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What is Graphic Design Software?

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

How was this ranking made?

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.

List of Top 12 Graphic Design Software

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1. Adobe Illustrator CC

Our score: 9.6 User satisfaction: 99%

An industry-standard vector graphics software, which supports Adobe Stock marketplace integration for users to access wide collection of design templates. Adobe Illustrator CC has the tools and capability to help users produce artworks with pixel-perfect accuracy. The software lets graphic designers and artists create designs faster.

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2. Adobe Photoshop CC

Our score: 9.6 User satisfaction: 97%

World's leading image and design manipulation platform. Adobe Photoshop CC is ideal for professional photographers, designers, and artists. As part of the Adobe Creative Cloud service, it offers reliable and industry-standard tools that help users easily design posters, icons, banners, web pages, and mobile app graphics.

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3. Adobe InDesign CC

Our score: 9.5 User satisfaction: 98%

A page design and layout app for graphic artists and businesses who are creating and publishing documents for print and digital media such as brochures, magazines, eBooks, and PFDs. This desktop publishing software allows users to design using rich images, graphics, tables, and professional layouts. Adobe InDesign CC also supports the creation of interactive PDFs, eBooks, and digital magazines.

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4. Canva

Our score: 9.4 User satisfaction: 99%

Canva makes it amazingly simple for everyone to create professional quality graphic designs. This intuitive and user-friendly platform gives organizations and individuals access to dynamic graphic design tools. With a drag-and-drop interface, Canva makes graphic design so easy even for beginners.

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5. GIMP

Our score: 9.3 User satisfaction: 96%

GIMP (GNU image manipulation program) is a free, open-source image editing software. The program offers an array of professional-quality features that can easily rival other leading image manipulation software's capabilities. It also supports pre-installed or downloadable plugins that improve its usability.

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6. Pixlr

Our score: 9.2 User satisfaction: 98%

PixIr is a family of web-based and native mobile image editing applications. It is free to use at the moment. Built using Flash, users can access it anywhere as long as the plugin is installed. Pixlr offers a suite of powerful photo editing tools that are comparable to those featured in paid apps.

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7. Inkscape

Our score: 9.1 User satisfaction: 100%

A web-based vector graphics editing tool that is free to use. Inkscape is a vector graphics editor that utilizes a unique native format that sets it apart from other programs of its kind. Inkscape has a clean, consistent, and very stable interface. Additionally, it uses Scalable Vector Graphics and an open XML-based W3C standard.

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8. Autodesk SketchBook

Our score: 9.1 User satisfaction: 96%

A cross-platform drawing and painting software for creatives, it helps users in creating stunning illustrations in less time and staying productive on the go. Autodesk Sketchbook allows creative and design professionals to create stunning illustrations more quickly and easily. The software also helps users stay productive on all major platforms and devices.

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9. PaintShop Pro

Our score: 9.0 User satisfaction: 100%

PaintShop Pro is an easy-to-use image editing software that offers a comprehensive suite of robust image drawing, correction, and editing tools. It provides professional-grade tools that enable users to create graphic design projects, edit photos, improve images with quick fixes, retouch and restore, and add effects to photos.

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10. Tailor Brands

Our score: 9.0 User satisfaction: 96%

Tailor Brands is an automated business-building platform, with everything entrepreneurs need to launch, manage and grow their business with ease - from LLC formation to automated logo design and brand creation.

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11. Wacom MobileStudio Pro

Our score: 8.8 User satisfaction: 99%

Suite of creative tools packed into a mobile pen computer that features the Wacom Pro Pen 2, offers artists and graphics professionals pinpoint accuracy.

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12. Easy Cut Studio

Our score: 8.5 User satisfaction: 97%

Easy Cut Studio is a powerful vinyl cutting software that simplifies designing and cutting signs, decals, and custom graphics effortlessly.

