Short answer: Inkscape is the best free vector editor in 2026. It is open-source software with no paid tier, and it imports and exports SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG. Affinity Designer is the pick for solo professionals, since it is free for individuals. Penpot's Professional plan costs $0 and suits product teams. The paid benchmark is Adobe Illustrator at $22.99 a month for individuals, with a 7-day trial and no free tier.
Eight vector and design tools compared on the file types their free plans export, what the free tier caps, and what the paid step costs, checked on vendor pages in October 2026.
Most people who search for free vector software want one thing: a file they can keep and hand to a printer, a sign shop or a client. A vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF) keeps its edges sharp at any size. Many free tools edit vectors but export only pixels, and some stop you at the download button. This guide ranks eight tools on the file types their free plans export, the caps that apply, and what the paid step costs.
Toolradar data: Of the 253 graphic design tools in our graphic design category, 74%% offer a free or freemium plan (60 free, 126 freemium), while 67 publish no free tier at all. A free plan is the norm here, so the real question is what that plan lets you export.
Methodology: we read the pricing, export and trial details on each vendor's own pages in October 2026. Where a vendor publishes prices in euros, we quote euros as shown and do not convert them.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
Free open-source vector editor that imports and exports SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG with no paid tier.
Starting price
Free, GPL open source
4.2 (937 reviews)
Best for
Designers and print shops that need a real vector file and cannot justify a subscription.
Free for individuals on Mac and Windows: a professional vector toolset from the Affinity suite, with no paid step for solo use.
Starting price
Free for individuals
4.5 (454 reviews)
Best for
Solo designers who want professional vector tools at no cost and can accept a Canva sign-in.
Open-source design platform whose free Professional plan the vendor calls fully featured, with paid seats above it.
Starting price
Professional plan at $0, open source
4.5 (12 reviews)
Best for
Product and interface teams that want an open-source tool they could also host themselves.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inkscape | Free, GPL open source | 4.2 937 reviews | Designers and print shops that need a real vector file and cannot justify a subscription. |
| Affinity Designer | Free for individuals | 4.5 454 reviews | Solo designers who want professional vector tools at no cost and can accept a Canva sign-in. |
| Penpot | Professional plan at $0, open source | 4.5 12 reviews | Product and interface teams that want an open-source tool they could also host themselves. |
| Figma | Free Starter; Pro $16 a seat/mo | 4.2 3,131 reviews | Product and UI designers who work with a team on screens and prototypes. |
| Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) | Free trial; Pro €10 a month | 4.4 17 reviews | Illustrators who want SVG export and a short free start before committing to a paid plan. |
| Photopea | Free in the browser | 4.5 134 reviews | Quick edits to logos and icons on a machine where you cannot install software. |
| Adobe Express | Free; Premium $9.99 a month | 4.5 848 reviews | Non-designers who need social graphics and a quick PDF, not a vector master file. |
| Adobe Illustrator (paid benchmark, not free) | No free tier; from $22.99/mo | 4.7 14,855 reviews | Professional designers whose clients require Illustrator files and who will pay for them. |
Inkscape
Free open-source vector editor that imports and exports SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG with no paid tier.
- 4.4 on Capterra (518 reviews)
- 4.4 on G2 (417 reviews)
- 2.5 on SourceForge (2 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free, GPL open source
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.2 (937 reviews)
Best for: Designers and print shops that need a real vector file and cannot justify a subscription.
- Pro: The free download covers SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG, so you do not need a paid tier to hand off a vector master.
- Pro: Version 1.4.4 shipped on May 6, 2026, so the project is actively maintained rather than a legacy download.
- Pro: The GPL license keeps the source code open, so anyone can inspect, modify and redistribute the software under the same terms.
- Con: The interface is less polished than Affinity's, and pen-tool work takes longer to learn.
- Con: There is no cloud sync or hosted storage, so your files live on your own disk and backups are your job.
