Adobe Illustrator vs Inkscape
Adobe Illustrator
adobe.com
Inkscape
inkscape.orgSide by side
| Figure | Adobe Illustrator | Inkscape |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Vector Graphics Software | 9.1 (#3) | 8.6 (#10) |
| Spec score · Graphic Design Software | 9.1 (#13) | 9.0 (#18) |
| Spec score · Design tools | 9.1 (#13) | 8.9 (#24) |
| Spec score · Logo Designing Softwares Software | 9.1 (#3) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Designing Solutions | 9.1 (#4) | 8.5 (#15) |
| Spec score · Multimedia Software | 8.9 (#5) | 8.3 (#16) |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
| Drawing tools | The Pen, Curvature, Pencil, and Shape Builder tools create and edit lines, curves, and complex shapes. | The editor provides pencil, Bézier pen, calligraphy, rectangle, ellipse, star, polygon and spiral tools. |
| Founded | 1982 | The project began as a fork of Sodipodi in late 2003. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Illustration tools | Yes | Yes |
| Intended users | Adobe describes Illustrator as suited to individuals and promotes the app for logos, brand graphics, marketing, advertising, and digital drawing. | The site describes Inkscape as a tool for illustrators, designers, web designers, and anyone who needs to create vector imagery. |
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Adobe offers Illustrator for desktop, iPad, and web; desktop system requirements list Windows and macOS. | The project’s installation guide describes stable versions for macOS, Linux, and Windows. |
| Support | The teams plans include 24x7 dedicated technical support, and Adobe links to its Help Center and Adobe Community from the Illustrator product page. | User help is community-provided through project-maintained channels including RocketChat and the Inkscape Forum. |
| Template library | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | Illustrator creates vector graphics such as logos, icons, drawings, typography, and illustrations for print, web, video, and mobile. | Inkscape is a free, open-source vector graphics editor for artistic and technical illustrations such as logos, typography, diagrams and flowcharts. |
Plans
Adobe Illustrator
- Illustrator — Annual, billed monthlyPrice not published
- Illustrator — Annual, billed monthlyPriced on request
- Illustrator — Annual plan, prepaidPriced on request
- Illustrator — Annual plan, prepaidPrice not published
- Adobe Illustrator (students and teachers)$19.99 a month
- Illustrator$22.99 a month
- Illustrator for teams$37.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro for teams$99.99 a month
- Illustrator$263.88 a year
In their own words
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator creates vector graphics such as logos, icons, drawings, typography, and illustrations for print, web, video, and mobile. Its artwork uses points, lines, and curves, so it can scale up or down without pixel blurring. Pen, Curvature, Pencil, and Shape Builder tools create and edit lines, curves, and complex shapes. Generative Shape Fill and Text to Vector Graphic add AI-assisted creation, while Text to Pattern and Generative Recolor support custom patterns and color palettes. The Font Browser offers filtering, and font libraries sync across Adobe apps. Illustrator vectors can be imported into After Effects while preserving layer structure. The product has desktop and mobile apps and is listed for iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Illustrator requires a membership and has no free plan. The individual Illustrator plan is $22.99 a month, billed annually monthly, and lists 100GB cloud storage, 25 monthly generative credits, Adobe Express Premium, and a seven-day free trial. Desktop use requires an internet connection at least once every 99 days to validate membership. Desktop requirements for version 30.0 and later include Windows 10/11 or macOS 13 through 26, with 8GB RAM minimum and 16GB recommended.