Graphic design software can be very expensive, sometimes even for freeware. For beginners and other designers on a budget, many of the tools available are more than you need and out of reach in terms of prices.
Luckily, there are tons of free graphic design tools offered and more notably, there are many that are a great match for many purposes. In this short list, we highlight the 18 best free tools for different functions.
Best free graphic design tools for beginners
These applications function as simplified versions of quite advanced graphic design software. They consist of templates and simplified design components that evoke an intuitive, user-friendly approach to graphic recording. Ideal for artists or beginners, this application helps take her creative leaps.
Lunacy
Among the long-awaited features, we would mention that Lunacy can: Read any .sketch files of all versions (we spent 13 months testing it far and wide). Automatically download missing Google Fonts. Publish assets directly to a CDN. Save .sketch files(alpha).
Although concentrated on MVP, we couldn’t help but add a “killer” feature that we missed for years: exporting assets directly to a CDN. Instead of saving an image to a disk, you can get its URL with a single click, ready to insert into your HTML. Lunacy uploads the file to our CDN servers. The service is free thanks to the generous sponsorship of KeyCDN.
Another cool feature is the automatic downloading of Google Fonts. If you open a file with missing fonts, Lunacy will check Google Fonts and download those that are missing. The process is so smooth you will never even notice it. Designers use Google Fonts 90% of time, so… say goodbye to font hell.
Finally, Lunacy integrates with Sketch the Ripper—a fast and rustic alternative to the specialized tools like Zeplin. Imagine you are a designer who finished working on a piece. You share your designs with a single click and get a link to all the assets ripped off(example). Magic.
Canva
Canva is one of the simplest, most streamlined choices for graphic design. It’s best for amateurs given the which provides lots of fully-designed templates for every job ranging from social media graphics and slide decks to logos and print giveaways.
Canva offers countless robust-club projects that you can use at no cost, though a few of these templates and graphic symbols need a Premium enrollment to download. Just click the Create a design button and start a diverse project. From that screen, you can click through the offered templates and configure their color, formatting, and more.
Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a free version of the robust graphic design tools that Adobe provides. While you will not have all the granular, professional features, you’ll be able to design images from scratch, develop a web page design, and do a bit light video editing with Spark.
We also appreciate the option of sharing universal ingredients such as your logo, color, and font, which makes it incredibly simple to create branded designs. As soon as you open up a free account, it takes only one button to start creating exceptional designs including social media posts, stories, websites, and potentially even personalized designs. It remains possible to search Spark using an absolutely free template, but many do ask that you pay a subscription fee.
Coolers
While doing graphic design work will not be your main goal in Coolers, the site makes it very simple for beginners to look for color schemes and color palettes that coordinate beautifully. Choose from a collection of ready-to-go palettes, or choose one of your own from a list of colors, and place it on staff to fit.
So your website, brand colors, and other design assets will look great regardless of whether you’re a designer or not, due to the complementary nature of colors that work well together.
Best free vector graphic design tools
For graphic design editing that is more advanced, there are several free vector design tools you can choose that will offer similar experiences to more sophisticated software, like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. The tools listed below have their approach to enhancing the look of vector visual elements, but they are generally free and still render high-quality graphics.
Gravit Designer
A full vector graphic software application, Gravit Designer functions across a wide assortment of platforms, such as the web, desktop, laptop, mobile phone, and email. The app may also be downloaded for MacOS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS.
This app allows you to benefit from similar functions that you could with other picture editors that run on a higher price range. You will also have access to more sophisticated characteristics, for example, layer editing, opacity management, and image impacts. And you can additionally access unique shapes, icons, emojis, plus more contained in the study’s libraries.
Many developers find that the free version of Gravit Designer is more than ideal for their needs. Maybe less advanced export options, version history, and high-resolution PDFs are available in paid versions.
Vectr
When compared to industry-standard Adobe Illustrator software, Vectr is claimed to be a free, open-source alternative with a web-based and desktop app for personal installation on Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS utilizing vector editing technology. The themeset has all of the basic vector editing features you need, but it also has support for collaborating and syncing on designs through a subscription link.
While the advantage of Vectr lies primarily on the more advanced side, the service is completely free, so there are no features or templates behind a subscription wall.
Vecteezy
Vecteezy offers various free software, like vector art, illustrative pictures, and videos, which you can download to edit and publish pages immediately. You can also use this software to create original designs in your web browser (currently for Chrome, Chromium, and Opera).
The user interface is similar to Canva with intuitive functions and features similar to a beginner program. while Vecteezy Editor includes more advanced features than Canva, these attributes are missing from the free version’s standard features.
Among the ideal free software for graphic designers is Geographic Image Editor.
Most image editing tools require Photoshop-level capabilities, call these the ends without the high cost of Photoshop. Both contain advanced editing options and an interface that’s reminiscent of Photoshop, so it will not be too hard to master.
Sumopaint
Sumopaint’s online-based image editing software enables users without experience in image editing to effortlessly apply filters and shape factors like anyone familiar with the Photoshop tool would do. The Sumopaint’s UI itself incorporates all the features you’d expect from a full-featured drawing and image editing application.
Graphic designers are able to choose from a wide range of geometric shapes, typefaces, brushes, layers, and effects using Sumo’s various layout tools. Additionally, Sumo has its own Sumo3D, Sumopixel and Sumophoto tools to help you accomplish all your graphic design goals. The only caveat is the the free version prohibits you from downloading apps.