Inkscape's pricing is exceptionally generous, being entirely free.
Affinity Designer
Free for individuals on Mac and Windows: a professional vector toolset from the Affinity suite, with no paid step for solo use.
- 4.5 on G2 (454 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free for individuals
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.5 (454 reviews)
Best for: Solo designers who want professional vector tools at no cost and can accept a Canva sign-in.
- Pro: Affinity's own site says the apps are free for individuals on Mac and Windows.
- Pro: One download covers vector work, photo editing and page layout, so a single app can replace three separate tools.
- Pro: It is a desktop app, so your files stay on your machine rather than in a hosted account.
- Con: The download flow signs you in through a Canva account first, which matters if you avoid that ecosystem.
- Con: Optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan, so AI features cost extra on top of the free apps.
Affinity Designer's pricing is incredibly generous compared to the market.
Watch out
No subscription means no cloud storage
Penpot
Open-source design platform whose free Professional plan the vendor calls fully featured, with paid seats above it.
- 4.5 on G2 (10 reviews)
- 5.0 on SourceForge (1 reviews)
- 4.0 on Capterra (1 reviews)
- Starting price
- Professional plan at $0, open source
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.5 (12 reviews)
Best for: Product and interface teams that want an open-source tool they could also host themselves.
- Pro: The Professional plan is labeled free and fully featured on the pricing page, with no paid tier needed to start.
- Pro: Penpot describes itself as an open-source design platform, so teams are not locked into one vendor's cloud.
- Pro: The Unlimited plan costs $7 per editor a month and is capped at $175 a month however large the team grows.
- Con: The pricing page does not name export formats, so test an SVG and a PDF before you rely on either.
- Con: Penpot is built around interface design first, so for illustration and print artwork Inkscape or Affinity fits better.
Penpot's pricing is exceptionally generous, as it offers a fully-featured, open-source design platform completely free of charge.
Figma
Free Starter plan gives unlimited drafts, and its pricing page lists PNG, JPG, PDF and CSV exports.
- 4.7 on G2 (1,588 reviews)
- 4.7 on Capterra (876 reviews)
- 2.5 on Trustpilot (444 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free Starter; Pro $16 a seat/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.2 (3,131 reviews)
Best for: Product and UI designers who work with a team on screens and prototypes.
- Pro: The Starter plan costs nothing and includes unlimited drafts, with 150 AI credits a day, up to 500 a month.
- Pro: Professional adds unlimited files and projects on a per-seat basis, per the pricing page.
- Pro: On a paid plan, Figma lets others view and comment on your files without buying extra seats, per its pricing page.
- Con: Its free export line, PNG, JPG, PDF and CSV, is built for screens and documents rather than print-ready vector masters.
- Con: AI credits cap out at 500 a month on Starter, so heavy AI use pushes you toward a paid seat.
Figma's March 2025 pricing overhaul replaced per-product seats with unified seat types (Full/Dev/Collab/View), bundling FigJam and Slides into every paid seat.
Watch out
Freelancers editing inside a client's org must be added as a paid seat in that org, even if they already pay for their own Figma subscription
Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator)
Vectornator's successor, now Linearity Curve, exports PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF, but its free welcome credits expire after 7 days.
- 4.4 on G2 (17 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free trial; Pro €10 a month
- Free plan
- Free to use
- Rating
- 4.4 (17 reviews)
Best for: Illustrators who want SVG export and a short free start before committing to a paid plan.
- Pro: The FAQ names SVG and PDF among its export formats, which covers web and most print handoffs.
- Pro: The free plan includes 5GB of cloud storage for brand assets, per the pricing page.
- Pro: Pro is €10 a month, or €8 a month billed yearly, both including VAT.
- Con: The 2,400 welcome credits expire after 7 days, so the free plan is a trial rather than a long-term plan.
- Con: The pricing page shows euros only, so buyers who budget in dollars must convert the figures themselves.
