Alternatives to CorelDRAW
In this article, we will be showing you the Free Alternatives to CorelDRAW Graphic software.
CorelDRAW is popular vector graphics software for all graphic designers who need to create premium graphics. You may be wondering why most creative’s prefer CorelDRAW.
Well, it is because the software has an impact when it comes to robust features, an intuitive interface, and unlimited creativity and control for the users. It all comes down to the high-quality graphics results that the software provides.
While you enjoy using CorelDRAW, for some reason you may need to work with optional graphic design software. That’s why we’ve collected the best alternatives to CorelDRAW below.
Table of Contents
Why choose an alternative to CorelDRAW?
CorelDRAW is an industry leader known for robust graphics, vector illustrations, logo creation, page layouts, and more. It provides enhanced vector editing tools, high-precision color management, tracking, and many other benefits to users.
However, CorelDRAW has its drawbacks.
CorelDRAW can be a bit challenging for beginners due to the small learning curve. It requires web design skills and experience, especially if you need to create realistic graphics. Navigation may not be easy for some users. The navigation board is invisible and the freehand brush is not so easy to use.
Compared to some of its competitors, CorelDRAW is a bit expensive. So if you’re short on cash, you might want to look the other way. If CorelDRAW doesn’t meet all your requirements, you have a good reason to look for another option that does it better.
Best Free Alternatives to CorelDRAW
1. Inkscape:
Inkscape is one of the most powerful tools to use when creating artistic vector illustrations. It has a comprehensive set of tools to enhance the style and color of your images. Tools like copy/paste style, outline markers, color picker, gradient editor, and copy color will transform your designs significantly.
Inkscape supports several vector file formats, including CSS, SVG, and XML.
Key Features of Inkscape
- Works with layers
- Boolean path operations
- object grouping
- Automatic bitmap tracking tools
- Anti-aliasing bitmap images
- Calligraphy, pencil, drawing, pen, and shape tools
- It supports multiple file formats
What’s good
- It is free
- Works on all computers
- It’s open-source
- Friendly User Interface
- Provides bitmap tracking
- It has many tools for professionals
- Supports multiple file formats
What’s not good
- Outdated interface
- Mac OS version has delays
- Bad quality text fools
Inkscape is an excellent free alternative to CorelDRAW. It has open-source code that allows users to change rules to improve them. The tools need constant improvement, which makes Inkscape suitable for both beginners and graphic design enthusiasts. Professionals may not be so lucky with this tool.
2. Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Illustrator makes it easy to create complex vector graphics. It has excellent color management features and basic drawing tools for the job. The user interface is intuitive, with easily accessible features. This platform gives users full control over their graphic creation process.
To work with an illustrator, you need to use the AI file format. Since the software is fully integrated with the rest of Adobe’s free software, users can import objects from Illustrator into Adobe Flash Professional.
Key Features of Adobe Illustrator CC
- Pre-made design templates
- Has a free transformation tool
- Color synchronization
- Pixel Adjustment Options
- File packaging
- Pixel perfect designs
- Free form gradients
- Puppet warming improvements
What’s good
- Various custom plugins
- Excellent zoom
- Adobe software integration
- Adjustable slopes
- Small resource files
- Simplified path function
- Visual Font Navigation
What’s not good?
- It’s not easy for beginners
- Monthly subscription required after free trial
- Files are hard to share
This new version of Adobe Illustrator is an excellent alternative to CorelDRAW and includes advanced features for use with your vector graphics.
3. GIMP
GIMP is a free and open-source graphics editor. It also has vector graphics editing tools – a great alternative to CorelDRAW for scripted graphics, design objects, and icons.
GIMP uses several programming algorithms. It is equipped with extensive customization options and third-party plugins. There is a lot of flexibility and extensibility with GIMP. It integrates with various programming languages such as Perl, Python, and Scheming to increase the degree of customization.
Key Features of GIMP
- Custom user interface
- Supports various input devices
- Lots of design elements
- Retouch image
- Layers
- State-of-the-art photo manipulation tools
- Original art creation
- Color Management Features
What’s good
- Friendly interface
- Highly adaptable
- Free and open source
- Supports multiple file formats
- Broad functionality
- Excellent support
What’s not good
- Sometimes it takes
- Poorly developed web and mobile versions
GIMP is a powerful tool for simple graphics editing with multiple brushes and other digital selection, drawing, and retrieval functions. The features can meet your graphics needs in the same way as CorelDRAW.
4. Paint Shop Pro
PaintShop Pro is another interesting vector and raster image editor to use in graphic design and photo editing. It has the most amazing tools including the SmartClone feature. With SmartClone you can effortlessly merge different elements and add unique effects. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
Your parallel toolbox contains layers and masks. Your digital drawing and painting couldn’t be easier with the unique brushes in the toolbox, not to mention the HDR tools.
