Top 20 Popular Graphic Design Software Every Designer Should Know!

Nowadays, designers no longer rely on pen and paper alone! They use graphic design software to turn creative ideas into a visual reality. It is like the backbone of the modern graphic content that allows the designers to create a variety of stuff like logos, edit photos, and build colorful illustrations. 

Every visual, whether static or animated, that you see online or in print format, is made using graphics making software. From professional tools like Adobe Photoshop to beginner-friendly platforms like Canva, there are options for everyone out there. Bridging the gap between creativity and technology, in today’s digital world, almost all creative projects are dependent on these programs. 

Moving further, this guide breaks down different types of software for graphic design, their features, and the criteria one should look for before choosing a tool for themselves.

Did You Know?

As per Statista, in 2025, the creative software market worldwide is expected to reach a revenue of 9.64 billion USD 

10 Popular and Beginner-Friendly Graphic Design Software

Below is a list of 10 popular and beginner-friendly applications, along with the features they are best used for. 

Software Name	Pricing Model	Best Used For
Adobe Photoshop	Offers a one-month free trial; the annual plan costs USD 22.99, billed monthly.	Industry-leading photo editing tools, image blending, and intricate editing.
Adobe Illustrator	Offers a free trial and a 14-day full refund policy for USD 22.99/month.	Allows precision designing, can turn drawings into vector images, and has free templates.
Canva	30-day free trial, annual plan of USD 120.	Magic erase, image resize, background removal, premium animations, 10cr+ elements.
CorelDRAW	15-day free trial plan, annual plan of USD 13.25 per month.	Design options for all skill levels, a beginner-friendly GUI, and pixel-based brushes.
Figma	Offers a free starter plan; a full coverage professional plan is USD 16/month, and an enterprise plan is USD 90/month.	Cloud-based features allow real-time collaboration on projects and a user-friendly interface.
Adobe InDesign	7-day free trial, annual plan of USD 37.99, billed per month.	Turns SVG shapes and texts into images, mostly used to create books, magazines, and design posters.
GIMP	Free, the best alternative to Photoshop.	This is a raster graphics editor software, integrated with many programming languages, allows photo retouching.
Inkscape	Free	An open source design tool to create vector graphics, user-friendly and is mainly used to create logos.
Procreate	Offers a one-time subscription plan for USD 12.99	This is like a complete art studio for a graphic designer, providing advanced editing and animation tools.
Adobe XD	Standalone price: USD 9.99/month; Creative Cloud plan: USD 54.99/month	Vector-based graphic design software, mainly used by developers to make prototypes or wireframes.

Each software program offers unique attributes, so the best choice entirely depends on your project type, budget, and skill level. The aforementioned graphic software covers almost all the creative needs of a professional.

10 Best Graphic Design Software For the Pro Designer in You

Whether you are into complex editing or simply looking for software with an intuitive interface, the list below covers all of them.

1: Affinity Designer 

This is an award-winning vector graphic software program available for Windows, macOS, and iPadOS. Affinity Designer 2 is an all-inclusive application and is the top choice of skilled illustrators, web developers, and other creative professionals. 

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
macOS	Windows	iPad
USD 69.99	USD 69.99	USD 18.49

2: Sketch

As the creative professionals say, Sketch is graphic art software created by designers. It offers almost all the advanced features and has an intuitive interface, which allows users to create designs even in offline mode. 

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Standard	Business	Mac-Only License
USD 10	USD 22	USD 120

3: Xara Designer Pro+

Xara Designer Pro+ is an industry-level, flexible graphic design software. It comes with advanced editing tools, custom templates, and 130+ photo filters. This application encourages the creative flow of a professional editor. No coding skills are required to use this software.

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Yearly	Monthly
USD 192.00 per single user	USD 22.00 per single user

4: Adobe Express

If you are looking for a cutting-edge and graphic design best software for 2025, Adobe Express might just be an excellent choice. The AI integration feature allows editors and designers to generate trendy images. Using the text-to-image function. With it, creating animations has been easy.

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Premium	Teams	Enterprise
USD 99.99/year	USD 49.99/year	Depends on the features you choose

5: Pixlr

Pixlr is an AI-powered photo editor application. Using this advanced AI tool, designers can edit images, create illustrations, or generate images and videos as per the requirements of the project. With 100+ templates, what attracts creative professionals is the AI object removal and background remover feature. 

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Plus	Teams	Premium
USD 2.49 per month	USD 16.99 per month	USD 9.99 per month

6: VistaCreate

If you are a social media designer, VistaCreate is an all-in-one graphic design software for you. Offering thousands of free templates, images, videos, and motion effects, this application allows your creative ideas to come to life. The AI image generator is a plus factor for all your social media post needs. 

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Starter Plan	Pro Plan
Free starter plan with limited features	USD 10 per month with all the updated features.

7: Photoscape X

Photoscape X is yet another all-inclusive photo editor application that has features like editing images, removing or adding objects, changing the resolution or color of certain images, and much more. Similar to project management software, this graphic art tool allows real-time editing in both online and offline modes.

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Starter Plan	Pro Plan
Free plan with limited features	USD 39.99, one-time paid version

8: Vectr

This is an AI vector graphics editor and logo maker software. With cloud-based storage, the application allows real-time collaboration. Some trendy features that this platform offers are a sticker generator, AI face swap, AI vector generator, and the ability to create image-to-vector illustrations.