Vectornator's pricing is incredibly generous, offering a fully functional vector design app for free.
- Starting price
- Free in the browser
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.5 (134 reviews)
Best for: Quick edits to logos and icons on a machine where you cannot install software.
- Pro: The core editor is free, and the homepage says its premium features cost nothing to use.
- Pro: It opens SVG, AI, EPS, PDF and about 40 other formats, so many client files open without conversion.
- Pro: Nothing to install: it runs in the browser, which suits a shared or locked-down machine.
- Con: It is raster-first, so vector paths are a secondary tool and not a replacement for Inkscape or Illustrator.
- Con: The homepage gives no price for any paid option, so confirm the current terms before using it on paid client work.
Photopea's pricing is incredibly generous, offering a fully-featured Photoshop alternative for free, albeit with ads.
Adobe Express
Template-first design app with a free plan and 5GB of storage, but its export list names no vector format.
- 4.5 on G2 (848 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free; Premium $9.99 a month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.5 (848 reviews)
Best for: Non-designers who need social graphics and a quick PDF, not a vector master file.
- Pro: The free plan needs no credit card to start, according to the pricing page.
- Pro: Premium has no annual commitment and bills monthly, per the same page.
- Pro: The 5GB of free cloud storage covers a small library of brand assets.
- Con: Its export list is JPEG, PNG, PDF, GIF and PPT, so a designer cannot take a vector master out of it.
- Con: The Premium storage figure differs between the plan card and the comparison table on the same page, so check it before you pay.
Adobe Express offers a generous Free tier, making it accessible for basic creative needs.
Watch out
Generative credit overage fees
Adobe Illustrator (paid benchmark, not free)
The industry-standard vector app with no free tier, and the paid step every free editor in this guide is measured against.
- Starting price
- No free tier; from $22.99/mo
- Free plan
- No
- Rating
- 4.7 (14,855 reviews)
Best for: Professional designers whose clients require Illustrator files and who will pay for them.
- Pro: It is the reference app for vector work in print and agency workflows.
- Pro: A 7-day trial lets you test the full app before any payment, per Adobe's plans page.
- Pro: The teams plan is $37.99 a month per license with a 14-day trial, so a studio can test it across seats.
- Con: There is no free tier, and the individual plan costs about $276 a year when billed monthly.
- Con: It ranks last here because it is not free, so it appears only as the paid benchmark for the free tools above.
Other Graphic Design tools worth considering
More published tools from our Graphic Design category, ordered by our category ranking. They are not part of the editorial picks above.
What a free vector editor has to do
A vector editor draws shapes from mathematical paths, so an export keeps its edges sharp at any size. Raster editors work mainly in pixels, and a free pixel export rarely gives you a file that scales for a sign or a large print run. The tools below fall into three groups. Photopea, Adobe Express and Adobe Illustrator sit outside them.
Open-source desktop apps, such as Inkscape, cost nothing and carry no paid tier. Free-for-individuals commercial apps, such as Affinity Designer, let solo users work at no charge while teams buy their own licenses. Browser tools, such as Figma, Penpot and Linearity Curve, give you a free account and charge once you need more seats, storage or credits.
The category also has a retirement problem. Gravit Designer, once a popular free vector app, is gone. Corel discontinued Gravit Designer and its successor, Corel Vector, in 2025, and the .gvdesign files those apps saved open only in those apps. A list that still sends you to a Gravit download points to a product that no longer exists.
Why the export list decides whether free is usable
The export list is the test that separates a usable free tool from a demo. Inkscape's about page says it imports and exports SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG, which covers a print shop, a web team and a designer who needs an Illustrator-compatible file. Linearity Curve's FAQ lists PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF, so it works for web and print but not for an AI or EPS handoff. Adobe Express's pricing page lists JPEG, PNG, PDF, GIF and PPT exports, which suits social posts but gives you no vector master.
