Overview
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![Adobe Photoshop]()
Adobe Photoshop
Best for Raster and Layer Editing -
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![Adobe Fresco]()
Adobe Fresco
Best for Drawing and Painting -
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![Adobe Illustrator CC]()
Adobe Illustrator CC
Best for Vector Editing and Illustration -
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![Adobe InDesign]()
Adobe InDesign
Best for Publication Layout and Design -
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![Canva]()
Canva
Best for Professional Branded Content -
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![Procreate (for iPad)]()
Procreate (for iPad)
Best for Subscription-Free Drawing, Painting, and Sketching -
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![Serif Affinity Designer 2]()
Serif Affinity Designer 2
Best for Low-Cost Vector and Raster Editing -
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![Adobe Express]()
Adobe Express
Best for Template-Driven Social Posts -
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![CorelDraw Graphics Suite]()
CorelDraw Graphics Suite
Best for All-in-One Illustration and Page Design -
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![Corel PaintShop Pro]()
Corel PaintShop Pro
Best for Budget-Conscious Image Editors
Graphics software has forever changed the way designers and fine artists at all levels work. And the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) features further accelerates change. PCMag has been evaluating graphic design software for more than a decade, so you can trust that we know what's best for every artistic need. We've tested programs that have been around since the beginning (such as CorelDraw, Illustrator, and Photoshop), along with newer arrivals that help you create marketing content for social media platforms. Adobe Photoshop is our top-rated Editors' Choice winner for image editing, though the selections here span a variety of categories (including interface design, page layout, typography, and vector editing). Make sure to click through to our detailed reviews of each and read our guide toward the end for advice on picking the best software for your work.
You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
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![Adobe Photoshop]()
Adobe Photoshop
Best for Raster and Layer EditingWhy We Picked It
If you work with raster images and need compositing layers, you will have a hard time doing your job without Photoshop. Adobe's software is the industry standard, so any clients or vendors you deal with likely want files from it. Other apps support its formats but don't guarantee full compatibility and lack Photoshop's slick interface and cutting-edge image-manipulation tools.
Who It's For
Photoshop is for professional designers and photographers who want to make detailed pixel-level edits and apply advanced features. Serious amateurs can greatly benefit from learning to use Photoshop, and the program includes multifarious help and tutorial resources. It's not ideal, however, if you aren't willing to pay a recurring subscription fee.
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Learn More Adobe Photoshop Review -
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![Adobe Fresco]()
Adobe Fresco
Best for Drawing and PaintingWhy We Picked It
Adobe's painting, sketching, and watercolor app makes creating art feel incredibly natural. It also includes effective animation tools and excellent help resources. The app is now entirely free, meaning you get all the once-premium brushes and shapes at no cost. Adobe provides 5GB of cloud storage for your creations.
Who It's For
You must have an iPad, iPhone, or Windows device (such as the Microsoft Surface) to use Adobe Fresco. You also need a stylus like an Apple Pencil or Surface Slim Pen. If you meet those requirements, simply download the app and start creating.
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Learn More Adobe Fresco Review -
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![Adobe Illustrator CC]()
Adobe Illustrator CC
Best for Vector Editing and IllustrationWhy We Picked It
Illustrator is the premier vector editing and drawing application. Yes, you can edit vector graphics and pull off some effects a bit easier in some other apps (namely CorelDraw). But most graphics designers are still better off learning and creating with the industry standard Illustrator. With it, you also get companion tablet apps for creating digital drawings and impressive type support,
Who It's For
Illustrator is for any professional graphics editor or illustrator, as well as hobbyists who like to create visual art. If you aren't willing to pay a recurring subscription fee, however, look to either Affinity Designer or CorelDraw.
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Learn More Adobe Illustrator CC Review -
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![Adobe InDesign]()
Adobe InDesign
Best for Publication Layout and DesignWhy We Picked It
InDesign is another Adobe product that has become the industry standard; in this case, it's for publication layout software. It pushed QuarkXpress out of that spot years ago. As with its Creative Cloud stablemates, Adobe continues to enhance InDesign with tools for the ever-changing publishing landscape, and add creativity and ease-of-use features. You also get unmatched typography tools with Adobe Fonts and stock media from Adobe Stock.
Who It's For
InDesign is squarely for publishing layout design professionals. Marketers and those who need to produce publications can also benefit from it. As with all the professional design software from Adobe, it requires a recurring subscription fee. If you balk at that prospect, look elsewhere.
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Learn More Adobe InDesign Review -
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![Canva]()
Canva
Best for Professional Branded ContentWhy We Picked It
Appealing modern design templates for presentations, printing, and social media are standouts in Canva. The desktop, mobile, and web apps are free, though you can access a wealth of extra templates and stock content for an annual fee. The Canva Teams subscription adds strong collaboration features.
Who It's For
Canva targets non-designers who need to create marketing, promotional, and social media content. That said, professionals will certainly appreciate how it eases the process of making compelling designs.
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Learn More Canva Review -
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![Procreate (for iPad)]()
Procreate (for iPad)
Best for Subscription-Free Drawing, Painting, and SketchingWhy We Picked It
Procreate is a premium, low-cost iPad app for artists of every kind, from professionals to hobbyists. With abundant customization features and an intuitive user experience, it helps anyone create 2D and 3D paintings, animations, drawings, hand lettering, and more.
