Envato: Get every type of asset for any type of project, and access to AI tools. Start now
Compare the best graphic design software for design, illustration, branding, UI, and 3D.
Looking for the best graphic design software? Whether you’re creating logos, editing photos, building websites, illustrating on an iPad, or designing social media content, choosing the right software can dramatically improve your workflow.
In this guide, we’ll compare the best graphic design software for beginners, freelancers, agencies, marketers, and professional designers. From Adobe Photoshop and Blender to Figma and Affinity, here are the top 10 best graphic design software and tools every designer needs in their creative toolkit.
Graphic design software is a digital tool used to create, edit, and manage visual content. Designers use graphic design software for tasks such as photo editing, illustration, branding, page layout, web design, motion graphics, and 3D modeling. Popular graphic design software includes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Canva, Blender, and Affinity Designer, each serving different creative workflows and skill levels.
Choosing the best graphic design software used to be relatively simple. Today, the design world looks more like a packed digital toolbox spilling across your desk: AI-powered apps, browser-based collaboration platforms, vector editors, motion graphics suites, and 3D software all competing for your attention.
| Software | Best For | Platform | Free Version | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop | Photo editing | Mac, Windows, iPad | No | $22.99/mo |
| Illustrator | Vector design | Mac, Windows | No | $20.99/mo |
| Figma | UI/UX design | Web | Yes | Free |
| Canva | Beginners | Web | Yes | From $15/mo |
| Procreate | Illustration | iPad | No | $12.99 |
| Blender | 3D design | Cross-platform | Yes | Free |
| Envato | Creative assets | Web | No | From $16.50/mo |
Need the short version? Here are the best graphic design software picks for different creative needs:
Whether you’re designing social media graphics, building brand systems, editing photos, creating UI mockups, or experimenting with 3D design, there’s a tool built for your workflow.
Best for: Photo editing, compositing, digital art, and image manipulation
Platform: Mac, Windows, iPad
Price: Subscription-based: $22.99/mo (single app) or $19.99/mo under Photography plan
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular graphic design tools. Creatives of all kinds, from graphic designers and photographers to web developers and content marketers, use it for everything from basic tasks like resizing and touching up images to more complex stuff like illustration, digital art, and photo manipulation. With its easy-to-use interface, a ton of editing tools, and loads of online tutorials, Photoshop works for everyone, from total newbies to pros who make money from it. It provides users with full control, which you can get to grips with by following along with Photoshop tutorials, courses, and learning resources.
Digital artist and collage whiz Paria Mahboobi, known as Labyrinth of Collages, says, “Photoshop is the main program I use for my work. I’ve tried other Adobe programs, but I always come back to Photoshop. I love scanning things like flowers, paper, and my own writing to include in my projects, and it’s super easy to edit in Photoshop.”
Adobe Photoshop costs $22.99 per month, or $19.99 per month under the Photography plan, which also includes Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Under the Creative Cloud plan, you can access all Adobe programs for $67.99 per month. Photoshop also offers a seven-day free trial and is super collaborative, pairing seamlessly with other Adobe products.
Best for: Vector drawing, branding, logos, and illustration
Platform: Windows / Mac
Price: Subscription-based: $20.99/mo (Single App) or $59.99/mo (Creative Cloud All Apps)
Adobe Illustrator is the go-to graphic design software for vector drawing, design, and editing. It is the industry standard for creating illustrations, digital art, fonts, and logos. Illustrator gives designers creative freedom and offers shortcuts to improve their workflow.
“I use Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign every day, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would be Illustrator – especially for branding,” says Kristy Campbell, founder of Pink Pony Creative. “I pair it with my Wacom drawing tablet, which has totally changed the game for me. I’m able to do so much more, create better work, and it’s made the process so much easier!”
Adobe Illustrator is $13.79 per month, or $52.99 per month under the Creative Cloud plan, which also includes Photoshop, InDesign, and more. Adobe offers a free seven-day trial of Illustrator to new users, along with other Adobe products.
Best For: Multi-page editorial layout, interactive digital publishing, and preparing print files.
Platform: Mac, Windows
Price: $22.99/mo (Single App) or $59.99/mo (Creative Cloud All Apps) on its own or in conjunction with other
Adobe Creative Cloud programs, such as Illustrator or Photoshop. Unlike other Adobe programs, InDesign is not used for creating original designs or images. Instead, it excels at assembling layouts by combining text, images, and drawings produced in other applications. To stay on top of the latest platform features, check out our breakdown of the Adobe Max 2025 Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign updates.
