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Best graphic and UI design software in 2026

Design tools range from professional apps for UI and illustration to template-based editors anyone can use. Many professionals use more than one.

10 tools compared. Top picks first, then alphabetical. No paid placements.

Canva

FreemiumTop pick

Easy design for social posts, presentations, documents and print.

Best for: Non-designers, marketers and small businesses.

  • Huge template library
  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Brand kits
  • Video editing

Figma

FreemiumTop pick

Collaborative interface design tool used by most product teams.

Best for: UI/UX designers and product teams.

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Components and design systems
  • Prototyping
  • Dev Mode

Professional vector graphics for logos, illustration and print.

Best for: Illustrators and brand designers.

  • Vector drawing
  • Typography
  • Artboards
  • Image trace

Adobe Photoshop

Free trial

The industry-standard photo editing and image manipulation app.

Best for: Photographers, designers and digital artists.

  • Layers and masks
  • Retouching
  • Generative fill (AI)
  • Brushes

Framer

Freemium

Design and publish responsive websites visually.

Best for: Designers and startups building marketing sites.

  • Visual site builder
  • Animations
  • CMS
  • Hosting

GIMP

Free

Free, open-source image editor.

Best for: Anyone needing a free Photoshop alternative.

  • Layers and masks
  • Retouching
  • Plugins
  • Scripting

Free, open-source vector graphics editor.

Best for: Anyone needing a free Illustrator alternative.

  • Vector drawing
  • SVG native
  • Text tools
  • Extensions

Penpot

Free

Open-source design and prototyping tool.

Best for: Teams that want an open-source Figma alternative.

  • Vector design
  • Components
  • Prototyping
  • CSS-based layouts

Sketch

Free trial

Mac-native UI design app.

Best for: Mac-based designers who prefer a native app.

  • Vector UI design
  • Symbols and libraries
  • Prototyping
  • Web collaboration

Adobe generative AI for images, video and design, built for commercial use.

Best for: Designers and businesses that need commercially safe AI images.

  • Text-to-image
  • Generative fill
  • Video generation
  • Integrated in Photoshop and Express