Comparing top graphic design software tools? We've compiled some of the most popular software for entrepreneurs — and you.
Which is the best graphic design software for your business in 2020?
Includes high-end editing tools for graphics manipulation, compatibility with Photoshop-style plug-ins, batch-conversion capabilities, a slide show window, and more. Simple Mac photo editor that lets you perform various types of batch editing: add watermark to photos, resize images and optimize pictures. Top 10 Best Free Graphic Design Software for Windows and MAC! As internet and computers are growing each day. The need for the graphics designers and the programs for them to use as tools. So, this article would be a better choice for you to read and know about free graphic design software.
We wrote this article (and made a small offering to the taco gods) to help you answer that question. We've compiled 10 of the best graphic design software tools available today, so you can compare their features and prices to determine what's best for you. Plus, we threw in a few current AppSumo deals at the end of the article to support your design efforts.
The marketplace for graphic design tools has a little bit for everyone. If you're a professional designer looking for a software that keeps up with your talent, we've included tools that give you maximum creative control. If you're a business owner just looking for a simple, low-cost way to create graphics for your business, there are multiple options below for you as well.
Get cozy in your favorite blog reading chair, because here are the best graphic design software tools in 2020.
Cloud Based Graphic Design Software
1. RelayThat
RelayThat isn't like most of the design tools on this list. It has a singular goal in mind: keeping your company graphics on-brand.
Create stunning images for your company. RelayThat remembers your colors, logo, and other design choices and automatically applies your brand colors and design details to future graphics, making graphic design fast, easy, and always consistent — even when multiple people are creating graphics on one team.
AppSumo Review: 4.62 / 5 tacos (403 total reviews)
Cost: RelayThat starts at $25 per month. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime deal on AppSumo starting at $49.
2. Pixlr
Pixlr is another image editing tool that's often used for online graphic design. You can easily remove image backgrounds, add text and stickers to photos, and use simple filters like you're on Instagram.
Like many of the online tools in this article, Pixlr also starts free. You can begin editing images, creating graphics, and building out your marketing collateral in minutes.
AppSumo Review: 4.29 / 5 tacos (24 total reviews)
Price: Pixlr lets you start using the tool for free. Paid plans start at $4.90 per month, billed annually. Or you can grab the AppSumo lifetime deal of Pixlr at $49.
3. Canva
Canva is a popular online graphic design tool known and used by seasoned designers and amateurs alike. It has a drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it easy to learn and use.
Free versions of Canva also make it useful for people without a graphic design budget. If you prioritize simplicity, cost-saving, and speed, Canva is a reliable choice.
Cost: Canva uses a freemium pricing model. Premium accounts start at $9.95/month.
💡 Looking for an alternative to Canva? Here's our list of top Canva alternatives you can find online.
4. Stencil
Another popular online graphic design tool, Stencil, enables fast graphic creation and photo editing for people on the go. Like Canva, Stencil is a drag-and-drop tool that lets you create stylish designs, fast. In fact, you don't even have to go to their website to start editing: Use Stencil's plugin to edit photos without leaving your current web screen.
Stencil also offers thousands of stock images. If you want to quickly throw together inspiring quote posts, Stencil even has a quote feature. Just browse thousands of famous phrases and use the ones you love in a graphic, without transcribing or research.
If you're deciding between Stencil and Canva, we wrote a post to help you make up your mind.
Cost: Stencil uses a Freemium model. Their premium package starts at $9/month.
5. Fotor
This online photo editor and design tool gives you tools and templates to achieve professional designs. Fotor lets you touch up images more than Stencil or Canva. It's good for designers who want to also clean up or tweak photos through light exposure and photo reshaping.
Fotor provides templates to help you design collages, social media posts, and logos. It includes resizing and other graphic/photo editing effects.
Cost: Fotor uses a freemium model. Their premium package starts at $3.33/month.
6. Crello
Crello‘s Animation Maker suite is what sets it apart from many cloud-based graphic design software. It gives users animated templates and objects to use to bring more engaging images and videos to life. Animated templates include formats for vertical and square video, Facebook and Instagram stories, and Facebook cover videos, which will help set your brand apart online.
