19 Best Graphic Design Programs Free, Paid, Online and Installable

Do you use graphic design programs to illustrate your Online projects? Whether you dedicate yourself to managing Digital Marketing plans or have an Internet business, having the best graphic design programs and best tools on the market seems fundamental to me to achieve success.

In fact, it is estimated that a large percentage of consumers are guided by the visual when making a decision about which product to buy or what service to hire. That is why it is necessary to have the skills of a designer, or, at least, learn to use programs to create this type of visual content.

If you need or want to start designing and do not know where to start, you have come to the right place, since here I am going to show you the 19 best graphic design programs that you can find on the Internet, whether it is free, paid, installable and even 100% Online.

What are the best graphic design programs “free and online”?

Let’s start with all those graphic design tools free of charge and Online.

In this way, not only you don’t have to pay for them, but you also don’t have to download them or have a powerful computer to use them:

Stories by Freepik

I start this list with Stories by Freepik. But, I want to clarify that this is not a graphic design program itself, but it is extremely useful for people with very little knowledge on this subject.

Why would you need to use Stories by Freepik? Well, because it is one of the largest sources to download free resources, such as Freepik, it comes together with a free tool for your projects.

It offers us more than 1500 free illustrations to edit or animate, according to the needs of our project. Based on concepts or ideas, any user can select the type of illustration they like best, choose a background and show or hide the things they want to include, as well as bring it to life with an online animation editor.

Pixlr

Let’s start with a simple photo editor, Pixlr Editor, it is a totally online and free editor with which you can retouch and modify your photos and images without having to download anything.

Despite being a free online editor, it has some powerful tools with which to work.

Although it is ideal for beginners, these tools make it an editor that can also be used by professionals without any problem.

Its main advantages include its ease of use and agility to work while having different editors depending on what you want to do, from basic to some more advanced.

Fotor

We continue with Fotor, an excellent photo editor that not only allows you to touch up and add spectacular effects to your images but also allows you to design from scratch, so you can also create your own designs.

It works in a simple way, through an intuitive function in which you can add images and elements, then crop, drag and edit until you have the desired results.

Although its main strength is the retouching of photos and images, it will also come in handy to begin to familiarize yourself with graphic design, in addition to having the necessary tools for it.

It also has several resources that you can take advantage of when designing with your editor.

Canva

Now, Canva is perhaps one of the best-known alternatives among free and online graphic design programs.

Not only it has a fairly comprehensive editor, but it offers its users a wealth of resources to get started designing, so even if you’re just getting started you can get incredible results.

In addition, it has a premium version that offers you many more benefits, you can take advantage of a trial period of said account.

Don’t worry, the free version of Canva is more than enough to start experimenting, even more, if you are learning.

With a fairly complete and intuitive editor that you can learn to use in a very short time, this is undoubtedly one of the best graphic design programs that I recommend the most on the list.

SVG-edit

In the case of SVG-edit, things change a little, since it is a tool specially created for vector graphic design, making it ideal for creating objects, vectors, and logos.

Now, although it is included in online graphic design programs, it must still be downloaded.

But do not worry, it is not a heavy tool and, in fact, you use it through your browser, so it is still an “online” tool, only it is downloaded as an extension.

It supports the main web browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.

SVG-edit is easy to download and install and has a fairly intuitive interface. It is excellent for taking your first steps in graphic design, especially if you want to work with vectors, which are relatively simpler and easier to use.

Desygner

Desygner is a free graphic design program that is at a midpoint, so you can use it online or download its application to have it with you at all times.

It is quite complete, and is actually very much like PhotoShop, allowing you to create multi-layered designs, drag and drop elements, add effects in seconds, or edit images and text.

The best thing is that it is easier to use, so even most beginners can start working with it.

It also includes royalty-free content such as templates, pre-made designs, and many more resources.

Infogram

This tool is spectacularly good, and it has a single purpose, to make your life easier when designing infographics.

Infogram is that class of graphic design programs that have a specific objective, which in this case is the design of infographics, which as you know, are a type of content particularly useful for anyone who wants to do Marketing on social networks.

Infogram offers you a powerful design tool that will help you create any kind of infographic in no time.

In fact, its main advantage is precisely the speed with which it allows its users to work.

You can use it online and for free without any problems, however, it has certain limitations that you can eliminate with its payment plans that perfectly adapt to your needs.

Of course, even with the limitations, it is still a powerful graphic design tool that I recommend you try.

Piktochart

We continue with Piktochart, which in fact is a program somewhat similar to Infogram, but it is still highly recommended for beginners.

With Piktochart, you can basically do 3 things: create infographics, create presentations and make designs that you can send to print, whether it be flyers, posters, announcements, or even designs for t-shirts if you want.

It is extremely easy to use, to the point where you do not need to have the graphic design knowledge to use it.

