Want to get started in graphic design, but don’t know where to start? No problem. There are a ton of free graphic design software available for you to download without having to spend a single penny. Plus, there is also great free graphic design software (for both Mac and PC) that will allow everyone to be able to create brilliant designs. Don’t believe me?
Here are some of the best free graphic design software options on the market, which you can use right now.
Gimp
| Pros | Cons |
| Many tools and features | No video support |
| Open-source | Limited support for CMYK |
| Third-party plugins available | Limited 3D design capability |
| Great user community and support |
Gimp is probably one of the most popular free graphic design software tools. It is used for editing and enhancing images as well as full-scale graphic design work. The open-source software is quite well known as a free Photoshop alternative, although it doesn’t have as many features. However, you can edit the source code to customise it, and there are hundreds of third-party plugins you can find if you’re looking for specific functionality. There is a steep learning curve if you haven’t used similar software before, but there are many tutorials available online.
Best for: Graphic design with full features
Level of expertise required: Medium
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Krita
| Pros | Cons |
| Intuitive interface | No formal customer support |
| Easy to use | Uses a large amount of RAM |
| Great community forum | A learning curve when using brush presets |
| Highly customisable |
Krita is an open-source raster graphics editor. It’s most useful for 2D animation and digital painting. Krita is designed for ease of use with a drawing tablet, although it is possible to use the software without a drawing tablet. It also supports vector artwork.
Best for: Digital painting and 2D animation
Level of expertise required: Low to Medium
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and Chrome OS
Paint.NET
| Pros | Cons |
| Plugins available to increase functionality | Only available on Windows |
| Lightweight and fast | Can only view and edit one image at a time |
| Easy to use, even for beginners | Limited functionality |
Paint.NET is free raster graphics editing software and a more advanced version of the well-known Paint app by Microsoft. It doesn’t have as advanced functionality as some of the more complex apps, but there are many plugins available to expand the features to your needs. It’s extremely quick and responsive, even when working with fairly large files.
Best for: Quick and simple image edits and designs
Level of expertise required: Low
Available on: Windows
Easel.ly
| Pros | Cons |
| Intuitive interface | Only low-quality downloads on free version |
| Quick turnaround time | Difficult to customise |
Easelly is a specialised web-based design tool used for creating infographics and visualising data. It has a simple drag-and-drop interface and is suitable for total beginners. The designs can be created quickly and look neat and professional, but because they are based on templates and elements, they’re difficult to customise and you may struggle to create something unique.
Best for: Infographics; data visualisation
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web
SUMO Paint
Image credit: Vecteezy.com
| Pros | Cons |
| Great digital drawing tools | Requires Flash to run |
| Engaged support community | Can be slow when working with large files |
| Simple interface | Many features only available in the paid version |
SUMO Paint is another great free Photoshop alternative. It’s a web app that’s great for digital drawing. It also has quite powerful photo editing tools, but many of those features are exclusive to the paid version. SUMO Paint has many of the same tools and features as Adobe Photoshop, although its strength lies in its illustration capabilities.
Best for: Digital illustration; basic image editing
Level of expertise required: Medium
Available on: Web, mobile app
Canva
| Pros | Cons |
| Quick and easy to use | Designs can be generic |
| Thousands of free photos, videos, and graphics | Limited by templates |
| Drag and drop editor | Canvas can’t be resized once you’ve started working |
Canva is a web-based software, which has the advantage of saving to the cloud so your designs are available on any device you log in on. It provides templates you can choose from and has a very user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. It’s a great tool for beginners and those with limited time because you can create professional-looking designs really easily and quickly. However, because it’s template-based, the designs can sometimes look a little generic. Canva also has a mobile app, which offers a pared-down version of the same functionality.
Best for: Basic, quick, professional-looking designs
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web; mobile app
Adobe Spark
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Template-based designs can sometimes look generic |
| Great selection of templates and design elements | Can only be used to create short videos |
| Can send preview links to colleagues to review | Limited features |
Adobe Spark is a web-based design tool, primarily intended for designing assets for social media. Like Canva, it mainly uses templates, although you are able to create your own designs using a blank template. The quality you’re able to produce is excellent, but the designs can end up looking a little generic because they are based on templates. However, there are hundreds of backgrounds, graphic elements, typefaces, animations, images, videos, design assets and even music that you can work with to create something striking and unique. There are also premium templates and features you can buy if you would like more functionality. There’s also a mobile app so you can design on the go.