InDesign costs about $22.99 per month for an individual subscription or $67.99 per month on the Creative Cloud plan. It also offers a free trial.
Best For: Mac-based UI and interface design
Platform: Mac (Desktop app), Web (Workspace viewer)
Price: $12 per month, per editor, when billed yearly
Sketch is a simple digital design app for creating user interfaces, mobile apps, web design, UI design, and icons. It uses vector graphics, which means any shape you draw can be resized without losing clarity. This keeps your designs looking sharp on high-resolution screens. Besides web and UI design, you can also use Sketch for wireframing and prototyping because of its large collection of plugins. However, Sketch is only available on Mac. There is a Windows version that can open Sketch files, but you can only edit them on a Mac.
“Sketch is so much easier to use than apps like Photoshop,” says Adi Purdila, a web design instructor for Tuts+. “It saves me a lot of time. As a web designer, I appreciate how closely the designs match the final HTML/CSS output or web page. This allows me to refine a design even in the code. It’s just great.”
Sketch costs about $14 per month for individual users. If you pay yearly, it drops to about $12 per month ($144 per year).
For teams, pricing depends on features: the Standard plan is $12 per editor per month (billed annually); the Professional plan is $24 per editor per month (billed annually) and includes additional security tools such as permissions and sign-in controls; and the Enterprise plan is $44 per editor per month (billed annually) and is designed for large organizations.
There is also a one-time $120 Mac-only option for solo users, which includes one year of updates but no cloud or collaboration features.
Figma is a browser-based tool and one of the top prototyping tools, letting teams design together in real time. People like designers, developers, and marketers can work on the same project simultaneously, making the process faster and easier. It supports design systems, wireframes, prototypes, and sharing work with developers. Figma provides designers with all the tools they need for the design phase of their projects, including vector tools for illustration, prototyping capabilities, and code generation.
“I use digital tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Figma. I mostly use these tools as I like their intuitiveness and the vastness of features they offer – Figma is amazing for prototyping,” says Ivan Stajic, UI/UX Designer at PopArt Studio.
But arguably the most valuable benefit of Figma is its support for live collaboration. All designs are saved online, meaning anyone can access them from anywhere, anytime. This allows team members to access designs simultaneously to workshop ideas, provide feedback, or make real-time changes.
“Figma is my absolute favorite everyday design tool,” says Mariana Gonzalez, designer at Float. “Most of my work right now is web design, illustrations, and marketing assets, so being able to do everything in Figma is incredible. I have everything in one place, and my team can give me feedback right in the app and work simultaneously. I do use Illustrator on my iPad sometimes, but I always continue and finish the illustration in Figma.”
Figma is totally free! Simply head to the Figma website, register for a free account, and start working on your designs right away. Paid seats start at $15/month per editor for additional features.
Best for: Digital illustration on iPad
Platform: iPad
Price: $12.99 one-time purchase
Built only for the iPad, Procreate turned the device into a powerful digital sketchbook. Designed to work smoothly with the Apple Pencil, it delivers a natural, responsive drawing experience for artists, illustrators, tattoo designers, and hobbyists. Procreate includes custom brushes, animation tools, gesture controls, time-lapse recording, and layer editing to make digital art easy and flexible. Its simple interface and portable design let users create artwork anywhere, from character sketches to detailed paintings and typography. The app also includes useful editing tools like blur, color balance, sharpening, QuickShape, and StreamLine. While it is not a full desktop publishing program, Procreate is one of the best apps for digital illustration.
“Along with multiple illustrators and creators worldwide, we were hooked by the creative freedom possible with Procreate,” says Envato Author and design agency, Pixelbuddha. “On one hand, it’s simple and intuitive. On the other hand, using Procreate allows customers to experiment with and combine brushes however they like; you can even create brand-new brushes! Packing in all of the design tools you’d expect from a desktop program, Procreate allows artists to draw and design flexibly and portably. With a minimal, smooth interface, intuitive tools, and impressive canvas resolutions, Procreate offers customizable brushes and a wealth of useful tools for tweaking and editing your artwork, including blur, color balance, sharpening, QuickShape, StreamLine, and more.
“Procreate has given artists more tools that allow us to work in a more precise way,” says Procreate artist Jessica Marie. “I particularly like using the new snapping feature and being able to instantly create color palettes from reference photos.”
