The best free design software for Mac consists of a few pieces of popular free Mac software that offer unique, professional-level features and functionality. Among these pieces of software, there are programs that allow you to create design elements from scratch, as well as those that you can use to manipulate existing photos or images in a variety of appealing ways. Some also feature built-in tutorials and step-by-step instructions to guide you through your projects.
Here are a couple of good mac graphic software.
Pablo
Use it for: Social media graphics
by Buffer is a great starting point for a social media and graphic design newbie — it’s completely free! The program lets you post your creations straight to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Feel free to play around with Pablo’s design options, but remember that it’s not meant for making print designs!
Online Browser, Also available as Google Chrome extension Price:Platforms:
File Format: .PNG
- Easy to use
- Wide selection of images
(provided byUnsplash) - Linkable to Buffer account for faster social media scheduling
- Suited only for social media graphics
- Limited template selection
- Limited choice of fonts
- Few social media integrations
- Only 72 DPI
Instasize
Use it for: Social media and marketing content, photo editing, basic video editing
For creatives who want a Photoshop alternative that caters directly to social media lovers and, even better, fits right in your pocket, Instasize is a popular choice. It has all the basic features you need to polish raw photos, and a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to scroll through and apply every option.
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS
File format: PNG, JPEG, MOV, MP4, HEVC, HEIF
Color space: RGB, Display P3
| PROS | CONS |
| Free to download Color filters Text options Basic video editing (filters and clipping) Cropping and resizing | Additional content packs require a paid subscription No beauty tools and video editing on Android |
Photo Pos Pro
Use it for: Social media and marketing content, photo editing
From simple tasks and editing images to creating artwork from scratch and even designing your own business cards—Photo Pos Pro is the ultimate tool for your marketing campaigns and beautiful social media posts. And all photographers out there will be glad to hear that the editor supports RAW files as well.
Price: Free
Platforms: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10, MAC with Windows Apps emulator installed
File format: JPG, BMP, PSD, GIF, RAW
Color space: RGB
| PROS | CONS |
| Customizable interface for experts or beginners Editable layers Supports various file formats Can create projects from scratch Many educational tutorials | Limited text designing options Difficult to start photo editing Slow work with complex manipulations |
Paint.NET
Use it for: Poster & canvas printing, photo editing, social media campaigns
Paint.NET is very easy to learn, so it’s a safe choice for beginners. The tool’s performance is incredible—it’s one of the fastest free image editors out there. The editor also supports plugins, which provide additional image adjustments, effects, and support for additional file types.
Price: Free
Platforms: Windows
File format: PNG, JPEG, GIF, TGA, TIFF, HEIC
Color space: RGB
| PROS | CONS |
| Plugins allow extra functionality User-friendly interface | Only available on Windows No project-based interface |
PIXLR
Use it for: Social media and marketing content, photo editing
PIXLR was created to make design easy and accessible to everyone regardless of experience. The tool provides a variety of ways for users to edit images. You can dive into deep photo editing sessions or just quickly add some simple filters or stickers to spice up your designs. Discover more opportunities with PIXLR by creating marketing banners, posters, or greeting cards for your business partners.
Price: Free
Platforms: Browser
File format: JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF
Color space: RGB
| PROS | CONS |
| Great multi-purpose templates for graphics and ads Versatile and Lightweight Has most Photoshop filters Works with Google Drive Good amount of features | Lacks drag and drop support Ads Not possible to upload raw files Other tools provide better quality graphics |
Sumo Paint
Use it for: Poster & canvas printing, photo editing, social media images and graphics
Sumo Paint is a completely free online image editing and drawing tool. Perfect for everyone who wants to strengthen and improve their artistic skills and draw their own designs. It’s basically a community for sharing artwork and finding people interested in art.
Price: Free
Platforms: Desktop, Chrome extension
File format: JPG, BMP, PSD, GIF
Color space: RGB
| PROS | CONS |
| Has a pixel editing feature A wide selection of tools Each tool has a thorough explanation Allows high-level photo editing Well-developed tools for digital drawing Desktop version | Imperfect text management Some tools can lag |
FireAlpaca
Use it for: Illustrations
This free digital painting software is a great tool for everyone who loves to create illustrations. Change brushes, create your own patterns, and even use comic templates in your illustration designs. The 3D Perspective tool allows you to create realistic-looking objects. And the best part about FireAlpaca—it’s extremely easy to use.