Best for: Social media artwork
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web; mobile appPablo by Buffer
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Can be a little buggy |
| Hundreds of stock resources and templates | Limited functionality |
Buffer, the popular social media scheduling and management app, has created Pablo. It’s a lightweight design tool, intended to speed up and simplify the process of creating great visuals for social media posts. The intuitive interface means anyone can use it, no matter the level of skill. It is perfect for quick social media artwork, but it does have very limited functionality otherwise.
Best for: Social media graphics
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web
Klex
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast and easy to use | Designs can look generic |
| Free templates, elements, and stock images | Limited functionality |
Klex is a web app used to create quick, simple graphics, mainly for social media. There are hundreds of free design elements, templates, stock images, and fonts to bring your designs to life. Any template-based design app runs the risk of creating generic designs, but there are many ways to customise your designs and make them unique.
Best for: Social media graphics
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web
Inkscape
| Pros | Cons |
| Many tools and features | Sometimes slow when working with bigger files |
| Uses open SVG format which is widely supported | Limited support for .AI and .EPS files |
| Can be somewhat difficult to use |
Inkscape is open-source vector graphics software, available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It’s comparable to Adobe Illustrator, and offers great features for creating digital illustrations and logos. It has amazing features and should not be underestimated just because it’s free. Inkscape uses SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) which is great for creating large banners and other media without losing quality. The interface and tools work quite differently to similar software, so it may take some time to learn how to use Inkscape, but there are great tutorials on Youtube.
Best for: creating complex vector graphics
Level of expertise required: Medium/high
Available on: Windows, Mac, Linux
Vecteezy
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple, easy-to-use interface | Limited features |
| Over a million free resources | No ability to start with a blank canvas |
| Simple licensing | Requires registration to access some features |
Vecteezy offers over a million free resources, including vectors, photos, illustrations, design templates, and videos. The simple licensing for personal or commercial use and regular fresh content makes this an indispensable resource for any designer or content creator. There’s also an SVG editor, designed to allow you to customise Vecteezy content before you download it, or create your own vector designs.
Best for: basic vector graphics
Level of expertise required: None
Available on: Web
Gravit designer
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple and easy-to-use | Many useful features are exclusive to the Pro version |
| Customisable interface | |
| SVG editing tool |
Gravit is a full-featured, web-based vector graphic design app. The SVG editing tool makes it perfect for all kinds of designs, from UI to posters and everything in-between. The free version has many great features, but unfortunately, some relatively basic features are exclusive to the pro version, including font import, bezigon, swatches and various blending modes.
Best for: Vector graphics
Level of expertise required: Low
Available on: Web
Vectr
| Pros | Cons |
| Online real-time collaboration | Not advanced enough for experienced designers |
| Quick and easy to learn | No ability to save locally |
| Autosaves projects |
Vectr is a vector editing tool with versions for web and desktop. It is suitable for beginners, with an intuitive interface and tools that are easy to master without a huge amount of experience. It allows online collaboration in real-time, which is a huge advantage for those who work in teams. It uses SVG format, meaning you can create large-scale logos, presentations, website mockups, or any other graphics.
Best for: Basic vector graphics
Level of expertise required: Low
Available on: Web, Linux, Windows, Chromebook
SVG-Edit
| Pros | Cons |
| Full-featured software | Not suitable for total beginners |
SVG-edit is a web-based free and open-source vector graphics editor. If you have experience with Adobe Illustrator you’ll find its functionality and interface quite similar. It’s a browser-based app, and is great for creating and editing Scalable Vector Graphics images.
Best for: Creating and editing SVGs
Level of expertise required: Medium
Available on: Web
Photo Pos Pro
| Pros | Cons |
| Includes library of free stock images | Some users have had difficulty with customer service |
| Intuitive interface | Steep learning curve |
| Full-featured | Only available on Windows |
Photo Pos Pro is a free photo editing tool, with full features. The software is fairly intuitive, and if you’ve used any other image processing software before it shouldn’t take you long to find your way around. However, some tools work quite differently from the popular alternatives, such as Adobe Lightroom, and the learning curve can be a little steep for more advanced functions. There are excellent, comprehensive guides and tutorials on the help page of their website to help you. The software includes a library of free Pixabay stock images which you can use if you don’t have your own photos. It also has an optional “novice interface” for those who want to keep it simple. It’s also capable of 2D vector drawings and other design tools, so it can work as a full-featured design tool.
Best for: Photo editing
Level of expertise required: Medium
Available on: Windows
Conclusion
There are so many great, free graphic design apps out there. There really is a huge variety that exists in the world of graphic design and each comes with its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Hopefully this list will help you wade through the waters to find the ideal one for you, your specific needs and expectations.