Graphic from Indeeo includes a full set of vector drawing tools, supports multiple layers, imports and exports Adobe Photoshop file format, and supports OpenGL for faster rendering. The developers say Vectr will always be free, and a paid pro account option with a built-in marketplace is coming at some point. They offer an app you can download, or a Web interface. The trade off is that it isn’t a feature-rich as some other options, but that’s OK because the tools beginners and casual users are all there. Vectr is another free vector art app, and it’s much easier to learn than Illustrator. If you have the coding skills you can contribute to Inkscape’s feature list, too. Since it’s open source, new features are being added all the time.

The app was conceived as an open source alternative to Illustrator, and does that really well. Inkscape is a surprisingly full-features vector graphic editor app, and it’s free. Affinity Designer costs US$49.99 and is available on Apple’s Mac App Store. It includes adjustment and mask layers, blending modes, a handy split screen mode for displaying your art in different views, responsive design support, and more.

It’s easier to learn than Illustrator even though the app’s feature and tool set is surprisingly complete. No vector graphics app is completely intuitive, but Affinity Designer comes close. We rounded up a few great alternatives that let you make your own vector art without breaking the bank. Creating vector-based graphics on the Mac isn’t just Adobe Illustrator’s purview.

M1 illustrator