Crello also comes with a large template and image library including illustrations, with plenty of options for various web content formats and platforms.
AppSumo Review: 4.49 / 5 tacos (109 total reviews)
Cost: Crello Pro plan starts at $7.99 per month, billed annually. Or you can get its annual deal on AppSumo for $67.
7. Figma
Unlike other graphic design software, Figma shines with its collaboration capabilities. You can add as many team members as you want as free 'viewers' to get stakeholder feedback via comments on your design.
Figma also comes with features like auto layout, asset libraries, and shareable prototyping features. Never worry about losing a thing with auto-save. Sketch (more on that below) and Figma share some plugins and integrations, so you can often find that additional functionality—or even build it yourself—if you need it.
Cost: Figma starts free for 3 projects with 2 editors and scales up to $12 and $45 per editor from there.
Offline Graphic Design Software
8. Adobe Illustrator
You'll notice that Adobe is behind multiple amazing graphic design tools on this list. Adobe is one of the biggest names in design software — for good reason. The true Adobe graphic design tool, Illustrator, provides comprehensive tools for creating captivating visuals for your brand.
Adobe Illustrator lets you design freehand, making your art come alive on the screen. You can upload or create new fonts for text the world has never seen before. From simple social media graphics to your company's logo, Illustrator gives you full creative control.
Cost: Adobe Illustrator starts at $20.99.
💡 Feel free to check out the best free and paid Illustrator alternatives for more affordable options.
Mac App Store is the simplest way to find and download apps for your Mac. To download apps from the Mac App Store, you need a Mac with OS X 10.6.6 or later. Apple products use industry-leading technology to bring apps to life — so you can experience more of the amazing things your devices are capable of. Thanks to hardware and software designed to work together, you get more out of your apps — from things you take for granted, like super‑smooth scrolling, to seeing how a new sofa might look. The hottest downloads on Apple.com. Browse and download thousands of apps for your Mac — from your Mac. Shop for apps by category, read user reviews, and buy apps in one simple step. Download apple app for mac. Download apps by Apple, including TestFlight, Beddit (for Model 3.5), Apple Support, and many more. Browse and download apps to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch from the App Store. The App Store has more than one million apps and games for your iOS device.
9. Adobe Photoshop
Another member of the Adobe suite, Adobe Photoshop, provides robust photo and graphic editing. This tool requires a higher learning curve than some of the drag-and-drop tools mentioned above. But it also offers a much wider range of functions and control. From basic tools like text overlay, to complex features like controlling file sizes, Photoshop has a lot to offer.
Photoshop is used by professional designers all over the world and the Photoshop Elements 2019 Online Introduction Course (free in our store!) can get you started.
Cost: Adobe Photoshop starts at $20.99.
💡 Here's our list of the best alternatives to Photoshop you can find in the market.
10. Affinity Designer
Another top graphic design tool, Affinity, was created for professional designers, putting it in the same camp as Adobe products when it comes to cost and features. The toolbar lets you perform everything from image cropping and resizing to text overlay.
While not exclusively a Mac product, Affinity was designed to cater to Mac products. But they've recently released a version for Windows users as well.
Affinity also lets you tap into work from talented artists. Beyond the standard price, you can choose various creative bundles that include exclusive fonts, illustrations, and more.
Cost: Affinity is $49.99. (Yes, that's a one-time fee, not a subscription.)
11. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer can fit in multiple categories in this article. It can be used online, on your Mac or Windows, and more. As they put it, 'Apply multiple fills, gradients, textures, borders, effects, and blending modes to any object.'
Gravit is a simple drag-and-drop graphic design tool suite. You can use a pen tool to draw your own graphics. It includes borders and other shaping functions, as well as image upload and editing tools.
Cost: Gravit uses a freemium model. The premium features start at $49.00/year.
