Best Design & Creativity Tools to Use in 2026
Discover the best free and open-source design & creativity tools and their top alternatives.
Figma Alternatives
The leading collaborative interface design tool for product teams
Penpot (Free, Open-Source)
Free, open-source design and prototyping tool — no file limits, works in browser, SVG-based
Sketch (One-time purchase)
Original vector design tool for Mac — one-time purchase ($99/year, much cheaper than Figma Professional)
Adobe XD (Part of Creative Cloud)
UI/UX design tool from Adobe — included in Creative Cloud subscription
InVision (Free tier)
Popular prototyping and collaboration tool with a free tier for 1 prototype
Gravit Designer (Free)
Free vector design tool that works in browser and on desktop — good for simple UI design
Sketch Alternatives
Mac-only UI/UX design tool at $99 one-time
Adobe XD Alternatives
Adobe's UI/UX design & prototyping tool, $9.99/month
InVision Alternatives
The world's leading prototyping and collaboration platform for design teams
Framer Alternatives
Web-based design and prototyping at $15-25/month
Adobe Creative Cloud Alternatives
Adobe subscription bundle at $54.99/month
Affinity Suite (Photo, Designer, Publisher)
One-time purchase (~$70 each) with no subscription
GIMP (free Photoshop alternative)
Completely free and open-source image editing
Inkscape (free Ilustrator alternative)
Free and open-source vector graphics editor
DaVinci Resolve (free Premiere alternative)
Free professional video editing with color grading
CorelDRAW Alternatives
Vector graphics editor at $499 or $22/month
Inkscape (open-source)
Completely free and open-source vector graphics editor
Affinity Designer
One-time purchase ($69.99) with professional vector tools
Adobe Ilustrator (subscription)
Industry-standard vector graphics with subscription
Boxy SVG (web-based)
Affordable web-based SVG editor with one-time purchase
Affinity Photo Alternatives
One-time purchase Photoshop alternative at $69.99
GIMP (open-source)
Completely free and open-source photo editor with advanced features
Photopea (web-based)
Free web-based Photoshop alternative with similar interface
Krita (open-source)
Free open-source painting and photo editing software
Pixelmator Pro
Mac-only photo editor with one-time purchase
Clip Studio Paint Alternatives
Popular comic/illustration software at $49.99 or subscription
Affinity Publisher Alternatives
One-time purchase desktop publishing at $69.99
Rebelle Alternatives
Realistic painting software at $89.99 one-time
Axure RP Alternatives
Professional prototyping and documentation at $29-49/month
Marvel Alternatives
Web-based design and prototyping at $12-32/month
Justinmind Alternatives
Prototyping tool at $9-19/month
Canva Pro Alternatives
Popular online design tool with premium templates and AI features
Penpot (Free, Open-Source)
Free, open-source design tool with no file limits — great for infographics and simple designs
Photopea (Free, Browser-based)
Free, browser-based Photoshop alternative — great for image editing without subscription
GIMP (Free, Open-Source)
Free, open-source image manipulation program — the classic free Photoshop alternative
Figma (Free tier)
Free tier includes 3 Figma files and 3 FigJam files — great for design collaboration
Gravit Designer (Free)
Free vector design tool that works in browser and on desktop — good for simple designs
Looking for more? Browse all tool alternatives.
Compare All Tools