Graphic design software and image editing tools are utilized by graphic designers to create and organize their work. Examples of graphic design software include design-based tools such as Freehand and Adobe Illustrator and layout tools such as Adobe InDesign and Quark Xpress. Show moreMany graphic designers also use photo-editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop. In addition, graphic designers who do web-based design can utilize tools such as Adobe Flash to take their designs to the internet by utilizing simple HTML language. Start by checking our leader Adobe Illustrator CC, and other recommended solutions in this category.Show less
In order to prepare this list of best Graphic Design Software we have evaluated 402 different applications currently present on the market, contrasting their features, how easy are they are to learn, client support, available integrations as well as mobile device support with our exclusive SmartScoreTM rating system. This list has been prepared by Jenny Chang, our software expert dedicated to the Graphic Design Software category.
CloudRank™ system is a unique algorithm that our research team uses to evaluate Graphic Design Software solutions in a detailed and accurate way. The Spring 2022 edition of the ranking was prepared by Jenny Chang, our leading expert in the field of Graphic Design Software, who has authored 1380+ product reviews in this category. The goal of CloudRank™ is to present an unbiased, multi-layered perspective on Graphic Design Software, considering a wide range of metrics and factors, and educating potential customers about both opportunities and challenges associated with each piece of software.
In order to achieve full objectivity the position in our CloudRank™ is based on:
We’ve calculated a score for each product based on the average experience shared by our users in their product reviews and arranged the list in three tiers. You can see the methodology below on how the calculations were made.
Regardless of their tier, all products included in our CloudRank™ are popular, quality products considered top-performers by our team of experts. Make sure you read a more detailed review of each solution to find one that will work best for your specific needs and budget.
Show lessMARKET POSITION
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
TOTAL score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
Market Position
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
Total Score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
CloudRank™ tier
Based on product's total score.
Rising Star
Contender
Front Runners
Here is a list of all 25 Graphic Design Software solutions evaluated with our CloudRank™ analysis. We have compared their features, user satisfaction, market presence and other key factors in an in-depth analysis you can find below:
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Our report covered 25 most popular products from the Graphic Design Software category. We’ve analyzed their features, performance, integration, customer support, pricing, and several other key buying factors and combined it with feedback from user reviews to come up with the current list of best solutions:
Canva is the leader in this year’s Graphics Design Software CloudRank. This relatively new software managed to beat industry giants such as Abobe by a wide margin, powered by its highly lauded usability and mobility. Created as an online design platform, this software was developed by a company based in Sydney, Australia back in 2012. And 10 years later, Canva is starting to take the graphics design world by storm.
It comes with a plethora of powerful and intuitive features, including a simple drag-and-drop design tool and a vast collection of over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. Furthermore, this software allows businesses, big or small, to create professional-quality graphic designs with its simple and straightforward platform. Additionally, Canva is praised by its users because of its impeccable usability and stellar customer support. Moreover, Canva is a budget-friendly online design platform that offers a free trial with pricing plans that start at $12.95 per month.
Most users of Graphic Design Software solutions confirm that in most cases these tools allow them to reach the following business goals:
The Spring 2022 version of the report includes a total of 25 Graphic Design Software products that were compared and analyzed by our team. We selected them based on the following factors:
The first step to gain customers is to attract them visually. In fact, 49% of SMB owners think that graphic design is very important to their business. Fortunately, gone are the days of manually crafting your business’ artwork for campaigns and product designs because there is a plethora of graphic design software to help you in that department. Over the years, the developers have continuously adapted their software to match the current and predicted trends in the industry.
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49%Moderately Important
31%Neutral
10%Slightly Important
7%Not Important
3%Source: 99Designs Survey
Designed byArtificial intelligence is taking every industry by storm. In the graphic design business, developers are highly anticipated to put out software and mobile apps that not only work fast but also work smart with the use of AI. Moreover, it will help optimize your design team’s work process by having it analyze vast amounts of data and suggest design adjustments.
Aside from artificial intelligence, augmented reality is also starting to become a buzzword in graphic design lately. When Niantic launched Pokemon Go in 2016, everyone was amazed by the potential and applicability of this unexplored technology. Given that 88% of digital marketers use visual graphics in their campaigns, this can pique their interest even more. In graphic design, this means that designs and artworks will become more immersive which means that developers are bound to create functionalities to facilitate this trend.
