I'll second inkscape (but you'll need to accompany it with the free layout prog Scribus if you want CMYK,) also look at Affinity software, not free but a license not expensive either
Affinity is relatively cheap and has a very familiar UI for an Illustrator user.
Inkscape requires a bit more of a learning curve, especially for pen tool work.
I use Curve (previously Vectornator) which is free, with some paid options for cloud storage. I'm not a professional user but the capabilities seem huge and i wouldn't be surprised if they match or exceed illustrator's. Their help/tutorials are also very good.
Curve just went pay to use. Now, you can only have 3 files at once, can only export in JPEG, and can't export in resolutions higher than 1024 x 1024. I've been using it since its 2nd week of existence, too.
What do you use now? I’m struggling to find anything good for using on an iPad. In hindsight I’m really sad I upgraded to curve, would love to have the old vectornator again… should I just buy affinity? All other alternatives seem to be subscription based. I mainly use it for editing svgs for laser cutting.
Affinity is 100% the best alternative.
It’s not free, but it’s super easy to pick up on and I find it to be less clunky than illustrator. The ipad version is only $18 I think and it’s a great way to test it out before committing to the desktop version.
1- Inkscape it's the old and best the free alternative for Adobe Illustrator woked on Windows and Mac.
2- Linearity Curve another free alternative that work on Mac.
3- Vectr is an online based app.
This is likely the highest form of trolling I've ever seen on any forum. Someone actually stating, out loud, that **CorelDraw is in many instances superior to Illustrator**, in an Illustrator forum.
I wouldn't say it's trolling. I am happy to read discussions of people comparing Illustrator to other software in this forum, in particular including people who prefer CorelDraw.
Long time user of both. CorelDRAW is nice to work with, but it has serious flaws in the output which never were resolved - unless in last few versions which I haven't used. It does not actually support transparency (output result is always blended with underlying objects), gradients are not smooth. And it gets unusable if the file gets big. So OK for rather simple jobs, skip for serious work.
Never have had any of those errors. I produce ads, brochures, multi-page magazines, some of my working files are 2-4GB... Never been unusable.
It's a great program for professional use.
Inkscape is the closest I've found. Some others *look* real nice, but inevitably pale in comparison.
Affinity Designer is likely the best alternative. My experience with Inkscape is that it crashes very frequently.
I second Inkscape crashes frequently. This was the reason I moved to Illustrator.
I'll second inkscape (but you'll need to accompany it with the free layout prog Scribus if you want CMYK,) also look at Affinity software, not free but a license not expensive either
Affinity is relatively cheap and has a very familiar UI for an Illustrator user. Inkscape requires a bit more of a learning curve, especially for pen tool work.
If I was starting out I would go affinity, but after years of illustrator use weigh deeply ingrained key find usage, I can't make the switch.
I use Curve (previously Vectornator) which is free, with some paid options for cloud storage. I'm not a professional user but the capabilities seem huge and i wouldn't be surprised if they match or exceed illustrator's. Their help/tutorials are also very good.
Curve just went pay to use. Now, you can only have 3 files at once, can only export in JPEG, and can't export in resolutions higher than 1024 x 1024. I've been using it since its 2nd week of existence, too.
What do you use now? I’m struggling to find anything good for using on an iPad. In hindsight I’m really sad I upgraded to curve, would love to have the old vectornator again… should I just buy affinity? All other alternatives seem to be subscription based. I mainly use it for editing svgs for laser cutting.
Affinity is 100% the best alternative. It’s not free, but it’s super easy to pick up on and I find it to be less clunky than illustrator. The ipad version is only $18 I think and it’s a great way to test it out before committing to the desktop version.
1- Inkscape it's the old and best the free alternative for Adobe Illustrator woked on Windows and Mac. 2- Linearity Curve another free alternative that work on Mac. 3- Vectr is an online based app.
CorelDraw. Been using it for 35 years. It's as capable and in many instances superior to Illustrator.
This is likely the highest form of trolling I've ever seen on any forum. Someone actually stating, out loud, that **CorelDraw is in many instances superior to Illustrator**, in an Illustrator forum.
I wouldn't say it's trolling. I am happy to read discussions of people comparing Illustrator to other software in this forum, in particular including people who prefer CorelDraw.
this guy adds to the conversation
shut up fanboy ; P
Long time user of both. CorelDRAW is nice to work with, but it has serious flaws in the output which never were resolved - unless in last few versions which I haven't used. It does not actually support transparency (output result is always blended with underlying objects), gradients are not smooth. And it gets unusable if the file gets big. So OK for rather simple jobs, skip for serious work.
Never have had any of those errors. I produce ads, brochures, multi-page magazines, some of my working files are 2-4GB... Never been unusable. It's a great program for professional use.
i'll second that