Graphic Design Software for Mac
12. Sketch
Sketch is a graphic design tool exclusively for Mac users. It's considered one of the best graphic design software tools on the market, particularly preferred by UX and UI experts. Sketch creates wireframes and clickable product prototypes.
For Mac users interested in designing a usable model before they design their application or website, Sketch makes it easy. Simply mock up your designs in sketch, perform user tests on the clickable designs, and then pass those designs to your developer when you're ready for a full product.
(If you're interested in prototypes, you may also consider learning about Adobe XD.)
Cost: Sketch costs $99 per year, per device.
Graphic Design Resources to Support Your Workflow
Includes high-end editing tools for graphics manipulation, compatibility with Photoshop-style plug-ins, batch-conversion capabilities, a slide show window, and more. Simple Mac photo editor that lets you perform various types of batch editing: add watermark to photos, resize images and optimize pictures. Top 10 Best Free Graphic Design Software for Windows and MAC! As internet and computers are growing each day. The need for the graphics designers and the programs for them to use as tools. So, this article would be a better choice for you to read and know about free graphic design software.
We wrote this article (and made a small offering to the taco gods) to help you answer that question. We've compiled 10 of the best graphic design software tools available today, so you can compare their features and prices to determine what's best for you. Plus, we threw in a few current AppSumo deals at the end of the article to support your design efforts.
The marketplace for graphic design tools has a little bit for everyone. If you're a professional designer looking for a software that keeps up with your talent, we've included tools that give you maximum creative control. If you're a business owner just looking for a simple, low-cost way to create graphics for your business, there are multiple options below for you as well.
Get cozy in your favorite blog reading chair, because here are the best graphic design software tools in 2020.
Cloud Based Graphic Design Software
1. RelayThat
RelayThat isn't like most of the design tools on this list. It has a singular goal in mind: keeping your company graphics on-brand.
Create stunning images for your company. RelayThat remembers your colors, logo, and other design choices and automatically applies your brand colors and design details to future graphics, making graphic design fast, easy, and always consistent — even when multiple people are creating graphics on one team.
AppSumo Review: 4.62 / 5 tacos (403 total reviews)
Cost: RelayThat starts at $25 per month. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime deal on AppSumo starting at $49.
2. Pixlr
Pixlr is another image editing tool that's often used for online graphic design. You can easily remove image backgrounds, add text and stickers to photos, and use simple filters like you're on Instagram.
Like many of the online tools in this article, Pixlr also starts free. You can begin editing images, creating graphics, and building out your marketing collateral in minutes.
AppSumo Review: 4.29 / 5 tacos (24 total reviews)
Price: Pixlr lets you start using the tool for free. Paid plans start at $4.90 per month, billed annually. Or you can grab the AppSumo lifetime deal of Pixlr at $49.
3. Canva
Canva is a popular online graphic design tool known and used by seasoned designers and amateurs alike. It has a drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it easy to learn and use.
Free versions of Canva also make it useful for people without a graphic design budget. If you prioritize simplicity, cost-saving, and speed, Canva is a reliable choice.
Cost: Canva uses a freemium pricing model. Premium accounts start at $9.95/month.
💡 Looking for an alternative to Canva? Here's our list of top Canva alternatives you can find online.
4. Stencil
Another popular online graphic design tool, Stencil, enables fast graphic creation and photo editing for people on the go. Like Canva, Stencil is a drag-and-drop tool that lets you create stylish designs, fast. In fact, you don't even have to go to their website to start editing: Use Stencil's plugin to edit photos without leaving your current web screen.
Stencil also offers thousands of stock images. If you want to quickly throw together inspiring quote posts, Stencil even has a quote feature. Just browse thousands of famous phrases and use the ones you love in a graphic, without transcribing or research.
If you're deciding between Stencil and Canva, we wrote a post to help you make up your mind.
Cost: Stencil uses a Freemium model. Their premium package starts at $9/month.
5. Fotor
This online photo editor and design tool gives you tools and templates to achieve professional designs. Fotor lets you touch up images more than Stencil or Canva. It's good for designers who want to also clean up or tweak photos through light exposure and photo reshaping.
