
It also makes switching between vector and raster workspaces easy without requiring additional applications.
Furthermore, Affinity Designer boasts a versatile grid system great for helping Designers control angles and gutters, and it comes in handy with a feature that allows you to snap options with gridlines.
Additionally, Affinity offers iPad users a graphic design app that duplicates its features on the desktop version.
Its vast features make Affinity Designer an ideal choice for professional Designers.
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Pricing
You can purchase the software from the Microsoft Store app for $54.99 for a desktop and $9.99 for an iPad.
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is software for Graphic Designers who focus on designing page layouts for magazines, catalogs, ebooks, or business cards.
The software facilitates the creation of high-quality page designs through its exceptional control of images, and access to selection, type, drawing, and transformation tools.
Additionally, its provision of design elements from Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop helps page designs stand out.
Finally, InDesign supports exports in PDF and HTML, which is excellent for fully controlling a publication, magazine, or website’s layout and design.
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Pricing
Creators can access Adobe Indesign for $20.99 monthly.
CorelDraw Graphics Suite
Unlike several other graphic design software on this list, CorelDraw Graphics is not a single software but a bundle of 8 tools that will help you complete any creative project.
Some of the tools included are CorelDraw, used for vector illustrations and graphic design, Corel Font manager for unique typography, After the shot, and HDR and RAW photo editor.
Apart from providing designers with several high-performance tools, it offers a user-friendly interface that’s easy to understand for beginner Graphic Designers.
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Pricing
CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2021 has several payment plans, including the option to pay $20.75 monthly, $249 annually, and $499 one-time purchase.
Adobe Illustrator
From creating logos to web graphics, and design packaging, Adobe Illustrator, is considered some of the best vector design software currently on the market.
Many Designers chose Illustrator due to its ability to create high-quality vector art and graphics.
Adobe Illustrator can be used alongside Adobe Photoshop as Photoshop’s image editing tool and Illustrator’s vector editing tool complement each other.
Some key Illustrator features include pathfinder and shape builder to make unique geometric shapes.
Furthermore, it offers a drag-and-drop feature, in-panel editing to work on multiple art projects simultaneously, and a highly accessible and user-friendly interface.
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Pricing
Adobe Illustrator costs $20.99 monthly.
Xara Designer Pro +
Xara’s new Graphic Design Software, Xara Designer Pro + 21.9, offers several comprehensive design tools and a Xara cloud to store creative projects.
In recent years, Xara’s Graphic Design Software has boasted several powerful features like the ability to work with bitmaps and vectors with equal aplomb.
In addition to all its powerful tools, the new version is Microsoft Edge compatible, provides better performance for mobile users, and provides extended support for number lists.
Xara is a competitive paid graphic design tool option as its license grants access to many archived illustrations, templates, fonts, and design elements, and fast performance promotes efficient workflow.
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Pricing
Xara Designer Pro + 21.9 costs $16.95 monthly for one user and $9.98 monthly for teams of 3.
Genially
Genially Graphic Design Software helps all types of creatives create interactive content that they can use on various platforms such as websites, social media, and blogs.
The software’s key features include access to numerous templates, collaboration tools, and customizable branding features.
Furthermore, the software facilitates the creation of Gamification, Video presentations, Infographics, and training material.
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Pricing
Genially has 4 tier pricing options, including a free option, a Pro version for $7.49 monthly, and a Master version for $20.82 monthly.
Finally, their Team version costs $79.15 monthly.
The top free Graphic Design Software
Inkscape
Inkscape is a publicly accessible vector graphics editor compatible with Windows, GNU/Linux, and macOS X.
It’s a common choice for beginner Designers on a budget, as access to all its features is free.
But don’t let the zero price tag lead you into thinking it performs any less than the industry standard.
The software offers several attractive design functionalities, including object creation and manipulation, text support, fill and stroke, and path insetting and out setting.
Furthermore, Inkscape supports file exports in various formats and renders projects with anti-aliasing technology.
Finally, to keep up with its robust usage, Inkscape provides new features and regular updates to its software.
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Pricing
As mentioned earlier, Inkscape is free.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
GIMP is an open-source image editor that, despite being free, offers many tools that could almost compete with top-ranking Adobe Photoshop.
GIMP provides tools that aid Designers in manipulating high-quality images and in creating unique art creations from scratch.
Other standout tools include color management features to help in high-fidelity color reproduction and the ability to integrate projects with programming languages such as Scheme, Python, and Perl.
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Pricing
GIMP is an open-source platform free to all its users.
Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a vector Graphic Design Software fully loaded with several features that help creatives create all sorts of illustrations.
Unlike many vector illustration software that usually requires installation on your computer, Gravit facilitates web browser usage, automatically saves your projects on a cloud, and supports several different file formats such as SVG, JPG, and PNG.
Gravit also has an installable version of its software, should you prefer locally installed software.
While many Designers consider its functionality somewhat limiting, you may still be able to create complex designs using Gravit Designer.
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Pricing
Gravit Designer is free.
For a broader range of features, Designers can access the paid version known as Gravit Designer pro.