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Similar Categories:

In the event you didn't find just the solution you were looking for here's a list of various categories similar to Graphic Design Software that you might want to browse through:

Graphic Design Software Guide

Table of contents

Industry Report - Graphic Design Software for 2022

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:

  • Expert Score: which involves extensive analysis by our internal team which carefully examined all key elements of each software and testing it in real-life situations
  • User Score: which involves an aggregated opinion of actual users of each product whose identity was properly verified
  • Market Position: which involves general recognition of a given vendor on the market and reflects its overall popularity and reach
What do the tiers in CloudRank™ mean?

What do the tiers in CloudRank™ mean?

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.

  • Leaders: those with a User Score of 7.8 or higher; this tier includes products that are currently leaders on the market and are appreciated by both experts and actual users. They always represent the best of what the Graphic Design Software market has to offer and are all worth trying out if you’re looking for a reliable solution.
  • Contenders: those with a User Score between 7.1 and 7.8; this tier includes high-quality products that still have some minor drawbacks that prevent them from becoming leaders on the market. They always represent well-designed tools that, over time, will most likely develop into market leaders as the missing features are added.
  • Rising Stars: those with a User Score between 6.5 and 7.1; this tier includes products that have high-potential but still lack some crucial features or services expected from a leading solution. They are products with solid foundations and a vision that makes us eager to see what they will become as their solution improves in the future.

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.

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Rising Star
Contenders
Front-Runners

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.

How does CloudRank™ work?

Arrow top

Market Position

A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.

Arrow right

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

25 Most Popular Graphic Design Software

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:

1. Canva

8.67
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.67
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Blemish removal

%

One-touch adjustment

%

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

One-touch filter

%

2. Adobe Photoshop CC

8.46
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.46
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

Blemish removal

%

One-touch adjustment

%
Worst features

Edit gradients

%

RAW photo support

%

3. Adobe Illustrator CC

8.45
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.45
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch adjustment

%

Image rendering

%

Blemish removal

%
Worst features

Edit gradients

%

4. Pixlr

7.90
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.90
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

Blemish removal

%

5. PicMonkey

7.89
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.89
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%

Blemish removal

%

RAW photo support

%
Worst features

Edit gradients

%

6. Autodesk SketchBook

7.58
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.58
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Blemish removal

%

Edit gradients

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

One-touch filter

%

7. Sketch

7.53
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.53
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

8. Onshape

7.52
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.52
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

9. Adobe InDesign CC

7.46
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.46
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

10. CorelDraw

7.40
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.40
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Blemish removal

%

Edit gradients

%

RAW photo support

%
Worst features

Image rendering

%

11. Desygner

7.26
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.26
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

12. Infogram

7.22
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.22
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

13. Piktochart

7.22
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.22
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

Blemish removal

%

14. GIMP

7.21
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.21
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%

RAW photo support

%

Edit source code

%
Worst features

Edit gradients

%

Blemish removal

%

15. PaintShop Pro

7.18
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.18
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Blemish removal

%

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

RAW photo support

%

16. ACDSee Photo Editor 10

7.17
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.17
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

One-touch filter

%

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

Blemish removal

%

17. Fotor

7.04
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.04
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

RAW photo support

%

Blemish removal

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

Edit gradients

%

18. FotoJet

6.92
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.92
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

One-touch filter

%

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

19. Venngage

6.91
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.91
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%

Edit gradients

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

20. QuarkXPress 2017

6.89
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.89
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

21. Vectr

6.80
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.80
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

22. DrawPad

6.64
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.64
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%
Worst features

23. Inkscape

6.62
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.62
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

One-touch filter

%

Edit gradients

%

Image rendering

%
Worst features

Blemish removal

%

24. Xara Designer Pro

6.37
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.37
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Edit gradients

%

One-touch filter

%

Blemish removal

%
Worst features

RAW photo support

%

25. DesignCap

6.30
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.30
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Image rendering

%

One-touch filter

%
Worst features

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:

  • It assists us to differentiate our brand from the competition. [ 88.7% of users ]
  • It enables us to save time and money. [ 87.0% of users ]
  • It helps us to add attractive visuals to our social media posts, printed materials, and more. [ 87.4% of users ]
  • It helps us to improve our brand identity and employee pride. [ 86.4% of users ]
  • It helps us to improve viewer interaction. [ 88.3% of users ]

How did we select products for this Graphic Design Software report?

