Adobe Illustrator Competitors & Alternatives
Adobe Illustrator is one of the most popular design solutions on the market today. That market, however, is competitive. Therefore, we recommend comparing Adobe Illustrator against its top competitors before purchasing.
There are many excellent competitors in the design space that are worth considering. Most of Adobe Illustrator’s top competitors offer similarly or less robust features at more affordable prices. Some, however, fall short in both of these categories.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figma | 96 | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 8.5 |
| Adobe Illustrator | 94 | 10 | 9 | 8.5 | 10 |
| Adobe Photoshop | 94 | 10 | 9 | 8.5 | 10 |
| Canva | 93 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Sketch | 93 | 9 | 10 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Adobe XD | 91 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 |
| Visme | 89 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 10 |
| InVision | 87 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| PicMonkey | 86 | 8 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| Adobe Spark | 85 | 7 | 9.5 | 9 | 10 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main Adobe Illustrator competitors and alternatives, which are:
In this guide, we examine Adobe Illustrator’s fe atures and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a better understanding of Adobe Illustrator as a solution, you can read our in-depth Adobe Illustrator review.
All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with small business owners, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader human resource software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.
Table of Contents
- Adobe Illustrator Features
- Adobe Illustrator Competitor Overview: Features
- Adobe Illustrator Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top Adobe Illustrator Competitors
- Bottom Line
Adobe Illustrator Features
Before we compare Adobe Illustrator against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features included in Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator offers features geared more towards ready-made, highly sharable content.
The five most important features that Adobe Illustrator offers are described in the table below. Adobe Illustrator’ compliance support and unlimited payroll are its strongest features.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Designs | Illustrator specializes in scalable graphics creation. It is designed to be as flexible for designers as possible. This means that your options for creating designs are virtually limitless, but come with a steep learning curve. |
| Tool Kit | Adobe Illustrator’s tool kit is very advanced compared to alternative tools. However, newer designers will find its learning curve much steeper than beginner-friendly tools like Canva and Visme. This means that Illustrator is best for intermediate and advanced graphic designers. |
| Collaboration | Adobe Illustrator’s collaboration is its weakest feature. Photoshop does not feature real time editing like Canva and Visme. |
| Cloud Storage | Adobe Illustrator can be fully cloud-based like Canva. You have the option to keep files fully in the cloud or save local files for personal use. This means that you do not need to save your own projects before uploading them to the cloud which takes up space on your hard drive. |
| Exporting | Adobe Illustrator’s exporting options are not built for marketers and content creators like Canva’s. You can, however, export images at much higher resolutions than alternatives. |
Adobe Illustrator Competitor Overview: Features
Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how affordable each platform is and how wide their breadth of features is.
For example, solutions like Adobe Illustrator are built more for scalable graphics creation rather than ready-made content. This presents a steep learning curve for businesses that might find solutions like Adobe Illustrator and Visme more suitable for their needs.
Adobe Illustrator Competitor Overview: Pricing
Adobe Illustrator pricing starts at $20.99 per user per month. Monthly prices increase with more users.
Here are the prices of Adobe Illustrator and its top competitors with additional pricing details:
| Software Vendor | Starting Monthly Price per User | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Figma | Free | Yes |
| Adobe Illustrator | $20.99 | Yes |
| Adobe Photoshop | $20.99 | Yes |
| Canva | Free | Yes |
| Sketch | $9 | Yes |
| Adobe XD | $9.99 | Yes |
| Visme | Free | Yes |
| InVision | Free | Yes |
| PicMonkey | $7.99 | Yes |
| Adobe Spark | $9.99 | Yes |
Top Adobe Illustrator Competitors
Below are one-to-one comparisons between Adobe Illustrator and the top alternatives. Adobe Illustrator is best for customers who want the most robust photo editing software. We’ve ranked Adobe Illustrator’s top three competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.
#1: Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is Adobe Illustrator’s closest competitor in regards to its target user-base and features. Both come packaged with Adobe Creative Cloud. Although both solutions share a similar breadth of features, Adobe Photoshop is built more so for advanced photo editing.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Adobe Photoshop vs. Adobe Illustrator.
- You want the most advanced scalable graphics creator
- You’re in need of print friendly exporting options
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You want the most advanced photo editing software
- You are an advanced graphic designer with flexible design needs
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
#2: Canva
Canva is a competitor to Adobe Illustrator focused on readymade content creation for marketers and bloggers. Its learning curve and pricing are far more accessible for newer users. However, Adobe Illustrator’s photo creation and editing capabilities are truly more advanced than Canva’s.
- You want the most advanced scalable graphics creator
- You’re in need of print friendly exporting options
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You primarily use design software for ready-made content
- You want to automate social media posts with a content calendar
- You are a beginner to design software
#3: Visme
Visme is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator with a similar feature set as Canva. Similar to Canva, Visme is easy to use and affordable, but ultimately pales in comparison to Adobe Illustrator. Especially when it comes to vector graphics.
- You want the most advanced scalable graphics creator
- You’re in need of print friendly exporting options
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You primarily use design software for ready-made content
- You leverage design software primarily for presentations and infographics
- You are a beginner to design software
Bottom Line
Adobe Illustrator is the best option for experienced designers in need of highly advanced scalable graphics creation. Illustrator’s tool kit is built for a variety of use cases and is highly adaptable. Note, however, that this flexibility comes at the expense of an easy learning curve.
- If you’re a beginner in need of design software for readymade and highly shareable content, try Canva.
- If you are interested in more robust photo editing, try Adobe Photoshop.
- If you are in need of prototyping and wireframing software, consider Sketch or Figma.