Procreate is available to download for $12.99, a refreshing one-off cost compared to many design programs. It works well with other Adobe apps and programs, making it easy to combine your different workflows.
Best for: 3D modeling, animation, and rendering (free open‑source)
Platform: Windows / Mac / Linux
Price: Free
Blender is a free, open-source 3D creation suite and a go-to tool for any kind of 3D design. Great for everything from building static models to creating 3D animations, Blender lets creators bring their imagination to life.
“I started using Blender firstly because it’s a great program to have in your toolbox, and secondly because it opens up so many possibilities,” says digital artist and YouTuber Jeff Kepler, AKA Seventh Voyage.
While you can do a lot in Photoshop, Blender lets you pretty much create whatever you want, at whatever angle you want, in 3D space, so there really are no limits. Even if you don’t want to get heavy into 3D, you can use it to set up basic shapes and camera angles, render that out, and then start overlaying images in Photoshop. This way, you have an accurate perspective and a nice guide for your work. Blender can be used for everything from 3D modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and motion tracking, to even video editing and game creation. NASA even uses it for many of its public models. For many Blender users, though, the most popular tools are modeling, sculpting, texturing, and animation.
“For more complex artworks, sometimes I use Blender to create a 3D basis for my scenes,” says digital artist, Farely. “It helps me to choose the right perspective and draw accurate light and shadows.”
Blender is free and easy for everyone to access. However, because it is constantly updated by experienced users, beginners may find it difficult to learn at first.
Best for: Professional 3D motion graphics, VFX, and animation
Platform: Windows / Mac
Price: $700/year (free 14‑day trial available)
Cinema 4D is a professional 3D software used for modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering. It offers a fast, flexible interface, making it ideal for 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), game development, and more. Each version of Cinema 4D is designed for specific 3D design functions or styles. The software includes tools and features for polygonal modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, texturing, and rendering. It also works well with other programs, such as Adobe After Effects, a standard tool for video editing and animation.
“I toggle between Adobe Suite, Cinema 4D, and Figma on an average day,” says 3D designer and digital artist Khyati Trehan. “But when I’m exploring ideas, especially in 3D, I go straight to Cinema 4D.”
Cinema 4D is on the pricier side, costing $700 for an annual user license. But there’s a 14-day free trial available, as well as a free education version for students and teachers.
Canva is perfect for marketers, small business owners, and social media managers who want to create awesome visuals without getting bogged down by complicated design software. With its easy drag-and-drop setup, you can whip up presentations, social media flyers, and video reels in no time.
The platform offers a ton of ready-made templates, stock images, fonts, and handy resize features. While it doesn’t have the detailed editing options of specialized vector apps, its speed, user-friendliness, and straightforward approach make it a go-to choice for quick projects.
Best For: Projects combining vector and raster graphics
Platform: Mac, Windows, iPad
Price: $164.99 total suite bundle one-time payment (or $69.99 standalone)
The Affinity V2 Suite, which includes Designer, Photo, and Publisher, is shaking things up in the creative software world by offering high-quality tools without a subscription, just a one-time purchase. Designer stands out for its cool dual-persona feature, which lets you switch between vector and pixel modes with just a click. On the other hand, Photo is perfect for advanced image editing. Plus, Affinity handles huge projects without breaking a sweat, keeping everything smooth at 60 frames per second. For anyone keeping an eye on market trends, getting to know free Affinity is really important, as it shows how design is becoming more accessible and reflects shifts in the way companies own software.
Best For: Interactive screen setup and direct online creation
Platform: Web, Mac, Windows
Price: Free; Basic site hosting tiers from $5/month
Framer makes it super easy to turn design mockups into interactive websites. If you’re familiar with Figma, you’ll feel right at home with its visual canvas layout. It’s perfect for creatives looking to whip up complex, responsive designs with cool animations and adjustable breakpoints.
The best part about Framer? Your designs aren’t just pretty pictures—they’re actual live websites! With just a click, you can publish your layouts online, and it spits out clean, ready-to-go code, complete with SEO tools and localization support. It’s a top pick for creating portfolios, landing pages, and engaging presentation interfaces.
Best For: Unlimited premium graphic templates, design assets, and font ecosystems, alongside AI generation and refinement.
