In the universe of graphic design software, almost every app in this category wants to position itself as a better alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Like the rest of the Adobe suite, Illustrator is a somewhat expensive subscription-based application, which can be paid monthly. These include letting you import multiple-page PDFs, syncing and browsing with Dropbox, adding the ability to create multiple artboards on a single canvas, supporting the new MacBook Pro touch bar, and more. Over the years, Adobe has added a ton of features to Illustrator. These effectively let you create anything you can think of, including logos, icons, drawings, and more - as long as you know how to use it, of course. A toolbar features all kinds of useful creative tools: selection, typography, reshaping, symbols, drawing, painting, graphing, slicing, moving, cutting, and zooming. Illustrator lets you import, modify, or create new graphics from scratch. Vector graphics are incredibly useful in publishing because they can be scaled to small sizes (for mobile phones or small icons) or large sizes (for billboards or big prints). When it comes to creating and modifying vector graphics, no software is better known than Adobe Illustrator. 'Combines both word processing documents and page layout (including some graphics tools) in one program.'

'This alternative is here to save you cash and still bring you most of the features you need to edit and create imagery.' Runner-Up, Best Budget: Pixelmator at Apple 'A supreme value for novices and users that don’t need the extra bells and whistles.' 'A huge number of copyright-free images for all of your publishing needs.' 'Does not make you sign up for a subscription, which is refreshing and will please budget-conscious users.' Runner-Up, Best for Photo Editing: Affinity Photo at Affinity 'Robust features for enhancing photos, illustrations, and artwork…also lets you design websites, mobile applications, and other assets.' 'A smart and fast app that can help you with concept art, icons, illustrations, patterns, and web graphics.' Runner-Up, Best for Vector Graphics: Affinity Designer at Affinity 'Lets you create anything you can think of, including logos, icons, hand drawings, and more.' 'Xpress offers modern publishing tools and can help you create physical and digital documents.'īest for Vector Graphics: Adobe Illustrator Runner-Up, Best Overall: QuarkXPress at Quark

'The first app you should look at…whether you’re looking to publish a book, magazine, poster, or a simple PDF report.'

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