Are you looking for a free online alternative to Adobe Illustrator? Does Illustrator have an online version? Is there a free online alternative to Illustrator? Adobe Inc developed and marketed the Adobe Illustrator vector graphics editor and design program. As regards this topic, we have received the following questions and we hope to answer them and many more in this article.
Illustrator’s main feature is its ability to edit and create vector graphics. It also supports many advanced techniques such as smart shapes, live traces, 3D rendering, etc. It is an industry-standard vector-based graphics editor that is used by beginners and professionals alike.
Adobe Illustrator is the default choice for anyone who needs high-quality graphic design software. But Adobe’s subscription model is pretty expensive, and Illustrator only works on Windows and Mac.
While Illustrator may be the go-to for professional designers, what if you need a simple vector-based application to just open your logo or flyer and make a simple change? If you’re a hobbyist on a budget or use Linux or a Chromebook, what are your options?
Or maybe you need something to whip up a basic banner for your emergency announcement, there is no need to start learning Adobe Illustrator to achieve this, there are plenty of free, browser-based editors like Adobe Illustrator that you can try. Not only do you not have to pay for them, but they’ll work on any device running any operating system. That makes them probably the closest you’ll get to an Illustrator-like online editor for free.
The Best Free Online Adobe Illustrator Alternatives
These are some of the most powerful and great-looking browser-based vector design tools you should try out today. Some of them are 100% free, and others are based on the freemium licensing model. The tools here will help you edit ai files. While some will help you to only view and maybe convert .ai files to another format for easily manipulation
PhotoPea – An Ultimate Online Design Tool
Don’t settle for just any image or vector editor use Photopea. With Photopea, you can do it all! From making simple edits to creating the next masterpiece, Photopea is the only tool you’ll need to edit illustrator files online.
Photopea is the best free online illustrator alternative and graphics, editor. It’s a web-based application that lets you create images, illustrations, and web designs, or convert between different image formats. It’s ad-supported software compatible with all modern web browsers, including Opera, Edge, Chrome, and Firefox.
It also works with all major graphics files types such as:
- .PSD – Photoshop image files
- .AI – Adobe Illustrator files
- .XD – Adobe XD files
- .sketch
- .XCF
- .CDR
- All Images File Types
It is a multi-dynamic tool and a free Illustrator Online Editor that allows you to create vector graphics in your browser for free! Draw illustrations using custom brushes, design web page layouts, and create anything you want using PhotoPea. Check out our tutorial on how to use PhotoPea for beginners and our Advanced Photopea Training to help you achieve all kinds of things using PhotoPea!
Vectr
Vectr is a simple, easy-to-use vector graphics editor that can help you edit your AI files easily. It is faster to master, and a complete beginner can understand it without hassles. Create crisp, clean logos, presentations, cards, brochures, website mockups—you name it!—in no time at all.
The Vectr editor comes with an essential collection of editing tools that are enough for most editing tasks but don’t expect anything more advanced. While Vectr does not support AI files directly, you can upload Ai files to Vectr, it will simply convert them into an SVG (scalable vector graphics) image.
This means that all of the same elements, layers, and backgrounds are present in the converted SVG file. You can resize any element/layer and change its background, border, shadow, and opacity from here. After making the necessary changes, you can save the design as an SVG, PNG, or JPG file.
This makes scaling them easier and you can proceed to edit them without fear, knowing that your design is intact. Adobe Illustrator also supports SVG so if need be, and you wish to use illustrator again, you can use the SVG image in Adobe Illustrator.
Online Inkscape Editor
The Online Inkspace Editor is a fantastic free vector graphics editor and creator. Created by OffiDocs, this free program will help you create and edit vector images. This is also another free alternative to Illustrator online.
Inkscape on its own is a high-end software like Adobe Illustrator. This Online Inkscape Editor replicates the downloadable version of the free vector illustration program. It has sophisticated drawing tools with capabilities comparable to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Xara Xtreme and it can accept various file formats.
Some of them include SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, EPS, and PNG. Inkscape is loaded with several tools, that can help with easy object manipulation, creating patterns, gradients, and special effects.
While the online editor of Inkscape can help you achieve a lot of creation, I recommend using the offline version. The online version is not so user-friendly and I am not able to upload AI files to the program. Also, the program has a little bit of a learning curve and will require you to learn it.
Fviewer AI file viewer
Since not everyone needs to edit or manipulate an AI file, some just want to view it and see the content. If this is your use case, then check out the AI file viewer. A simple, no-nonsense tool to help you view AI files. If you wish to only view AI files online; then you can try the AI file viewer.
Ai file viewer is a browser-based viewer that can also view or open AI files from URL. It also has other versions which you can use to view PSD, CDRs, and other viewers. They include:
- DICOM viewer
- SVG viewer
- TIFF viewer
- VSD viewer
- CR2 viewer
- Office viewer
- EPS viewer
- XPS viewer
- DJVU viewer
- EPUB viewer
If you want to see what’s inside an AI file, or other file types specified above, use the tools on fviewer to view them. It’s completely free!
Other Online-based Alternatives to Adobe Illustrator for Vector Manipulation
Pixlr
Whether you want to create artwork for yourself or for other people, Pixlr is a perfect tool for editing photos! It offers plenty of features for editing, creating, and sharing creative images. While it’s less advanced in function than Illustrator, it’s cloud-based and supported on mobile, desktop, or the web.
There are two variations of Pixlr:
- Pixlr X
- Pixlr E
Pixlr X is used to create all kinds of designs such as logos, business cards, newsletters, flyers, social media graphics, etc. While Pixlr E is focused on image manipulation and editing. It includes powerful photo editing features that allow you to add cool effects, make corrections and also beautify your photos.
While it works for the web, it also has the option to be downloaded to a Windows, Mac, or Mobile device. Individuals can use it if they wish to create their artwork without Illustrator. However, you cannot use it to open an AI file.
FotoFlexer
FotoFlexer is a free photo editing and image manipulation tool for simple image manipulation! If you want to make your photos look like they were taken by a professional photographer, then FotoFlexer is the tool for you.
This user-friendly tool allows you to edit your photos like a pro, with one-click tweaks and advanced tools on par with any desktop photo editing software. FotoFlexer also works in your web browser, so there is no need for software installation or configuration. It lets you edit photos from home, work, or the nearest coffee shop.
While FotoFlexer gives you stunning results, it only works with image files such as JPG, PNG, BMP, etc. You can do a number of Image editing tasks such as filtering, resizing, drawing, adding stickers, shapes, etc. With FotoFlexer your Image Editing Job is as simple as ABC.
Conclusions
As you can see, the following programs shared above are excellent online alternatives to Adobe Illustrator. If you are looking for an online alternative to Adobe Illustrator, then you have yourself a handful of tools to try out. Here is a quick recap of all the tools shared above:
- PhotoPea
- Vectr
- The Online Inscape Editor
- Fviewer AI file viewer
The above-listed browser-based vector editors are just as good as Adobe Illustrator at getting the job done.