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:

  • Popularity of a given brand in the SaaS market (based on our own market research)
  • How popular a given brand is among FinancesOnline users (based on number of mothly readers for each review page)
  • Availability of statistical data generated from user reviews of a particular product (we excluded products with not enough data to draw meaningful conclusions)
  • The current listing reflects the state of our database and research as of April 2022. An updated version of the report will be released quarterly to keep data fresh and incorporate information about shifts and changing trends in the market.

What are the current Graphic Design Software trends?

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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How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Very Important: 49%

Very Important

49%
How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Moderately Important: 31%

Moderately Important

31%
How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Neutral: 10%

Neutral

10%
How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Slightly Important: 7%

Slightly Important

7%
How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Not Important : 3%

Not Important

3%

Source: 99Designs Survey

Designed by

Application of AI

Artificial 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.

Immersive Design

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.

Design that Adapts

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.

Get to know each product with free trial

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: CorelDrawAffinity DesignerPaintShop ProPhotoshop 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.

Targeted Businesses

  • Freelance graphic designers can utilize this type of software for their individual needs.
  • Graphic design agencies can use these tools to create attractive designs for their clients.
  • Businesses, particularly those that are just starting to grow, can utilize these cost-effective graphic design tools to assist in their marketing and advertising efforts.
  • Social media specialists and managers can use these software to create catchy online marketing campaigns.

Examples of Graphic Design Software

  • CorelDraw: Graphic design software for students, hobbyists, and beginners. You can use it to create social media content, photo projects, newsletters, logos, and more. The product includes useful learning resources. You can install up to 3 copies in your household (this tool is not for commercial use).
  • Affinity Designer: Touted as a complete graphic design product. It is a fast, smooth, and precise vector graphic design tool. All its functions, panels, tools, and features have been designed for the requirements of creative professionals. You can use it to exercise precise control over curves, colors, and performance to create stunning results.
  • PaintShop Pro: Affordable graphic design and photo editing software. You can create attractive designs using textures, patterns, gradients, brushes, and new color palettes. Make use of the simple user interface for fast navigation. The product includes improvements to popularly used tools and new workspaces for your expertise level.
  • Photoshop Elements 2018: Organize your images and improve them with smart photo editing tools. Convert them into striking creations and share your memories. Auto-organize by places, people, subject, and date. In addition, you can auto-curate your best photos based on subjects, faces, quality, and more.
  • Xara Designer Pro: Optimize your photos with detailed retouching. Combine text with images and graphics to create appealing social media posts, posters, and invitations. Experiment with filters, plug-ins, and creative design effects. You can even create your own illustrations and vector graphics from scratch. Finally, the application offers a vast collection of stock photos among which you can easily find the right image.

Types of Graphic Design Software

  • Word processors. Besides text, modern word processors also include graphics tools allowing you to combine text and graphics to create attractive postcards, flyers, booklets, and brochures.
  • Publishing software. Also known as desktop publishing software. They also combine text and graphics but are more advanced. These tools enable you to precisely control image editing functions, kerning, leading, and graphics and text placement. Sophisticated publishing software tools enable you to handle layouts for magazines, books, and other publications.
  • Illustration software. Include text manipulation and word processing features. They allow you to adjust line spacing and kerning, and check grammar and spelling. You can use illustration software for page layout on small projects such as small booklets, letterheads, business cards, brochures, greeting cards, and postcards.
  • Creative printing software. This tool has become popular as inkjet printers have become cheaper to buy. You can use it to create crafts such as t-shirt designs, posters, signs, business cards, postcards, and greeting cards.
  • Presentation software. You can use it to create slideshows, overhead transparencies, reports, and on-screen presentations.
  • Web publishing software. All the above types of software allow you to publish your designs on the internet. Low-end software offer basics like simple web page creation tools, enable you to create animated greetings, and send your files through email. Advanced software offer sophisticated web publishing features for exporting to PDF or HTML. In addition, there are numerous dedicated web publishing platforms.