PaintShop Pro never disappoints with its support for 360-degree photo editing.
You may be wondering why PaintShop Pro is on this list.
Well, it’s because it offers a 30-day free trial. That’s enough time to create great images for your brand.
It has a simple, navigable interface with editing options and a photo organizer. This is your ideal choice if you want to take image editing to the next level. Beginner or not, you can learn PaintShop Pro and work smoothly to get your projects done.
Features of PaintShop Pro
- Face Detection Technology for Clustered Images
- Image Segmentation Tool
- Lots of built-in learning tools
- Photo editing function
- Graphic design
- What we like
- Creative tools for professional users
- Powerful features
- Intuitive for new users
- Ability to copy and paste layer styles
- Touchscreen Compatible
- Amazing content aware cloning
What’s good?
- It is not platform-independent.
- The update is not attractive at all
5. Overview
Sketch is a freeware vector graphics editing software for stunning icons, retouched photos, web designs, and vector graphics. Guess what happens in Sketch? You have the opportunity to create, prototype, and collaborate. It helps you turn your brilliant ideas into delicious products and share them with your teams and customers.
The robust editor and built-in prototyping will keep your product looking great.
An intuitive interface welcomes a masterful design experience, plus great facilitation and speeding up of design validation and approval. To top it off, this ad-free platform has excellent intuitive controls and only uses 50MB of hard drive space when downloaded.
Key features of Sketch
- Contextual User Interface
- Responsive design and prototyping
- A comprehensive set of tools
- Lots of reusable symbols
- Plugin support
- Grids and Guides
- Export to HTML
- Edit vector graphics
- Design and typography
- Output and collaboration
What’s good?
- Premium Collaboration Tools
- Easy to navigate user interface
- A variety of professional tools to use
- Beginner-friendly platform
- Compatible with Illustrator assets
- Low learning curve
- What we don’t like
- Designed for Mac OS users only
- One license, one device
- Lack of automatic layout flow options
Sketching is feature-rich and flexible, with huge vector shapes and scale to ensure quality designs. Adjust the color, size, and transparency of the brush for unique results.
6. Krita
Krita is a wise and free CorelDRAW alternative considering its features and capabilities. It’s free, it’s open-source, and it has all the basic design and digital drawing tools. Combine these qualities with an intuitive interface and unparalleled photo editing capabilities, and you’re good to go.
Krita was developed by designers who needed to give artists a common ground for creativity. It has tools for concept art, texture and matte painting, comics, and illustrations.
In Krita, you have full access to configurable options, brush presets, and more. Toolbar controls can help you change brush settings, including size, blending mode, opacity, or color.
Key features of Krita
- Flexible interface
- Supports multiple file types, including open PSD support
- Brush motors and stabilizers
- Many vector photo editing tools
- OpenGL improvement
- Layer types
- Color profiles
- Python scripts
What’s good?
- elegant interface
- Many training resources
- drawing assistants
- layer management
- color management
- HDR painting support
- immersive mode
- Resource Manager
What’s not good?
- Often takes a while after an update
- No photo retouching features
- The text tool is clumsy
What gives Krita an edge is its powerful brushed motor. It has multiple settings to customize brushes with shape, color, and density. It also accepts textures and brushes from third parties.
7. Autodesk Sketchbook
Autodesk Sketchbook is an Autodesk component used for vector graphics. It comes with a friendly and clear user interface.
One of the outstanding features of Sketchbook is its compatibility with PSD Photoshop software. You can also use it with JPEG, BMP, TIFF, and PNG file formats.
Ever wondered why designers love working with Sketchbook? Well, the secret lies in the fact that it is a free program that is packed with unique features and functionality. And you can work anywhere too!
Imagine being able to work freely on your tablet without a keyboard. Did you know?
Sketchbook interface supports tablet usage. With a great brush engine, uncluttered workspace, and plenty of drawing and sketching tools, any beginner or professional will be excited to get started.
Features of Autodesk Sketchbook
- Ellipse guides
- Coptic Color Library
- Scan camera
- import line art
- constant rate
- symmetry tools
- curved ruler
- unlimited brushes
- layer grouping
- flipbook animation
- distortion transformation
- blending modes
- Fills and Gradient Fills
What’s good?
- Your simplicity
- Excellent feature set
- Import or export layered PSD
- Creative Application Integration Tools
- No UI distraction
- PSD Compatibility
- Support touch input:
- fast learning curve
What’s not good?
- Tablet problems
- Limit the creativity of professional designers
Sketchbook may not match the features of CorelDRAW, but it offers the best experience as an alternative. It’s free to try.
8. Gravity Designer
Gravit Designer is open-source cross-platform vector design software for logos, banners, icons, and more.
The precision vector tools allow you to create points, lines and shapes to form all designs.