Price: Free
Platforms: Mac, Windows
File format: JPG, PNG, MDP
| PROS | CONS |
| Available in 10 languages A simple interface and straightforward navigations Has a brush stabilizer, for smooth lines Layer folders for easy organizing Has all the same shortcuts as photoshop Easily make your own brushes and adjust brush settings | Canvas limit of 10000×10000 No hardness/softness adjust for the brush Brushes and palettes must all be loaded in one at a time No liquify tool |
Which option is the best for me?
| Photopea | Gimp | Krita | InkScape | Canva | Desygner | Pablo | Instasize | PhotoPos | Paint.NET | PIXLR | SumoPaint | FireAlpaca | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Paid features | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Easy to use | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Good for print design | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Good for photo editing | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Good for social media graphics | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ |
Creating print files
If you’re looking for a software for creating print designs, look no further than Photopea, Gimp, Krita, and InkScape. Check out Canva and Desygner for making poster and canva designs.
If you’re looking for a simple design tool…
If you don’t want to use an extra software to make your designs on, you can use the one we have on Printful! Create original designs, logos, patterns, and more with Printful’s Design Maker. Make your own print or embroidery designs directly on the product you’re interested in. Preview your designs on life-like product mockups that you can use for showcasing your items on your storefront. It’s as simple as that!
For more info on print requirements, be sure to check out our blog on preparing the perfect print file. If you have a hard time figuring out color spaces, what they mean, and what’s best for your designs, read our guide to color systems.
Photo editing
For editing pictures for your online store and blog, use Krita, Photopea, or Gimp.
Social Media Graphics
To create engaging social media content, it’s best to use Canva, Desygner, Photopea, or Pablo.
Honorable Mentions
GIMP (Windows, Mac, Linux)
The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) remains our favourite free image editor for good reason: This open source classic has all the high-end tools you could want, short of spending a ton of money on Photoshop.Sponsored LinksAlways Put a Plastic Bottle on Your Tires when Parked, Here’s WhyRich Houses
FastStone Image Viewer (Windows)
It would be almost impossible to find an image format that FastStone doesn’t support. It also provides management and comparison of files, as well as some rudimentary editing and slideshow-with-transition effects.
Picasa (Windows, Web)
There’s arguably no better way to organise your images (and videos) than the great interface of Picasa. The Web Albums also makes it easy to share images online, and this is a sterling effort all round.
SketchUp (Windows, Mac)
If you’re getting into 3D and still don’t want to spend big bucks on software, check out SketchUp to get started building models.
Inkscape (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Most vector-based drawing programs, like Adobe Illustrator, will cost you big bucks – but Inkscape is open source. It uses the SVG format for files to support features like markers, clones, and alpha blending.
Jing (Windows, Mac)
Jing can do a lot. Mainly, it takes still screen captures, but it also captures video screen casts. The Screencast.com account you get with it lets you store 2GB worth of files for sharing with others online.
LibreCAD (Windows, Mac, Linux)
When it’s time to make some 2D computer-aided design (CAD) mechanical drawings, the best free option is LibreCAD. It’s a perfect tool for engineers, architects, and draftsmen to make blueprints.
Paint.NET (Windows)
This Windows-only freebie is worth installing for any minor (and some major) picture manipulation. It’s fast, easy to use, and comprehensive – if you don’t need full Photoshop capabilities.
Sculptris (Windows, Mac)
Ready to start making 3D models? Sculptris gives you a digital blob of clay and all the tools necessary to turn it into a piece of art.
Windows Photo Gallery (Windows)
This photo organiser and editor makes slideshows, stitches together panoramas, fuses similar photos, so you can get rid of the bad parts (like someone blinking), and has a number of editing tools for fixing pictures. It’s well worth having, in short.
Zoner Photo Studio (Windows)
This powerful, free, little photo manager/editor/viewer does the typical edits (red-eye reduction, blurring, etc.) and organisation. It also throws in some fun features, such as creating 3D versions of your pictures, and generating calendars and greeting cards.
Conclusion
Choosing the best free design software for your Mac was no easy task. Almost all of them are good in their own way, have a lot of similar features, but still each one of them has some exclusive features. The idea of design apps initially came from Adobe who started the trend and other companies followed to promote their graphic designing software too. Gravit is becoming more popular for its libraries, layers and customizable interface. Definitely, it’s one of the Best Free Design Software for Mac.