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.

Key Features of Graphic Design Software

  • Colors. Use colors to attract the attention of the viewer and create striking signage and ads.
  • Shapes. Enhance the visual effect of your project by manipulating or exaggerating shapes to create a stunning image.
  • Lines. Organize the graphics and text, divide an image, and create boxes to highlight text within graphics.
  • Mass. Create the optimum amount of contrast to attract the viewer’s interest. This enhances the overall impact of the image.
  • Textures. They can add dimension and depth to graphics. Textures are utilized in website design to include background contrast in web pages. They can create an in-depth, layered effect for ads and websites.

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.

Benefits of Graphic Design Software

  • Enhances employee pride. You can use graphic design software to create a strong brand identity that reflects your organization’s vision in all things including staff apparel, business cards, and company communications and websites.
  • Helps to save time. Graphic designers can save time by easily identifying the best file format to use for your business cards, website images and photos, and more.
  • Helps to save money. Poorly designed graphics can prove to be costly for your company. So, do not hesitate to pay for a good graphic design software program to produce high-quality output and save money in the long run.
  • Improves viewer interaction. Graphic design software enables you to create stunning visuals that can help to increase your organization’s social media views, followers, and shares. You can include appealing visuals in your printed materials, social media posts, blogs, websites, and e-newsletters to grab and engage readers’ attention.
  • Differentiate yourself. Create a unique identity that gets attention, differentiates your products and services, and ensures your followers keep coming back for fresh content.
  • Bolster your brand. Strong companies and brands have highly recognizable typefaces, color schemes, and logos. Use graphic design software to create an easily identifiable face for your company and brand that helps you to differentiate yourself from the competition.

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.

  • Brighter and louder colors. The era of muted and safe colors is over. Now, companies are experimenting with bold colors combined with professionally edited images to create stunning in-your-face designs. Check out the work of the music experts at Spotify to understand what we are talking about.
  • Bold typography. Another notable trend is the use of bold typography to attract reader attention and fight content saturation. Daring and big fonts are being used to grab eyeballs. For example, Wired magazine uses a bold mix of fonts to place emphasis on individual titles and important info on the page.
  • Artificial intelligence. AI is everywhere and in terms of graphic design, it will help designers create designs faster and more accurately, as AI-powered software is able to utilize machine learning.
  • Physical immersion. Virtual reality has been around for a while, but in the future, we will likely see more graphic design software incorporate it in their feature sets.

Potential Issues

  • Adapting to new technology. It is a challenge for graphic designers to anticipate changes in software and technology, adapt to and master them, and at the same time be open to fresh influences that can help to improve their work.
  • The need to be multi-skilled. Graphic designers need more than just expertise in typography and design to excel in their field. They also require conceptual thinking and execution skills, and expertise in a range of areas such as interaction design, motion graphics, and more. Plus, they should develop the ability to effectively utilize the latest technology and software to improve their output.
  • Designing for human experience. With technology ever-evolving, the lines between technology, creativity, and human experience could be easily blurred. Designers must be able to design for human experience despite the wide availability of AI-powered designs.
  • Maintaining design fundamentals. As mentioned above, graphic design technology keeps on evolving. While it’s good to harness the power of technology in design, it’s also important that designers maintain fundamental design elements and principles to make their designs more appealing to people.