The second test is the paid step. A free plan that runs out in a week is a trial in disguise. Linearity's free plan gives 2,400 welcome credits, which expire after 7 days, so for regular use the free tier is short. Adobe Illustrator has no free tier at all: its individual plan bills monthly on an annual plan, with a 7-day trial. Affinity's free download is for individuals, and its enterprise route runs through a contact-sales form that shows no list price.
Those two tests answer the question that matters: will the free tool still do the job when the work gets real, and what does the first paid step cost you?
Key Features to Look For
Vector export on the free tier (Essential)
Inkscape saves SVG as its native format and also handles AI and EPS. Linearity Curve's FAQ names SVG and PDF exports. Affinity's download page names no export formats such as SVG or PDF, so test a file before you commit. Adobe Express's pricing page and Figma's export line name raster and document formats.
Credits and trial clocks (Essential)
Linearity Curve's free plan gives 2,400 welcome credits that expire after 7 days. Adobe Illustrator offers a 7-day individual trial and a 14-day trial on its teams plan, which costs $37.99 a month per license. Figma's Starter plan gives 150 AI credits a day, up to 500 a month.
Cloud storage on the free plan (Important)
Adobe Express's free plan includes 5GB of cloud storage, and Linearity Curve's free plan includes 5GB for brand assets. Inkscape and Affinity are desktop apps, so their files live on your own disk, and Photopea works in the browser.
License model (Important)
Inkscape is free and open-source software under the GPL, so anyone can inspect and reuse the code under the same terms. Penpot describes itself as an open-source design platform, and its Professional plan is free.
Before you pick a free vector editor
-
Name the file your client or printer needs before you open any app. If a sign shop wants SVG, AI or EPS, Inkscape covers all three for nothing, while Adobe Express's export list stops at raster files, PDF and PPT.
-
Test the export before you build anything. Export a test logo as SVG, open it in a second app and check that paths, text and colors survive. That check takes little time and can save a redesign later.
-
Count seats, not plans. Five people on Figma's Professional plan at $16 per Full seat a month cost 5 x $16 = $80 a month before any Dev or Collab seats, while the Starter plan costs nothing for drafts.
-
Budget the paid step only if the work needs it. Illustrator's individual plan, billed monthly on an annual plan, comes to about $276 a year, which is worth it for client work that demands AI files and not for occasional logo edits.
-
Watch the credit systems. Linearity's welcome credits expire after 7 days, and Figma's Starter plan gives 150 AI credits a day, so plan any heavy AI work around those limits rather than the plan headline.
Evaluation Checklist
Export a test file to SVG and open it in a second app, then check that paths, text and colors survive the trip.
Confirm the free plan's export list covers your delivery format, whether that is SVG, AI, EPS, PDF or PNG.
Note any clock on a free plan or trial: 7 days for Linearity's welcome credits, and 7 days for Illustrator's individual trial.
Pricing Overview
Free to use
Inkscape, Affinity Designer for individuals and Photopea, where the core editor needs no paid plan.
Free
Free plan, paid tier above
Penpot's Professional and Figma's Starter plans, with Penpot's capped Unlimited and Figma's Professional full seat as the paid steps. Adobe Express offers a free plan with 5GB of storage and a Premium tier at $9.99 a month.
Free, then $7 to $16 a month
Free trial, then euros
Linearity Curve: 2,400 welcome credits that expire after 7 days, then Pro, Studio and Business plans shown in euros including VAT.
Free welcome credits, then €10 a month
Paid only
Adobe Illustrator for individuals, billed monthly on an annual plan, with a 7-day trial. No free tier exists, so this is the benchmark the free tools are measured against.