Pixlr
Pixlr is an online photo-editing app that enables designers to create fast and easy photo-editing work, including overlays, background cuts, and artistic effects. Pixlr affords its users Pixlr X, a one-step editing program, as well as Pixlr E, which provides more complex options for photo editing. Nonetheless, for both iOS and Android users at any age level, Pixlr is a simple, user-friendly option.
Pixlr is one of the primary free image editing applications on our list. You will have to purchase a paid subscription to get the full suite with more advanced editing features, artificial intelligence features, and a larger library of assets, overlays, and templates.
Best free 3D graphic design software
The expense of creating 3D designs in content-based software can be as expensive as 33 dollars per minute. However, you don’t need to invest in Creo or AutoCAD to create 3D models. The following tools will get you everything you need to build 3D designs minus the extravagant CAD software.
Daz 3D
Daz 3D is probably one of the best software programs for building three-dimensional drawings quickly and effectively. With an ever-expanding library of real-life models, characters, and objects, everyone can start building 3D models in no time at all. The free software is for both Mac and PC users and can be downloaded from their website. It directly manipulates rigging and morphing, renders, and affects physics.
The biggest dissimilarity when comparing Daz and software is that Daz doesn’t have tousled textures and specially designed models, such as those found in software packages and membership sites.
Blender
Blender is a great option for designers, illustrators, animators, and other creative professionals. It contains tools for rendering, modeling, sculpting UV, visual effects, animation, and rigging, as well as both 2D and 3D storybook art. Originally expense-free, the software package is totally free for all to use, put in to share with others, and even sell and print off.
The ability to build a video game from scratch, and a high focus on the selection of features, makes Blender an ideal option for professional quality directors of 3D films. Its learning curve and the likelihood of bugs are the main disadvantages of using Blender compared to more expensive 3D modeling programs.
Free graphic design storage solutions
Graphic designers are sometimes overlooking the importance of storage. Some software programs already include storage space, so be sure you review your pricing on these packages before signing up.
A comprehensive variety of capacities are offered free of charge, while upgrades could be accomplished at favorable rates if necessary.
Google Drive
Google s free tier gives the greatest storage running largest at 15 gigabytes and is popular. It’s crucial to remember, though, as with other Google cloud services, Gmail e-mailing uses space in Google Drive. But, if you outgrow the cost-free Google Drive, you can download files to Google s paid storage plan for as little as $1.99 a month for 100 gigabytes.
With its straightforward uploads featuring numerous organization choices and a lot of integrations with software programs, Google Drive is a powerful solution for storing data and keeping files. But designers are not fond of the style and variety of collaborative tools that Google Drive provides.
pCloud
pCloud provides as much as 10 gigabytes of online storage at no charge, offering access from any device and link and folder sharing from anywhere in the world. A number of graphic artists suggest pCloud to clients as a better platform for design sharing, as it incorporates thorough file previews.
And the paid plans start at just $4.99 a month for 500 gigabytes of storage. Plus, the pCloud desktop program make it easy for designers to work across many devices without worrying if their media files are safe.
Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the most common file storage services on the market, and the graphic design industry is no exception. While Dropbox is known for its ease of use and fast upload speed, the free version (Dropbox Basic) gives only 2 GB of storage before users need to upgrade to a paid subscription.
You can easily access free fonts by typing your name into a web browser. No matter what kind of font you need, there are plenty of websites on the web that contain it free of charge. The websites that follow will help you locate all these options easily.
MyFonts and WhatTheFont! by Monotype
The MyFonts tool by the Monotype corporation acts as a search engine for fonts and type collections. Selecting the filters reveals only the free fonts and makes it easy to select items you need.
The WhatTheFont! function allows designers to upload any PNG or JPG image into the label field of the tool and the WhatTheFont! tool simultaneously matches the font(s) used by Monotype’s extensive library. You just have to select “download selected font” after searching and downloading the perfect font.
Google Fonts
You can search Google Fonts to determine the theme of a font or narrow down the options using the categories, languages, and font properties menu. By opening a particular font family, you will find what style, glyphs, and pairings are available for use with the chosen text. Plus, you can enter your own text to preview the font family you are using.
The library of over a thousand fonts contains various licenses for Thank you for pointing out that Kazakh, Zaplem, and Bengali fonts are available on LibreOffice’s site. All you need to do is look for them in the page containing all the fonts.
Best websites for free stock photos
You needn’t hunt online for free stock photos that look great, aren’t posed, or are low in quality. The sites listed below let you search through thousands of excellent pictures to find exactly what your project needs.
Unsplash
With Unsplash, you can explore an enormous selection of over 2 million high-quality, high-resolution photos and images, all of which are available to use at no additional cost. Choose from categories like nature, people, current events, fashion, and more or browse your desired category directly.
The plus for Unsplash is that the creator of the photo is always included in the description, so handy credit to the photographers who power your work.
Pexels
Among the many stock photo sites Pexels also provides a large library of cost-free pictures which you can use. Unlike Unsplash, you can even download and use videos on Pexels for free. Browse through the website’s collections dedicated to trending themes such as Covid to Pride Month to cute cats or search based on the keyword of your choice. Photos and videos are easily downloaded from the website in one click. You can easily give credit to the artist in the comments.
Pixabay
Also on the site, you’ll find a classic library of more than 2.3 million high-quality images, videos, and even music that are completely free to download and use. Stock images from Pixabay include digital photographs, vector graphics, and illustrations, making it one of the most flexible and free library of imagery. Go to the even more comprehensive catalog or search for a thing by name.