Who It's For
Procreate is primarily for artists who work on an iPad and illustrate, paint, or sketch. However, the app's low, one-time cost makes it friendly to everyone with an artistic inclination.
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Learn More Procreate (for iPad) Review -
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![Serif Affinity Designer 2]()
Serif Affinity Designer 2
Best for Low-Cost Vector and Raster EditingWhy We Picked It
One reason to choose Affinity Designer is its one-time cost. The app also provides a good helping of vector drawing tools and generous font support. Its unique Contour tool for joining shapes organically is excellent, too.
Who It's For
If you don't want to pay the monthly fee for Adobe Illustrator, you should get Affinity Designer. Otherwise, it has several standout features and is very accessible.
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Learn More Serif Affinity Designer 2 Review -
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![Adobe Express]()
Adobe Express
Best for Template-Driven Social PostsWhy We Picked It
Adobe Express competes directly with Canva. It's a template-based graphic design tool for nonprofessionals who need to create marketing materials or social media posts. It integrates Adobe's vast depth of imaging smarts and lets you create something attractive without much fuss. You might be able to get by with the free version, but the paid tier gets you more stock content and the ability to store, manage, and share multiple brands’ assets (such as logos, color palettes, and typefaces). It works with both images and videos and lets you output your creations in formats suitable for all the popular social networks or as a PDF.
Who It's For
Adobe Express is ideal if you need to quickly create compelling materials for marketing or social network posts without in-depth knowledge of Adobe's design applications. The free version is fine for hobbyists, though a paid Premium subscription is worth it for professionals who can't justify the cost of the full Creative Cloud suite.
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Learn More Adobe Express Review -
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![CorelDraw Graphics Suite]()
CorelDraw Graphics Suite
Best for All-in-One Illustration and Page DesignWhy We Picked It
Like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw is for drawing and editing vector illustrations. However, it offers some capabilities that would require add-ins in the Adobe app, is easier to use, and costs less.
Who It's For
CorelDraw is worth a look if you are looking for an intuitive, relatively affordable entrée into the world of vector graphics design. It also serves professionals who want some of its special effects tools. Best of all, Corel doesn't make you pay a subscription fee.
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Learn More CorelDraw Graphics Suite Review -
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![Corel PaintShop Pro]()
Corel PaintShop Pro
Best for Budget-Conscious Image EditorsWhy We Picked It
PaintShop Pro is a longtime Photoshop competitor that offers most of the same effects, image manipulation, and layer tools for a lot less. Additionally, it lets you work with both vector and raster images.
Who It's For
If you don't need to collaborate with other Adobe Creative Cloud users or want to pay an ongoing subscription fee, PaintShop Pro is a good choice. You must be willing to give up Photoshop's super-slick interface and whiz-bang new AI features.
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Learn More Corel PaintShop Pro Review -
Buying Guide: The Best Graphic Design Software for 2025
What Type of Graphic Design Software Do You Need?
Wherever you look, you see graphics of all kinds. The range of job titles for people who create them is similarly expansive: app designer, illustrator, interaction designer, photo retoucher, type designer, visual designer, web designer, and on and on. Even non-designers can get into the act with template-based products such as Canva and Adobe Express.
Splendid tools are at your disposal, each with particular strengths. However, as developers expand individual programs' features, their original boundaries have become harder to distinguish.
For example, while Adobe Photoshop is the go-to photo editing tool, it also creates awesome photo-realistic text effects. In 1989, no one could have guessed Photoshop would become the favorite front-end web design tool (with nods to Sketch and its ilk). Though CorelDraw's forte is in the production and service bureau industry, it also lets graphic artists produce astounding photorealistic vector art and illustration using blends, gradients, and transparencies—though Illustrator is now the best-known name in vector art.
The eight-piece CorelDraw Suite is similar to Adobe's Creative Cloud suite. Although our review is specific to the CorelDraw graphic design app, it's satisfying to have access to a group of integrated tools with seamless asset interchangeability and compatibility. It's a similar story for Affinity Designer. While Adobe's suite remains the industry standard, exporting Affinity Designer or CorelDraw files to Illustrator (or Photoshop) formats is a snap. It's just as simple to open an Illustrator file in those apps.
Each designer has different abilities, goals, and psyches, and you're sure to discover the tools and processes within these three suites that meet your needs. Ultimately, you should choose the tools that make you feel the most proficient and stick with those that release timely and purposeful upgrades. It's important your graphic design software encourages your technical growth and challenges you to boost the skills you need to keep yourself relevant during today's visual design and interface sea changes.
What's the Best Free Graphic Design Software?
Working graphic design professionals have to pay for their software, but there are options for those who want to dabble in the field without laying out any cash. Free levels of both Adobe Express and Canva can suffice if you need to produce quick and easy graphics projects, for example. The free and open-source Inkscape can get you started with vector graphics, though it makes you forgo some major creature comforts. Adobe Fresco, an exceptional drawing and painting app, is now free, too.
A handful of free or freemium apps can replace Photoshop, such as the open-source but clunky GIMP, the impressive web-based Photopea, and a select few mobile photo editing app.
Outside of these apps, you can pay for a recurring subscription or a one-time fee, though some apps offer just one of those options.
What Software Should 3D Artists Use?
While we didn't include them in the list above, 3D modeling and animation software are another type of software you might need, depending on your artistic focus. Our Editors' Choice winners in this category are Maya for all-around 3D modeling and Houdini if you need to learn special effects. For a free option, try Blender.