How to Make the Most of Graphic Design Software

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:

  • Choose the right software. It’s important to know what to look for in a graphic design software. Consider your needs first and see whether the features and tools of the software you’re looking to get or subscribe to meets those needs.
  • Keep on learning. Having the best graphic design software is just one part of the equation. Designers should not stop learning about the latest design techniques.
  • Stay updated. Keep your software and hardware updated. Stay up-to-date with design trends as well.
  • Invest in good hardware. This is already a given for professional designers. While some graphic design software are not that demanding when it comes to hardware specs, utilizing capable hardware can make designing more enjoyable and efficient.

Choosing the Best Graphic Design Software

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.

List of Graphic Design Software Companies

Order by:

Newest
  • Newest
  • Score
  • User Score
Product name:
Category:
Smart Score:
Price:
User Satisf.
User reviews:
Easy Cut Studio reviews

Easy Cut Studio

Graphic Design Software
8.5
$59.95
97%
Slide Egg reviews

Slide Egg

Graphic Design Software
8.5
$12
96%
Imaget reviews

Imaget

Graphic Design Software
8.7
$4.95
97%
XFCut for Windows reviews

XFCut for Windows

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$44.95
96%
Logomakerr reviews

Logomakerr

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$29
-
Fabrx Design reviews

Fabrx Design

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$24
98%
DesignO reviews

DesignO

Graphic Design Software
8.0
By quote
100%
Solar Labs reviews

Solar Labs

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$99
97%
DocHipo reviews

DocHipo

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$10
100%
DotYeti reviews

DotYeti

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$125
100%
Panoee reviews

Panoee

Graphic Design Software
8.0
Free
100%
SVGator reviews

SVGator

Graphic Design Software
8.9
$20
98%
ImgDownloader reviews

ImgDownloader

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$9
95%
Rebelle 4 reviews

Rebelle 4

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$89.99
94%
ParkAve reviews

ParkAve

Graphic Design Software
8.0
$29
100%

Things to consider when you invest in a SaaS

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.

Frequently asked questions about Graphic Design Software

What is the best graphic design software?

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.

What are the benefits of graphic design software?

Aside from helping designers create beautiful artwork more efficiently, investing in graphic design software also have other benefits:

  • Cost efficiency. Poor design can actually cost your business in different ways. So, investing in a good graphic design software that can help you or your designer create stunning designs will go a long way.
  • Improved customer engagement. Nobody likes bad design. The materials you publish, send, and generally show to your customers and the public say a lot about you. Graphic design software helps you create visuals that catch people’s attention—in a positive way.
  • Enhanced organizational pride. Design is one of the best ways to bolster your brand. With a good and thriving brand comes happy and proud employees.
What are the features of graphic design software?

Different graphic design software offer unique feature sets, but below are the features they commonly have:

  • Color selections and palettes. All graphic design software let you choose the perfect colors and hues for your design.
  • Shapes and lines. Graphic design software give you access to shapes and lines that you can manipulate to create your design exactly the way you want to.
  • Mass and texture settings. By letting you alter and set mass and textures, you can create the ideal amount of contrast and depth, and work according to your desired dimension.
  • Presets and templates. Most graphic design software provide a wide range of design presets and templates that help make designing faster and easier.
What is the easiest graphic design software to use?

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.

What is a good free graphic design software?

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.

Jenny Chang

By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.

Updated

Why is FinancesOnline free? Why is FinancesOnline free?

FinancesOnline is available for free for all business professionals interested in an efficient way to find top-notch SaaS solutions. We are able to keep our service free of charge thanks to cooperation with some of the vendors, who are willing to pay us for traffic and sales opportunities provided by our website. Please note, that FinancesOnline lists all vendors, we’re not limited only to the ones that pay us, and all software providers have an equal opportunity to get featured in our rankings and comparisons, win awards, gather user reviews, all in our effort to give you reliable advice that will enable you to make well-informed purchase decisions.

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