10 Free Graphic Design Software You Should Know About

As a graphic designer starting out in this field, you will need a place to let your creative juices flow and test your skills. But most beginners tend to procrastinate and not pursue their dream of graphic designing because they can’t afford a monthly subscriptions to popular graphic design tools.

But what if you can start graphic designing straightaway using only free tools? It is possible after all.

This blog will help you know about the top 10 free graphic design software you can use today and start designing anything you want. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Part 1. Is Free Graphic Design Software Worth It?

Many claims that the paid versions of graphic design software help designers take their designing skills to the next level and work on high-level projects. All true and no one will deny that. However, the free software can be as much as useful as the paid tools you see around when you learn about some of them. Having free graphic design software helps:

To manage small projects

For graphic designers or marketers working in an organization, having a free graphic design tool helps in providing sufficient templates and designs that help promote their brand and work on other business-related activities. To manage small and achievable projects, you do not need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to have a fully-functional and beneficial graphic design tool by your side to manage workflow.

Beginners to excel

As mentioned earlier, having free graphic design software helps beginners to start out in graphic design and give them a safe space to test their limits and develop their skills. Free graphic design tools offer sufficient features and inspiration for new designers to learn and keep practicing designing.

Part 2. Top 10 Free Graphic Design Software

Without further ado, let us go through the top 10 free graphic design software that you should know about and gain the benefits from using them:

1. Canva

Canva is one of the go-to places for a beginner in graphic design.

Pros

• Its free version provides thousands of templates that can cater to every graphic design needs as well as marketing materials for your business.
• You can access Canva from any device.
• It has a user-friendly interface with its simple drag-and-drop feature. Thus, enabling users to make easy and quick edits to their designs.

Cons

• You will need a fast and reliable internet connection to avoid any progress from being lost instantly.
• The free templates are limited and better premium templates require upgrading your account to Canva Pro.

2. Adobe Express

Even though Adobe has its paid subscription plans, Adobe Express is one of the top cloud-based tools for graphic designers.

Pros

• You can get up to 100 GB of cloud storage.
• Similarly to Canva, you can have access to thousands of high-quality templates.
• If you want to test your creative skills and also build a brand name, this is one top graphic design software to do so.

Cons

• Its web platform is difficult to use compared to its app.
• A bit difficult to find tools in the interface because there are many tool options.

3. Visme

Visme is another graphic design online tool that one can use for building a brand and using for other business-related tasks.

Pros

• You will find many templates, and color palettes, and also create animation and videos with ease.
• It is highly collaborative in nature and you can integrate Visme with other apps.

Cons

• Its premium assets are considered more expensive compared to other graphic design sites.

4. Vectr

Vectr specializes in creating designs for various projects—big and small.

Pros

• It provides an easy-to-use user interface with WordPress integration.
• It is highly useful for collaboration—having cross-platform and browser versions for managing smooth design workflow.

Cons

• It lacks advanced features compared to the likes of Adobe, Canva, and Visme.

5. SVGator

SVGator specializes in creating vectors with ease.

Pros

• It provides vector-oriented tools and other drawing options to help designers create artwork and also UI designs.
• It has a detailed tutorial which is helpful for any beginner who is starting out on SVGator.

Cons

• There is no mobile version available hence, it is limited to web use only.

6. Corel Vector

Corel Vector is another go-to place for beginners that want to work on their craft and improve in graphic design.

Pros

• Corel Vector has a huge library of vector assets, making workflow easy.
• Its user interface is user-friendly—encouraging the designer’s creative flow.

Cons

• The downside to using Corel Vector is it only offers a 15-day free trial.

7. Figma

Figma is a highly collaborative design tool that mostly is used by UI designers for UI/UX design projects.

Pros

• It is known for having a large community where designers share unlimited design resources and templates that help each other to grow and make a name for themselves in the design field.
• It offers a lot of advanced graphic design tool options, making it a user-friendly and effective place to practice graphic design.

Cons

• You will need to install a separate app to preview prototypes called Figma Mirror.

8. Sketch

Even though Adobe has its paid subscription plans, Adobe Express is one of the top cloud-based tools for graphic designers.

Pros

• Similar to Figma, it is a great tool when it comes to UI designing and has an easy-to-use interface which is helpful for beginners.
• You can not only do graphic designing but also prototyping on Sketch.

Cons

• The only limitation as mentioned earlier is it only works on macOS.

9. Inkscape

Inkscape is a design software that is mainly used for vector graphics.

Pros

• Inkscape is a design software that is mainly used for vector graphics.
• It consists of plenty of filters and high-quality effect tools making the design workflow smooth.
• It provides a lot of educational content that makes it valuable for graphic design beginners.

Cons

• When it comes to managing larger projects, the software can be very slow.

10. Renderforest

Renderforest is another online tool that helps in creating high-quality graphics and marketing tools.

Pros

• You do not require any prior installation.
• Helpful for businesses of any size as you get access to a wide variety of design templates.
• When it comes to creating marketing materials, Renderforest is one of the places to go for graphic designers.

Cons

• Despite the pros, the templates are deemed poor quality.

Part 3. BONUS - An Alternate and Advanced Free Graphic Design Software

Pixso is a free collaborative design tool that you can use for graphic designing and other purposes.

Its key features:

• It is free to use and individuals can create unlimited design files.
• Offers a variety of advanced design tools to create intricate and complex designs.
• Integrated workflow—you can import files from Figma to Sketch and preview prototypes in the same web app.
• It has a built-in auto layout feature for designers to scale design elements and contents in different screen sizes.
• Highly collaborative tool—providing built-in sharing tools for small-to-medium-sized teams.
• It has a design community where designers can share inspiration and get various templates and components added to their design canvas.

Graphic Design Has No Boundaries…

As you have learned, having free graphic design software helps designers to start out and pursue their dream in graphic design. It also helps organizations with branding and executing business-related tasks by utilizing free graphic design software. Thus, saving a lot of costs and still benefiting from quality graphics.

Explore these free tools and start using them today to get the hang of them and also know which ones work for you. You need to try them out before knowing which tool is going to be your companion in your creative career.

Try Pixso for Free