Fotor provides templates to help you design collages, social media posts, and logos. It includes resizing and other graphic/photo editing effects.
Cost: Fotor uses a freemium model. Their premium package starts at $3.33/month.
6. Crello
Crello‘s Animation Maker suite is what sets it apart from many cloud-based graphic design software. It gives users animated templates and objects to use to bring more engaging images and videos to life. Animated templates include formats for vertical and square video, Facebook and Instagram stories, and Facebook cover videos, which will help set your brand apart online.
Crello also comes with a large template and image library including illustrations, with plenty of options for various web content formats and platforms.
AppSumo Review: 4.49 / 5 tacos (109 total reviews)
Cost: Crello Pro plan starts at $7.99 per month, billed annually. Or you can get its annual deal on AppSumo for $67.
7. Figma
Unlike other graphic design software, Figma shines with its collaboration capabilities. You can add as many team members as you want as free 'viewers' to get stakeholder feedback via comments on your design.
Figma also comes with features like auto layout, asset libraries, and shareable prototyping features. Never worry about losing a thing with auto-save. Sketch (more on that below) and Figma share some plugins and integrations, so you can often find that additional functionality—or even build it yourself—if you need it.
Cost: Figma starts free for 3 projects with 2 editors and scales up to $12 and $45 per editor from there.
Offline Graphic Design Software
8. Adobe Illustrator
You'll notice that Adobe is behind multiple amazing graphic design tools on this list. Adobe is one of the biggest names in design software — for good reason. The true Adobe graphic design tool, Illustrator, provides comprehensive tools for creating captivating visuals for your brand.
Adobe Illustrator lets you design freehand, making your art come alive on the screen. You can upload or create new fonts for text the world has never seen before. From simple social media graphics to your company's logo, Illustrator gives you full creative control.
Cost: Adobe Illustrator starts at $20.99.
💡 Feel free to check out the best free and paid Illustrator alternatives for more affordable options.
Mac App Store is the simplest way to find and download apps for your Mac. To download apps from the Mac App Store, you need a Mac with OS X 10.6.6 or later. Apple products use industry-leading technology to bring apps to life — so you can experience more of the amazing things your devices are capable of. Thanks to hardware and software designed to work together, you get more out of your apps — from things you take for granted, like super‑smooth scrolling, to seeing how a new sofa might look. The hottest downloads on Apple.com. Browse and download thousands of apps for your Mac — from your Mac. Shop for apps by category, read user reviews, and buy apps in one simple step. Download apple app for mac. Download apps by Apple, including TestFlight, Beddit (for Model 3.5), Apple Support, and many more. Browse and download apps to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch from the App Store. The App Store has more than one million apps and games for your iOS device.
9. Adobe Photoshop
Another member of the Adobe suite, Adobe Photoshop, provides robust photo and graphic editing. This tool requires a higher learning curve than some of the drag-and-drop tools mentioned above. But it also offers a much wider range of functions and control. From basic tools like text overlay, to complex features like controlling file sizes, Photoshop has a lot to offer.
Photoshop is used by professional designers all over the world and the Photoshop Elements 2019 Online Introduction Course (free in our store!) can get you started.
Cost: Adobe Photoshop starts at $20.99.
💡 Here's our list of the best alternatives to Photoshop you can find in the market.
10. Affinity Designer
Another top graphic design tool, Affinity, was created for professional designers, putting it in the same camp as Adobe products when it comes to cost and features. The toolbar lets you perform everything from image cropping and resizing to text overlay.
While not exclusively a Mac product, Affinity was designed to cater to Mac products. But they've recently released a version for Windows users as well.
Affinity also lets you tap into work from talented artists. Beyond the standard price, you can choose various creative bundles that include exclusive fonts, illustrations, and more.
Cost: Affinity is $49.99. (Yes, that's a one-time fee, not a subscription.)
11. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer can fit in multiple categories in this article. It can be used online, on your Mac or Windows, and more. As they put it, 'Apply multiple fills, gradients, textures, borders, effects, and blending modes to any object.'