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software
Plus	Premium
USD 3.99 per month	USD 9.99 per month

9: Krita

Krita is an open-source graphic art-making software that is mainly used to create illustrations, paintings, and 2D animations. Although the UI of the application feels outdated, the customizable dashboard and multi-device compatibility rank it as one of the best graphic software programs. 

Subscription Plan Offered by the Software

No trials and no subscriptions required. As the software says, there is no limit to creativity.

10: Visme

Visme graphic design software is made for both professional and beginner-level designers. It is mainly used to create, manage, and publish business content for websites. One can say that it is more like one of the best CRM systems. You can create forms and surveys, presentations, poster ads, social graphics, and much more.

While these tools dominate the graphic design realm, the best graphic design software is the one that aligns with your project needs and your workflow. Before making a final decision, be sure to evaluate all the features, pricing, and other criteria. 

Types of Graphics Design Software

Some of the best software for graphic design comes in different forms. Each type is built to meet a specific creative work. Understanding these categories makes it easier for beginner designers to pick the right tool for their creative goals.

• Vector-Based Software: Vector design tools work with points, lines, and shapes to create scalable images. Such software is ideal for making logos, illustrations, and diagrams, as it keeps the image sharp so it won’t lose its quality. 

• Raster Graphic Software: The raster graphics editing software is pixel-based, which makes it ideal for photo editing and making web graphics. Scaling the images can reduce their quality. 

• 3D Graphic Design Software: 3D software tools allow designers to create three-dimensional images and videos and add realistic visual effects to the images. These tools are widely used in filmmaking, gaming, and product visualization. 

• Animation Software: Animation design software helps create motion graphics, also known as moving images. These can either be drawn from scratch or by adding effects to the already existing images. Such tools can bring static images to life.

Each type of graphic design tool serves a different purpose, from creating scalable images to producing creative 3D visuals and animations. Knowing the accurate usage of each category ensures that you choose the right tool as per the needs of the project. 

Key Features to Look For in a Graphics Making Software

There is no denying the fact that not all graphic design tools are built the same. Just like a CRM platform, some design programs or applications focus on simplicity, while others try to add advanced professional features to meet all the creative needs. 

Before you understand how to pick the right software for you, it is important to explore what makes a top rated graphic design software efficient, versatile, and future-ready.

User-Friendly Interface: A simple GUI is one of the most attractive features of any software, since it saves time and is feasible, especially for beginners.

Cloud Collaboration Tools: Many modern graphic arts software allow real-time collaboration, cloud storage, and online sharing, which is vital for team projects.

Cross-Platform Support: This feature enables users to work efficiently across different operating systems, like Windows, macOS, iOS, and mobile devices.

Performance and Speed: Handling heavy files without the software crashing or lagging is crucial for professional-level work.

Customization: Every advanced-level designer benefits from features like plugins, brushes, and customization of free templates, allowing them to show creativity and add a personal touch to the graphic.

File Export Options: The ability to open, edit, and export the file in multiple formats, like JPEG, PNG, SVG, or PDF, ensures smooth collaboration across different platforms.

To sum up, one can say that the best graphic design software balances usability, in-app performance, and file sharing flexibility. 

How to Choose the Right Software for Yourself?

Be sure that the right software depends on your creative goals, skills, and budget. Instead of going after new and trendy software, focus on what suits and works best as per your project needs. 

Having said that, let us quickly learn what you should focus on while choosing the right graphic design software for you. 

• Analyze Your Design Goals: Primarily, you need to define your design goals. Whether you want to edit images, design logos or illustrations, or simply want to animate static images. Depending on your project requirement, you can go for the best graphic art software.

• Know Your Skill Level: If you are a beginner, always go for software that has a user-friendly interface and basic editing features. As your skills grow, consider switching to advanced-level graphic software.

• Budget Considerations: Prefer starting your design journey with free graphic design software. Be sure to examine whether you want to go for a one-time plan or for an annual subscription. If you are a beginner, it is advisable to go for free tools or software that provide free trials.

• Compatibility Check: Make sure that the software you go for is compatible with almost all the operating systems, so that you are not restricted to any specific system. 

• Efficiency Curve: Always go for an easy-to-use graphic design software initially. Carefully evaluate your learning curve and gradually move to advanced tools to have a seamless design flow. 

• Experiment With Tools: While exploring, you may tend to forget some criteria; therefore, it is always beneficial to experiment with various free graphic art software so that you get a real idea of your requirements. 

• Mandatory Features: Make a list of all your must-have features. Prioritize basic functionalities like 3D designing, pixel resizing, motion effects, and much more. Before finalizing a graphic software, ensure that your application has all the must-have features, either in the free or the paid version. 

• Long-Term Planning: Go for applications that can be used in the long run, too. Switching software due to project needs can be overwhelming and time-wasting. Always choose software that aligns with your future design goals.

In short, the key to selecting the right graphic design software is exploring and experimenting with new tools. Whether you are a professional graphic designer or entering into this digital realm, having the right graphic design program is all you need to succeed in this journey. 

Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that graphic design software has completely transformed how we create, edit, and share visual content. With numerous options available, there is something for every skill level and budget. 

If you are ready to embark on this creative journey, you need to explore some tools, find the one that matches your artistic goals, and go for it. Start small, experiment with some tools using the free trial option, and upgrade when you feel you have found the right software for you.

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