Photoscape
Photoscape is a Graphic Design Software specifically focused on providing ease of use to all levels of Designers.
It provides all the tools necessary to edit and process clean images despite being free.
Some key Photoscape features include a batch editor for editing several photos simultaneously, a screenshot capturer, drawing tools, and numerous photo editing features.
Photoscape is also considered a quality Graphic Design Software because of its raw converter that helps to give you more image manipulation control.
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Pricing
Photoscape is free
Vectr
Vectr is a cross-platform editing tool targeted at vector Graphic Designers.
The software is an excellent option for beginner Designers considering its easy-to-use interface that needs little to no instructions.
Despite Vectr lacking advanced tools for complex projects, it provides many essential tools to complete any simple task.
These tools include fill and stroke, alignment elements, and shape and pen tools.
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Pricing
Vectr’s online-based Graphic Design Software is free.
Lunacy
Lunacy is a vector Graphic Design Software that uses AI technology to help creatives create design projects more quickly.
It’s also a common choice for beginners considering the software is free, does not display ads, nor are any features locked.
And while the software is free, it offers several tools to help Designers create beautiful designs.
These features include an Image Upscaler that makes it easy to increase image resolution and an avatar and text generator to aid Designers in creating unique projects.
Finally, Lunacy works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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Pricing
Lunacy is free.
Pixlr X
Unlike many of its free competitors, the newly introduced Pixlr X is a web-based photo editing software that facilitates complex editing techniques.
Aside from offering a variety of tools, Pixlr X has an easy-to-use interface that makes its desktop app great for Advanced photo editors and Beginners too.
Some standout features of Pixlr X include access to preprogrammed aspect ratios to suit various platforms, a wide selection of texts, filters, and effects, and a layering tool.
Lastly, as the software is relatively new, Designers can expect further improvements that will make Pixlr X a leading contender in free photo editing.
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Pricing
Due to its open-source nature, Pixlr X is free to all users.
Adobe Express
Although Adobe Express is an online design tool targeted at one-page designing, it offers several great templates and assets should your end goal be to design a one-page project.
Apart from having access to its rich and extensive template library, you also get free access to the Adobe Stock royalty-free collection.
And for Designers who like to make creations on the go, it’s not just available on desktop but has a mobile app too.
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Pricing
Adobe Express is free; however, a premium option is available for $9.99 monthly.
Canva
Canva is a web-based and installable graphic design tool specifically great for new Designers helping brands to create promotional and advertising material.
The software has an intuitive interface that makes it easy for almost everyone to use.
Furthermore, it gives Designers access to several templates, helping you save time on your projects.
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Pricing
Canva is free; however, there is an option to upgrade to a paid PRO version.
Having explored the top paid and free Graphic Design Software, let’s now review the overall Top 5 best Graphic Design Software by comparing their features, prices, and other key elements.
Top Graphic Design Software Comparison
As a result of their popularity and quality, these five Graphic Design Software are regarded as the best we have seen in recent years.
Software | Benefits | Price | Rating | Free Trial |
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| $20.99 | 4.8 | 7-day free trial |
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| Free | 4.4 | Unlimitedly free |
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| $20.75 monthly, $249 annually, and $499 one-time purchase. | 4.5 | 15-day free trial |
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| Free | 4.4 | Unlimitedly free |
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| $20.99 | 4.8 | 7-day free trial |
Free vs. paid Graphic Design Software: What works best?
Though it’s always great to get a good deal or pay next to nothing for software, sometimes making a significant payment is worthwhile.
Also, on the flip side of the coin, why break the bank when you can get good software for an affordable price?
Whether you spend significant money to get great software or are part of the crowd that thinks there’s always a cheaper alternative, choosing between paid and free software will boil down to whether the software can help you achieve your project goals.
While bearing that in mind, here are a few things you may want to consider before taking the plunge to obtain free or paid software:
Preprogrammed Watermarks
Several free Graphic Design Software put preprogrammed watermarks on all the content you produce through their software to make money through advertising.
Usually, having a watermark on a project messes up the intended look of the final project.
So, if you’re not for having branding all over your work, then you might need to consider a paid option.
High-quality finished images
Whether you choose to obtain free or unpaid Graphic Design Software, your choice of software should be able to produce high-quality finished images.
Images with high precision will stand out on any logo, look exceptionally good in print, and prominently show every detail on any platform.
Support
While it may not always be the case, paid software provides more support to its users than free software.
The support includes regular updates, responsive technical assistance, and software changes that accommodate its user’s needs.
So, the next time you are in the position to choose whether to obtain free or paid Graphic Design Software, first consider the amount of support each will offer you.
Template and tool feature
If you’re a beginner Graphic Designer, having software that offers several templates may make executing your work easier.
Free Graphic Design Software provides its users with several templates, and the interfaces are typically straightforward, making it easy to navigate Designer platforms.
On the other hand, professional Graphic Designers enjoy having access to detailed tools that let them create complex projects from scratch.
