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Inkscape vs Adobe Illustrator: Which is better?
5 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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We’ve reached a digital age where creating art orgraphicsis no longer something that is limited by how much talent you have.
There are a wide variety of products out there that can be used to create graphic designs, each with its own unique features and approaches.
However, that in itself is also a problem, since too many options can make it difficult to choose which is the best, especially if you have a specific set of needs in mind.
On that note, we’ve decided to look over the pros and the cons of two very populargraphicsdesign tools, and then compare the two to see which is the best.
As such, we’ve decided to compareAdobe Illustrator, a world-renowned software tool used by professionals everywhere, and Inkscape, a free and open-source program that anyone can use.
This article is great for those who also searched fo the following:
Inkscape vs Adobe Illustrator: Which is better?
1. Adobe Illustrator
1.1 What is Adobe Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator is avector graphics editorcreated by Adobe, and it was originally created for the Mac OS, but it slowly managed to make its way to the Windows platform as well.
It was created afterAdobe Photoshopand was supposed to be the vector-based variant of the program since graphic design using raster-based programs did come with its own limitations.
This was especially noticeable when dealing with large-scale projects such as banners and billboards where enlarging the image would eventually lead to it becoming pixelated.
1.2 What features does Adobe Illustrator have?
The UIis designed to be quite intuitive, and anyone familiar with Adobe Photoshop will have no problem whatsoever transitioning to this program as well.
All the tools that you may ever need are present in a sidebar that appears on the left of the screen. These tools allow you to select, create, and manipulate objects or artworks in Illustrator.
Of course, you also have access to sets of tools, each of which acts as menus for other more niche tools:
1.3 Pros and Cons of Adobe Illustrator
Pros:
Cons:
⇒Download Adobe Illustrator for Free
2. Inkscape
2.1 What is Inkscape?
Inkscape is also a vector-basedgraphicdesign tool, but unlike Adobe Illustrator, it is completely free and open-source.
It works on Linux, Windows, and MacOSX and comes with a host of tools used for both artistic and technical illustrations such ascartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagramming, and flowcharting.
Because it too is a vector-basedgraphicdesign tool, it allows for sharp printouts and renderings at unlimited resolutions, even for works likegiant banners or roadside billboards.
2.2 What features does Inkscape have?
As far as tools are concerned, Inkscape offers almost as many tools as Adobe Illustrator, but the highlit is actually the way you use the program.
The interface is designed to be extremely simple and accessible, even to users that have no background experience using such tools.
More so, the fact that it is open-source makes it available in a wide variety of languages, and it also lets users customize Inkscape’s functionality with add-ons.
Admittedly, you may consider the fact that it is free and the open-source licensing as a big plus, but this too comes with its own set of drawbacks.
2.3 Pros and Cons of using Inkscape
Pros
Cons:
⇒Download Inkscape
2.4 Are Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape compatible?
Those of you that want a more hands-on approach at comparing the programs should know that they can do it quite easily since the two have a high degree of compatibility.
For example, Inkscape’s native format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), which is a format also supported by Adobe Illustrator. Unfortunately, the two implementations are not fully compatible.
More so, Inkscape also exports to PS, EPS and PDF, formats that Illustrator can recognize.
3. Inkscape vs Adobe Illustrator: The final verdict
Both tools are great, and while Inkscape’s non-existent price-tag and open-source license may seem like the reason we would call it the winner, it is actually the very thing that makes Adobe Illustrator take our vote.
In a world where everything is standardized and jobs are hard to come by, investing in a program that will greatly increase your chances of success is better in the long run.
More so, Adobe Illustrator is used everywhere, it is always patched and updated, and the customer support is always available for you with the best answers.
Thus, if you want quality and reassurance, there is no way you could go wrong with Adobe Illustrator.
Basically speaking, everything you could ever do with Inkscape you can do with Illustrator, but you cannot say the same about the other way around.
More about the topics:Adobe Illustrator,design software
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