Graphic designers know that in one artwork, you have to create multiple copies with different specs and sizes to accommodate the various devices currently used by the potential customers. This trend will encourage graphic design developers to expand their products’ capabilities of producing designs that automatically adapt to the device it is currently being viewed.
Graphic design tools are utilized by graphic designers to create attractive images and designs. There are numerous high-quality programs in this category. This begs the question: how do you do informed comparisons to select the best graphic design software product for your specific needs? We help you with this buyer’s guide which details the key features and factors you should consider in your search.
By learning more about graphic design software and your options, you will be able to make better selections and decisions. Whether you’re a designer or a business owner in need of the best image creation and editing tool, our guide can help you find what you’re looking for.
A wonderful way to start your quest for the best among these graphic design tools is to find out if popular graphic design software providers offer a handy free trial or demo. You can visit the websites of the following top platforms to check the possibility of benefiting from a free trial: CorelDraw, Affinity Designer, PaintShop Pro, Photoshop Elements 2018, and Xara Designer Pro. These tools have been given high rankings in our graphic design software reviews that you can peruse to do a comparison of the features.
Subscribing to a free trial gives you hands-on experience while using the software. This lets you gauge whether a graphic design tool has the features and functions you need, and if it can help simplify your work.
Graphic design software may all seem similar to each other, but they actually aren’t. They come in different types, each of which cater to different design needs. By knowing what design features you require, it will be easier for you to choose the type of graphic design software to get or subscribe to.
While different graphic design software offer unique feature sets, the features above are the ones common among them. These are the fundamental features that make any graphic design software work and allow designers to create visually appealing artwork.
Because different graphic design software have different features, they also offer different benefits. However, you can expect to enjoy the general benefits listed above, especially if you’re able to choose a software that specifically suits your needs.
Today’s graphic design software are powered by advanced technology. They also offer a wide range of smart design tools. But there are a few things to keep in mind to help you make the most of them. Here they are:
Calling a graphic design software “the best” is highly relative. Since different software offer different features and different users have different needs, what’s best for one user may not be the same for another. Software reviews and free product trials are your best friends when searching for the most ideal graphic design software for you and your team.
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Pricing details are an important consideration when you analyze SaaS vendors. Ask the provider if they offer price protection and contractual flexibility. “Shelfware” has become a major problem in SaaS licensing as customers end up shelling out for more than they need. Plus, to get pricing predictability, consumers are forced to subscribe to long-term contracts. Make sure you don’t get saddled with perpetual licensing and get locked in for a long time with a single provider. Ask about easy exit policies that allow you to move on to another vendor if you are not satisfied with the services provided by the current one. Select a provider that offers a handy standard annual termination facility as well as long-term price protection.
Another important factor to consider is whether the cloud vendor meets compliance and security requirements. Your company is accountable to employees, consumers, business partners, and regulators. Therefore, you should choose a provider that has adopted a technically sound and comprehensive security program. Map your security control needs such as availability, integrity, confidentiality, privacy, and accountability to the vendor’s capabilities. Ask the potential provider about the practices and systems they use to protect your confidential data. Do they meet general as well as industry-specific compliance and security regulations? Do they provide special measures to meet the unique security requirements of your particular industry? Get satisfactory answers to these questions before you make the investment.
Based on our analysis of its features and user satisfaction scores, the best graphic design software as of this writing is Adobe Illustrator CC. It features a wide variety of design tools, filters, and effects that can be used to design websites, video games, logos, promotional materials, and print media. Adobe Illustrator CC lets users produce designs with pixel-perfect accuracy. What’s more, it makes designing faster, thanks to readily accessible presets and templates.
Aside from helping designers create beautiful artwork more efficiently, investing in graphic design software also have other benefits:
Different graphic design software offer unique feature sets, but below are the features they commonly have:
Based on user satisfaction ratings and reviews, Canva can be considered as the easiest graphic design software to use. Its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface makes designing a breeze even for beginners and non-professional designers. For the determined, it may only take several minutes to get used to Canva’s tools and functions.
Besides Canva, a good free graphic design software to check out is GIMP. This open-source image editing platform packs an array of professional-quality features, including the remarkable montage features that allow users to easily fine-tune photos and images, and create artwork from scratch.
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