While not always the case, paid graphic software offers more detail-oriented tools and fewer templates.
Now that you know what to expect from free and paid Graphic Design Software, let’s look at the challenges and benefits of using Graphic Design Software next.
Challenges and Benefits of Graphic Design Software
While working with Graphic Design Software is a breeze for some professionals, it can come with its challenges from time to time.
We explore the potential benefits and letdowns of Graphic Design Software below.
What are the benefits of Graphic Design Software?
Offers flexibility
Graphic Design Software helps creatives save time because they can create unique visual content without physically capturing images.
In addition, with Graphic Design Software, they are able to produce output in various formats, Designers can easily use final projects on multiple platforms.
Economical
With several free competent Graphic Design Software available to Designers, you don’t have to splurge on tools to create beautiful projects.
Increased audience interaction
Using Graphic Design Software to create high-quality visuals helps grab viewers’ attention, leading to successful marketing and customer retention.
Reduces the amount of human intervention needed
Graphic Design Software, which often uses intuitive features to help edit images and videos, requires less human intervention to create beautiful designs.
What challenges may Graphic Design Software present?
The software makes the industry more competitive
With so many free and paid software options available to creators, anyone can become a Freelance Graphic Designer.
With the number of Freelance Graphic Designers rising, the industry is getting a lot more competitive, making it harder to stand out as a Graphic Designer.
Could negatively impact the creative process
For several creators, the implementation of design software has negatively affected the creative process.
For one, by relying on intuitive software that offers several templates, Designers may display laziness in educating themselves about complex design processes.
Additionally, Graphic Design Software tends to mitigate the research process conducted before the creative process, impacting design outcomes.
Lack of uniqueness
With several Graphic Design Software offering the same templates to their users, the element of the uniqueness of final design projects may be diminished.
Graphic Designers can lose data
Improper shutdowns of software or clicking the wrong button can lead to unintentional data loss.
And if your software doesn’t come with access to a cloud that automatically saves your work as you go along, you may risk starting from scratch multiple times during the design process.
Conclusion
With thousands of Graphic Design Software currently available on the market, creatives are taking advantage of how Graphic Design Software makes the creative process more manageable.
However, not every software out there is tremendously valuable.
Some are way better than others; hence it’s essential to know which ones lead the pack of good software, so you can get straight into creating projects without hassle.
This guide provided a breakdown of the top paid and free Graphic Design Software currently popular by many Designers.
Hence, we hope that by reading this guide, you can sift through all the software options in the market and get one that will suit your pocket and help you achieve your goals.
All the best!
FAQs
How much is Graphic Design Software?
The price of Graphic Design Software varies based on the provider and the software’s number of tools and features.
However, most Graphic Design Software costs range from $9 to $60 monthly.
There are also several free Graphic Design Software options available to creatives.
How to create a Graphic Design?
Creating simple graphics can be achievable by almost anyone.
Firstly, find inexpensive Graphic Design Software to use.
Then, choose a canvas size appropriate for your project to work on.
After that, use the editor tab to create your design.
When complete, export the file to your local hard drive.
How much is Graphic Design Software?
Creating simple graphics can be achievable by almost anyone.
Firstly, find an inexpensive Graphic Design Software to use.
Then, choose a canvas size appropriate for your project to work on.
After that, use the editor tab to create your design.
When complete, export the file to your local hard drive.
What software do most Graphic Designers use?
Created in 1987, Adobe Photoshop has become the most popular Graphic Design Software.
This is because of its flexibility and depth in the editing and design process.
Furthermore, Photoshop is popular as it’s equipped with features that reduce task repetition.
What free software do Graphic Designers use?
Some examples include Vectr, Photoscape, and Lunacy.
Other great free software options are Inkscape, Gravit Designer, and GIMP.
Many Graphic Designers use these free options as they provide access to several templates, illustrations, and fonts, produce high-quality outputs and allow raw image conversions.
What is Graphic Design Software?
Graphic Design Software is programs or multiple programs that allow Graphic Designers to create illustrations and manipulate images and models.
In addition to manipulating static images, some Graphic Design Software will enable users to manipulate animation or videos.
What is the best free Graphic Design Software?
While there isn’t a prominent leader regarding the best free Graphic Design Software, several Graphic Designers regard GIMP as the top free Graphic Design Software currently in the market.
Other good free Graphic Design Software includes Canva, Lunacy, Vectr, Photoscape, Gravit Designer, GIMP, and Inkscape.
What is the easiest Graphic Design Software to use?
Several Graphic Design Software in the market provide easy-to-use interfaces for even the newest Graphic Designers to understand.
These include Canva, which is reasonably easy to use because of its intuitive interface, and Vectr, which is known to be suitable for beginner Designers.
Another easy-to-use Graphic Design Software is Sketch.
What is the best Graphic Design Software for beginners?
Some top Graphic Design Software for beginners include GIMP, Inkscape, Affinity, Sketch, and Adobe Creative Suite.
All these options offer several perks for beginner Designers, including meeting industry standards, having easy-to-use interfaces, or being affordable or free to use.