The Gravit Designer user interface supports both web and application. Want to create wireframes and mockups with symbols, pages, anchors, and shared styles? This is the platform for you.
This platform has exceptional image and photo editing features. You have the right photo effects, from lighting and color adjustments to blends and filters.
If you want complete control, kerning, font styles, weights, paragraph, and character spacing are all at your disposal.
Amazing vector editing features are safely stored in the vector toolbox. Take advantage of Bezigon’s predefined shapes with smart controls, pen, knife, boolean operations, and more.
Features of Gravit Designer
- Great vector design tools
- Quite a few styles
- excellent grades
- Can work with text
- automatic layout generator
- export options
- Real-time collaboration across platforms
What’s good
- Very reliable
- free software
- An extensive library of vector elements
- Hassle-free user interface
- Can be used online
What’s not good?
- Sometimes have bugs
- Very limited functionality
Gravit Designer is designed with standard tools that perform vector graphics editing effectively.
While it works with curves and layers, this platform also includes various tools for selection and transformation, text, shapes, and more. In the long run, these elements will complement your creations admirably.
9. Canva
Canva is the master at creating logos, banners, photo editing, and making gifs.
This web-based platform allows you to explore your creative potential with social media images, posters, and more. It is a free logo maker with a dynamic user interface. Choose one of the template designs to start your project.
For logos, Canva automatically generates a preview based on the information you provide. It has many fonts, colors, images, and illustrations to choose from. Free design tools have excellent team collaboration tools. It’s ideal for businesses that need customizable slides, prints, and presentation graphics.
Professional templates, layouts, speech icons, and frames help boost your designs, especially pixel-perfect images for your landing pages.
Features of Canva
- Free custom templates
- Design types
- branding kit
- cloud storage
- Large Image Database
- Collaborative Tools
- text editor
- Drag and drop user interface
- layout management
What’s good?
- Resize design in one click
- Upload your logos and fonts
- easy to use
What’s not good?
- Lack of options for merging files
- No pencil tools
Canva has an extensive repository of media assets and other tools to make your images stand out. This can help you give your competitors a run for their money.
10. Vectornator
Vectornator is an intuitive graphic design platform with an impressive interface. It helps to provide inspiring designs, illustrations, and layouts.
The ease of use makes things easier. The welcome screen provides a preview of what your finished product will look like. Vectornator supports layers. The features make the process easy, even for a ten-year-old.
This software is designed with touch capabilities and is the product of 19-year-old Vladimir Danila from Germany. It currently tops the charts as the best intuitive vector graphics software for the iPad. The new update version, Vectornator X, is powered by auto-tracking technology.
It also supports multiple artboards. The experience is simply unique!
Features of Vectornator
- Auto follow
- Clipboards
- Card-based design, intuitive interface
- display engine
- predefined templates
- 2D drawing
- Pen and Pencil Tools
- Group and mask objects
- isometric grid
- boolean operations
What’s good?
- The Floating Toolbar
- infinite layers
- free icons
- Innovative color picker
- Live Blending Modes
- CMYK color space
What’s not good?
- Compatible with iOs and Mac OS only
- Limited functionality
Vectornator has replaced manual tracing with an automatic tool to make vectors happy. With multiple artboards in one document, you can handle complex designs with minimal effort. What a sensible alternative to CorelDRAW.
11. Vectr
Vectr is free vector graphics software that provides amazing results. It doesn’t need a learning curve to get icons, logos, business cards, posters, and other professional products. Its precision and full functionality say it all.
Vectr is cross-platform and best suited for project leaders, social media influencers, software engineers, and bloggers.
This software has fantastic collaboration tools. Some of the basic features include shape tools, pathfinders, gradients, pen tools, and more.
Features of Vectr
- Arrange and align elements
- shaping tools
- Fills and Strokes
- scouts
- pen tool
- expired
- Transparency tool for collaboration
- calendar icons
- lightning and stars
- Various clipart designs
- arrows; arrows
- WordPress plugin
What’s good?
- Your versatility
- Image Adjustment Tools
- collaboration options
- synchronization
- Image import support
- low learning curve
- It’s free and cross-platform
What’s not good?
- Can only work online
- Vectr is professionally designed. The shallow learning curve paves the way for beginners to create engaging vector graphics with many conveniences.
It’s an excellent alternative for creators who want to create simple yet powerful vector graphics without a lot of fuss.
Conclusion
These Free Alternatives to CorelDRAW are the best. All you have to do is search and find one that suits your needs. What do you look for in a vector graphics editor? Are you a professional graphic designer or a beginner? Some tools work well with beginners, while others are difficult to understand.
Vectr has a low learning curve and many features, making it suitable for both beginners and professionals. The idea is to get an alternative to CorelDRAW that works with your operating system and doesn’t limit your options. Hope this helps. See you next time! Please try to support vdtips by sharing this post thanks.
See also the best free and paid graphics software.