Gravit is a simple drag-and-drop graphic design tool suite. You can use a pen tool to draw your own graphics. It includes borders and other shaping functions, as well as image upload and editing tools.
Cost: Gravit uses a freemium model. The premium features start at $49.00/year.
Graphic Design Software for Mac
12. Sketch
Sketch is a graphic design tool exclusively for Mac users. It's considered one of the best graphic design software tools on the market, particularly preferred by UX and UI experts. Sketch creates wireframes and clickable product prototypes.
For Mac users interested in designing a usable model before they design their application or website, Sketch makes it easy. Simply mock up your designs in sketch, perform user tests on the clickable designs, and then pass those designs to your developer when you're ready for a full product.
(If you're interested in prototypes, you may also consider learning about Adobe XD.)
Cost: Sketch costs $99 per year, per device.
Graphic Design Resources to Support Your Workflow
After you select the best graphic design software for your business, the next step is to get other design-related tools and resources that support your workflow. Here are our best deals on graphic design resources. Or you can check out our post on the 30 must-have resources in 2020.
13. FreshStock
With FreshStock, you get access to an asset library with the most diverse collection of premium, curated stock vectors and templates created by world-class artists. Its subscription starts at $49 per month ($42 per month if billed annually), but for a limited time, you can get lifetime access to FreshStock at $69.
14. EpicPxls
EpicPxls is an online design template marketplace. Get the fonts, templates, illustrations, and designs you need to make graphic design simpler and faster.
15. StockUnlimited
StockUnlimited gives you access to 1+ million high-quality stock photos; songs and sound effects for videos and podcasts; and even a built-in image editor. Get a 3-year deal on StockUnlimited for $49.
How to Pick the Best Graphic Design Software
What is the best graphic design software for your business? Maybe a better question: What does your heart (and wallet) tell you?
Choosing the best graphic design software ultimately comes down to your priorities. Do you prefer speed or creative control? Are you more inclined to save a few bucks or invest in top-of-the-line design tools? Are you team Edward or Jacob? (Okay, okay, I'll send that joke back to 2008.)
If you're looking for options that make the most financial sense, here are a few AppSumo deals you should check out:
You've got the vision. Now let's see you bring it to life.
Happy choosing!
Looking for more posts on design software? Try these:
A Vector image is an image designed through a commands that place lines and shapes in a given 3D or 2D dimensional images . For our convenience as well as compatibility in other devices, a vector image is converted into a raster graphics image (PNG or JPG).
When we hear the word graphic editor, we immediately think of Photoshop. However, Photoshop is really good for raster images; but when it comes to vector images, it can only do a few basic tasks.
For creating and editing a vector image, you need a dedicated program. Here are 10 of the best free graphic editors that specialize in Vector Images.
Read Also:
Best Free Vector Graphic Softwares for Windows and Mac or Linux
1. Inkscape
Graphics Tool For Mac Windows 10
Inkscape is one of the best professional vector graphic editors for Windows, Mac and Linux. It's free and open source. It is a full-fledged desktop vector editor and which is used by illustrators, designers, web designers or anyone who needs to create vector images. You can also use Inkscape for editing some raster formats, such as PNG.
2. Vectr
Vectr is a free graphics software used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It's got a relatively simple interface which is ideal for beginners. You can either download it for free (Windows, Mac, Linux or Chromebook) or use it online.
3. DrawPlus Starter Edition
DrawPlus Starter Edition is basically a drawing and graphics program that helps you create vector graphics and more. It has a free license with limited features. It is a powerful yet easy to use tool. You have to register using an email address to use the program.
4. Fatpaint
Fatpaint is a web-based vector as well as a ratster image editor. It is inferior in features as compared to its desktop counterparts but it is very efficient for quick fixes and minor edits. One of its notable features is the 3-D text manipulation abilities.
5. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice Draw is a part of the LibreOffice Suite for Windows, Mac and Linux. It is a good desktop vector image editor and can be used to create vector images from scratch or to change existing ones. You can use this program specially for technical drawings, flow charts and diagrams.
6. RollApp
RollApp is the cloud-based online version of Inkscape. It allows features like Inkscape plus integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, and a few other cloud storage providers. However, if you work with large files and/or your Internet connection is unreliable, you might not be able to work as smoothly as on your desktop.
7. SVG-Edit
SVG, which stands for Scalable Vector Graphics, is an open format that allows you to reproduce your Vector drawings programmatically. SVG-Edit is a web-based open source program which can be used for creating and editing documents as well as downloading and modifying the code to make your own version.
8. Dia
Dia is a free program for Linux, Unix, Mac OS X and Windows. Dia is used to draw structured diagrams and supports more than 30 different diagram types like flowcharts, network diagrams, database models. It can also be used to read and write a number of raster and vector image formats.
AVG AntiVirus for Mac is one of several totally free antivirus solutions to protect your Macs. It takes care of basic antivirus protection, but its protection against malicious and fraudulent URLs. Avg antivirus mac uninstall. If AVG AntiVirus Free is already installed on your Mac, the application automatically upgrades to AVG Internet Security after purchase. If automatic upgrade fails, you can manually activate your paid subscription via the AVG AntiVirus Free user interface. Download FREE AVG antivirus software for Mac. Protection against viruses, malware & spyware. Easy-to-use virus scanning and clean up. Download FREE AVG antivirus software. Get protection against viruses, malware and spyware. Easy-to-use virus scanner for PC, Mac & mobile. AVG Antivirus for Mac. AVG Internet Security for Mac View features. Block viruses and malware. Protect against ransomware. Verify Wi-Fi network security. Avoid fake and unsafe websites. Prevent webcam hijacking. Free Trial (no credit card needed).
9. Apache OpenOffice Draw
Draw is a part of the Apache OpenOffice suite, which enables us to work upon visuals and diagrams. It is a really good program for technical or general posters. You can import graphics from all common formats (including BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WMF). Draw also has a free feature to create Flash (.swf) versions of your work.
10. Microsoft Expression Design
Microsoft Expression Design is a creative designing tool for designers and developers who want to build graphics for their application or user interfaces, the web, or any other medium. It is very useful with Microsoft Office as it supports WMF and EMF file formats. The software has an good Manual which facilitates slicing, which means that you can export parts of the drawing without exporting the entire drawing.
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I have already discussed the Top Free Vector Graphics Editors for beginners as well as experts. The programs mentioned above should be enough for performing all sort of creative editing in your vector and in some cases, raster images. Nevertheless, if you want to use certain specialized functions of some premium software, here are a few of the Top Paid Software for Vector Graphics Editing that you can download for a free trial.
1. Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Illustrator is the standard vector graphics tool that lets you to create icons, drawing, logos and complex illustrations for web apps, mobile, prints and video. It is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and works for Windows and Mac and can also work on smartphones and tablets using the Illustrator Draw companion app.
2. Sketch
Graphics Tool For Mac Shortcut
Sketch is a proprietary vector graphics editor for MacOS. It is a light-weight package that provides power, flexibility and speed for its operations. It is ideal for modern graphic designers. Sketch features a flexible workflow with support for Multiple Pages and Artboards. Powerful features like Symbols and Shared Styles are there to make reusing elements quick and easy. Your data syncs up on the cloud server which you can use using other apple devices (Mac book, iPhone, iPad).
Read Also: Microsoft Paint for Mac: Free Alternative Drawing Tools To Use
Overview
Graphics Tool For Mac Windows 10
These graphic editors for vector images are all efficient in their own way, but it all depends on what you need them for. A beginner looking to start working with vector images would prefer going for Vectr and a statistical analyst who has to work with a lot of graphs and charts would go for Dia because a professional graphic designer who needs extra functionality might prefer using a paid software like Adobe Illustrator CC or Sketch. My opinion is to go for Inkscape, as you can get most of the premium features present in the paid software for free.