$22.99 a month
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Free plan | Export formats on the free plan | Paid step |
|---|---|---|---|
Inkscape | Free, GPL open source, no paid tier | SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS, PNG | None, the software is free |
Free for individuals (Designer, Photo, Publisher) | Not named on the download page | Teams and enterprise by contact sales, no list price shown | |
Penpot | Professional plan at $0, open source | Not named on the pricing page | Unlimited at $7 per editor a month, capped at $175 a month |
Figma | Starter at $0, unlimited drafts, 150 AI credits a day | PNG, JPG, PDF, CSV (CSV for sticky notes) | Professional at $16 per Full seat a month |
2,400 welcome credits valid 7 days, 5GB storage | PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF per FAQ | Pro €10 a month, €8 billed yearly, incl. VAT | |
Photopea | Free browser editor, premium features at no cost | Opens SVG, AI, EPS, PDF and about 40 other formats | None shown on the homepage |
Free, no credit card, 5GB storage | JPEG, PNG, PDF, GIF, PPT | Premium at $9.99 a month, billed monthly | |
Adobe Illustrator | No free tier, 7-day trial | No free export | $22.99 a month for individuals, billed monthly on an annual plan |
Verified October 2026 on vendor pages: Inkscape about, Inkscape release notes, Affinity, Penpot pricing, Figma pricing, Linearity pricing, Linearity, Photopea, Adobe Express pricing, Adobe Illustrator plans. Linearity shows its paid plans in euros, quoted as published.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Choosing by feature list instead of export list, then discovering that the free export is a PNG when the printer wants SVG.
- ×
Paying for Illustrator on logo work that Inkscape can finish for free, then paying again for a second tool to open the file.
Expert Tips
- →
Build the artwork in Inkscape, then export one SVG for the web and one PDF for the printer from the same file.
- →
Keep the source file in an open format you can open later. SVG is the safest choice, and Gravit's .gvdesign files show the risk of a proprietary format.
- →
Use Figma for screen work when a team needs to comment on the file, and export a PDF for print, since Figma's free export line leans to PNG and PDF.
Red Flags to Watch For
-
A download link to Gravit Designer or Corel Vector. Both were discontinued in 2025, and their .gvdesign files stay tied to those apps.
-
A free plan whose credits expire in days, such as Linearity's 7-day welcome credits, which is a trial rather than a plan.
-
Enterprise tiers with no list price, such as Affinity's contact-sales route, where the real cost stays hidden until a sales call.
The Bottom Line
Inkscape is the best free vector editor for most people in 2026: it costs nothing, has no paid tier, and imports and exports the vector formats print shops ask for. Affinity Designer is the pick for solo professionals who want a fuller toolset at no cost, provided the Canva sign-in suits them. Penpot and Figma fit product teams, and Linearity Curve's free welcome credits are a short trial rather than a long-term free plan. Adobe Illustrator is the paid benchmark, and it has no free tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free vector editor in 2026?
Inkscape is the best free vector editor for most people in 2026. It is open-source software under the GPL with no paid tier, and it imports and exports SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG. Affinity Designer is the stronger choice for solo professionals, since it is free for individuals and includes a fuller toolset.
How much does Adobe Illustrator cost?
Adobe lists Illustrator for individuals at $22.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, with a 7-day trial and no free tier. The teams plan is $37.99 a month per license with a 14-day trial, per Adobe's plans page checked in October 2026.
Is Affinity Designer really free?
Affinity says its apps are free for individuals, with a download button for Mac and Windows. Teams and enterprise buyers go through a contact-sales form, and the page shows no list price for them. The download flow also signs you in through a Canva account first.
Is Gravit Designer still free to use?
No. Corel discontinued Gravit Designer and its successor, Corel Vector, in 2025, according to Corel staff on its community forum. The .gvdesign files those apps saved open only in Gravit Designer or Corel Vector, so keep your final exports in SVG or PDF.
Which free vector editor exports SVG?
Inkscape saves SVG as its native format. Linearity Curve's FAQ lists SVG and PDF among its export formats on the free plan, but its welcome credits expire after 7 days. Penpot's pricing page does not name export formats, so test an SVG file before you rely on it.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free Vector Editors in 2026", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-vector-graphics-editors
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