Platform: Web
Price: Subscription-based: Core tier from 16.50/mo
Envato is creative subscription that gives you access to AI tools alongside unlimited downloads of stock assets from video templates to fonts. Assets downloaded from and generated with Envato are compatible with tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, and Blender. It’s designed for agencies, designers, and video professionals who often need a high volume of quality creative assets in their workflow. One of the main advantages of Envato’s all-in-one creative asset toolkit is the vast content library, which has over 25 million items. New content gets added every week. With a wide variety of asset types available, you can find something for every project.
“On Envato, everything is so easy to download and is ready to use instantly,” says Kristy Campbell. “It helps me save so much time when creating textures and brushes, backgrounds, and even looking for cool fonts; Envato has it all covered! I would highly recommend Envato to other designers; the time it saves is 100% worth the money.”
“The best thing about Envato is that I know I’m not hurting another artist or stealing their work to create my own,” says digital artist and designer Frankie Lee. “I can legally obtain everything and can keep track of all my licenses. No one gets hurt, and that makes good wholesome art!”
With so many options available, choosing the best graphic design software comes down to understanding your workflow, goals, and budget. Here are the key factors to consider before investing in a new design tool.
Some graphic design software is designed for beginners, while other platforms are built for professional workflows. If you’re just getting started, tools like Canva and Figma offer intuitive interfaces and plenty of learning resources. More advanced software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Cinema 4D, and Blender, provides greater creative control but requires more time to master.
Graphic design software ranges from completely free to professional subscriptions costing hundreds of dollars per year. Free tools like Blender and Figma are excellent starting points, while Affinity offers a one-time purchase model. Adobe Creative Cloud provides industry-standard tools but comes with ongoing subscription costs. Consider both your current budget and the long-term value the software provides.
If you regularly work with clients, agencies, or remote teams, collaboration features can be just as important as design tools. Cloud-based platforms such as Figma and Canva allow multiple users to review, edit, and comment on projects in real time. Designers working independently may place less emphasis on collaboration and focus more on creative features.
Different design disciplines require different tools. Photoshop excels at photo editing and compositing, Illustrator is ideal for vector graphics and branding, InDesign is built for publishing and editorial design, while Blender and Cinema 4D are better suited to 3D workflows. Choosing software designed for your primary creative discipline will improve both efficiency and results.
Not every design tool works on every device. Sketch is exclusive to macOS, Procreate is available only on iPad, and many professional tools support both Windows and Mac. Before committing to a platform, make sure it works across the devices you use most often.
Figma is also excellent for beginners who want to learn UI/UX design for free.
Figma (free tier) and Blender 3D are two of the most capable free tools available.
Photoshop is the top choice for editing photos and creating digital art, but it’s not the only tool you need. For logo and vector graphic design, use Illustrator. For user interface and user experience design, Figma is best. If you need to create 3D graphics, go for Blender or Cinema 4D.
Professionals usually use a combination of Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for design work and Figma for UI/UX teamwork. They also use Cinema 4D or Blender for 3D projects. To speed up their work, they rely on asset platforms like Envato for templates, fonts, and AI-generated elements.
There is no single best graphic design software for everyone. Adobe Photoshop remains the leading choice for image editing, Adobe Illustrator is widely used for branding and vector design, Figma dominates collaborative UI and UX design, and Blender is one of the best free options for 3D work. The best choice depends on your creative goals and workflow.
Yes. Canva is graphic design software designed to make visual content creation accessible to beginners and non-designers. Its drag-and-drop interface, templates, stock assets, and collaboration features make it popular for social media graphics, presentations, marketing materials, and content creation.
There is no single “best” graphic design software; the right tool depends on your specific needs.
Ready to level up your design workflow? Explore the best graphic design software listed above, and supercharge your projects with unlimited templates, fonts, and AI tools from Envato. Start creating today.
Blurry commuters, empty train stations and soft bloom lighting. Gen X Soft Club encapsulates the moody, slow-paced aesthetic that was so embedded into late 90s pop culture that it almost passed us by.
Minimalism. Good taste. Beige. In 2026 some things just don’t sound right when it comes to design. Younger consumers are shaking things up and demanding so much more from the brands they buy. More fun, more color, more chaos!
Football teams have them. Your local diner probably has one. Mascots are ever-present, but have rarely taken center stage in mainstream branding over the past decade. That’s all set to change as major brands launch an army of fresh mascot designs, vying to win over our hearts and wallets. In 2026, your brand isn’t really […]
The gap between an AI-generated graphic and a wearable t-shirt is resolution, color profiles, transparency, and composition. This guide covers what to keep in mind — and the prompts that produce print-ready results.