BeFunky

With very useful functionalities such as drag and drop, templates, and with a large number of customization plugins available, this photo editor from « BeFunky » has made the job of creating graphics for any occasion very easy for you.

What are the best graphic design programs “installable software”?

Now let’s look at somewhat more complete tools. These are programs ideally created for graphic designers, all of them free, but that you can install on your computer, which gives them many more functionalities, in addition to the ability to work offline, without an Internet connection.

This will give you more control over your projects:

Gimp

Let’s start with 100% free software, this is Gimp, an alternative for beginner and more advanced designers who don’t feel ready to invest in a premium program.

This is one of the best graphic design programs that offers its users the possibility of creating images from scratch, as well as retouching and editing images in various ways.

It has a simple interface to understand and even easier to use, which allows you to do magic without having to resort to more complex programs.

Photo Pos PRO

Photo Pos Pro is one of the most downloaded tools in the world, so you can get an idea of ​​the quality of this image editor.

With it, you can design with the help of professional tools, in addition to which you can edit your images quickly and easily.

It has two versions, its free version that you only need to download to start using, and its premium version, with which you can have access to better and more powerful editing tools and functions.

When it comes to free graphic design programs for beginners, you don’t need to buy the premium version of this program, with the free version it’s more than enough to start.

Vectr

Vectr is a case similar to SVG-edit, but much, much more complete. It is still a free tool.

What to expect from this free graphic design program? Well, a series of intuitive tools that allow you to create creatives through vectors, in a simple and easy way to master.

You can get a professional job with this tool, and learning is the best you can find.

Inkscape

Another alternative to Vectr and SVG-edit, Inkscape is a powerful option for drawing vectors, and for graphic design in general. This free program is available for Windows, Mac, and even Linux so that almost anyone can access it.

As if that were not enough, it is not only free software, but it also has extensive file compatibility, making it possible to import and export projects from Inkscape to any other program.

It has powerful editors, both for images and text, and is one of the alternatives that I recommend you try the most from the list.

Riot Optimizer

Riot Optimizer is a much simpler tool compared to the rest. Although it does not allow you to design, it is a good option to pre-edit your images.

And it is that as its name implies, this program fulfills the function of optimizing your photos and images quickly and easily so that you can get the most out of it when editing them or when using them in a design.

Best graphic design programs (premium software)

To finish, I will also show you what are the main payment tools, which we usually call “premium” and sometimes as professionals.

Although I already tell you that several of the previous alternatives are quite competent and very complete, especially when you are just beginning to design.

Adobe Photoshop

How not to start with Photoshop? This is a mandatory program on this best graphic design programs list, it is the most recognized program among the different graphic design programs, and it is not for nothing that it has the fame it has.

It is a super complete editor, to the point that there is nothing that cannot be done in this software when it is mastered, it has been the tool used to create true wonders of design on the Internet.

I will not delve much into this program because it is capable of speaking for itself.

Adobe Illustrator

While not as well-known as Photoshop, Illustrator is another Adobe tool that’s perfect for the design.

Although, if PhotoShop focuses on image editing, Illustrator is more focused on cartoonists and those who enjoy designing from scratch.

This is a perfect software for both graphic designers and illustrators.

Adobe InDesign

InDesign is the third Adobe program that a designer must have in their collection. In itself, this software has a fairly simple premise, and that is editorial design.

That’s right, through InDesign, users can make creative designs for their magazines, books, or any other editorial project. It is perfect for those agencies or designers who work with this type of project and with the content layout in general.

Gravit Designer

While I add Gravit Designer to this list of premium graphic design programs, the software itself has 2 versions, one free and one paid.

The reason why it is here is that the free version is quite limited, and in fact, it does not allow you to download the application to work offline.

It is not excessively expensive, and it is perfect to start designing with premium programs.

It has enough benefits and I recommend it if you do not want to make a great investment at the moment.

As for features, it is one of the most complete, and although it could incorporate more, it is not bad at all compared to the free ones.

Corel Draw Graphic Suite

Corel Draw Graphic Suite or simply Corel Draw is a special suite for graphic design. In it, you can do all kinds of things, from illustrations to image and photo editing.

It is a fairly complete software that integrates everything a designer may need in one place. It is one of the most professional programs in the industry and highly recommended if you have the funds to invest in it.

One of the drawbacks is that it is quite expensive, although there is the option of acquiring a license for life.

Likewise, I recommend you try it, since it has a trial period of 7 days, and even after buying it, they offer you a 30-day guarantee to undo your purchase in case you are not satisfied.

Conclusion

Whether you are a graphic designer or if you “simply” have an Online business where you want to illustrate elements of your project with surprising creatives, these 19 best graphic design programs free, paid, online and installable programs can be very useful for you.

And you can use the one you prefer without installing any software on your computer or, if you want to take it “on your back” and use it when you are also offline, write down the ones I also mentioned above.

What is your favorite graphic design program to illustrate your digital projects?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment!