Free Design Software – What to Look For

Graphic Design Software Choices

Graphic design software can be expensive. Some programs cost hundreds of dollars, so it makes sense why people look for free alternatives. Many of the free programs are just as powerful, if not more so, than the best paid design programs! But how do you know which program will work best for your needs? Well, we’re here to help! Read on to find out what to look for when choosing free graphic design software. You’ll never go wrong again.

The Basics – What Does Free Mean?

What does free graphic design software even mean? Does it mean that you can download some program for free, and it’s guaranteed to meet your graphic design needs? That there is absolutely no cost involved? Well, not exactly. Whether a tool is free, depends on what you want to use it for. Some of the“FREE” offerings are stripped-down versions of the full software, with various features disabled. Others are working programs that rival some of the best-paid alternatives there are.

Others have time limits on how long they will function, or certain features will cease to work beyond a certain time. If you don’t pay for it, features may stop working. There are other free software applications that are supported by advertisements.

Download or Online?

You will need to consider if the software is free, paid, shareware, etc. Is it something that you will need to download to your computer? Will you need to install it on your operating system, or if it works online, it can be used in the website browser. It is important to consider if it will work with your operating system. Some software runs entirely on Windows computers, some on IOS, Linux distributions, or other operating systems. Most of the software and programs will operate on Windows, IOS, and usually Linux.

Of the applications that are entirely online-based, some will only work in certain web browsers or may function by installing a browser extension or browser app. There are also mobile apps for iOS and Android. Some will sync with other platforms, whilst some are tied to one particular mobile platform.

Some basic factors to considering which graphic design software to use

What Are Its Limitations?

In researching an application, you should learn what the program can do or cannot do. Many programs are available on the market, they may all seem promising at first sight. Certain things, such as logo designs, may be restricted in availability, depending on which plan you chose.

You may only be able to make designs at low resolution or quality. Many free programs limit the type of file you can download. Many free applications, restrict the type of file you can download. Some disable the file downloading feature altogether. It can be really frustrating when this happens, especially if you have spent a long time working on colors and logos. Then you realize you have no way to save your work. Have a think about these things before deciding which program to use.

Some Points to Consider

• Is it customizable so I can make the design my own and unique?
• Will it be easy to navigate?

Will I Be Able to Collaborate With Others?

Another common problem with free graphic design software is that you can’t share your designs with other people or collaborate with them on projects. If collaboration is important to you, make sure that you get a tool that lets you do so.

Is There an Active Community Around It?

Being able to connect with other designers is important, and one of the biggest perks of using a program. The last thing you want is to get stuck in trouble. There is a solution, but you don’t know where to find the answer because it is not shown in the help documentation if there is any!

There may be people who know how to resolve your dilemma, but there’s no community built around the program, so who do you ask? . Nobody to reach out to for an answer, or to ask a question. Make sure you keep this in mind when you are considering free design software. You want to make sure you can search online forums, chat rooms, and design blogs in case you need help from your peers.

Where Can I Get Tutorials on How to Use It?

If you’re looking for free software, there’s a good chance that someone else has already created tutorials and videos about how to use it. Before downloading any graphic design software, take a look on YouTube or Vimeo. Look for video tutorials they may have. You could also search Google, or other search engines for the name of the program, followed by the word “tutorial”.

There are likely a few out there, this will result in more training resources being displayed for your chosen program. You will be able to use these to help familiarize yourself with the program as you are learning.

User Forums are another good source for information. Some good examples of sites that have active communities for just about every interest there is are Reedit, Facebook Groups, Pinterest, Telegram, Quora, Tumblr, and similar sites. Depending on the program, there may be online training sessions or local meetings. Yes, some free programs are that popular!

Ready for the List of Free Design Software?

There are literally hundreds of free graphic design software apps available on the internet. Only a few of them can be used professionally. If you want to pick one that’s perfect for your needs, be sure to pay attention to the points covered. Don’t forget to consider the application’s ease of use, compatibility with other mainstream software, scalability, and features.

List of Free Design Software in No Particular Order

Be Funky

Photo Editing and Graphic Design Made for Everyone
Be Flunky’s all-in-one online Creative Platform has everything you need to easily edit photos, create graphic designs, and make photo collages.
https://www.befunky.com/

Pic Monkey

Power your brand with photo editing and design
Create scroll-stopping images for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more. Ads, logos? Got them too!
https://www.picmonkey.com/

Infogram

Create engaging infographics and reports in minutes. Infogram is an intuitive visualization tool that empowers people and teams to create beautiful content.
https://infogram.com/

Genially

The best graphic design software for data visualization. Create presentations, infographics, and other stunning content by yourself or with your team. Start now. It’s free!
https://genial.ly/

Sculpt GL

Easy-to-use 3D sculpting tool based on the browser
https://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/

Adobe Express logo

Make amazing content in no time. Easily create social graphics, flyers, logos, and more on the web and mobile.
https://www.adobe.com/express

Gravit Designer

Design like a pro with professional-grade features. Powerful visual tools for precise design. If you work on graphics for marketing materials, websites, icons, user interface design, presentations, or social media, or you just love creating cool art. Gravit Graphic Design Software Pro gives you all the power, precision, and flexibility you need to unleash your creativity. Try for free.
https://www.designer.io/en/

Vecteezy

Try our new FREE SVG editor! Vecteezy allows you to customize your content before you download it. Create beautiful vector designs from scratch directly in your browser.
https://bit.ly/gregscloud-vecteezy

Vectr

Free Vector Graphics Editor
Step into the world of Vectr, a simple yet powerful free graphics editor that lets you design/edit vector graphics like a pro via its web and desktop cross-platform, without a steep learning curve.
https://vectr.com/

SVG-Edit

Free vector editor for quick SVG jobs.
https://github.com/SVG-Edit/svgedit

Inkscape

Vector design is often the preferred method of image creation for logos, illustrations, and art which require high scalability. The Inkscape application is used across a wide variety of industries (marketing/branding, engineering/CAD, web graphics, cartooning) and individual uses. There are many learning resources available, take advantage of them!
https://inkscape.org/

GIMP

This is the official website of the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). GIMP is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows, and more operating systems. It is free software, you can change its source code and distribute your changes.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a graphic design software user, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance Gimp productivity with plugins, thanks to many customization options and 3rd party plugins.
https://www.gimp.org/

Krita

Krita is a professional FREE and open-source painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone. Concept art, texture, matte painters, illustrations, and comics.
https://krita.org/en/

Raw Therapee

RawTherapee is a free, cross-platform raw image processing program.
https://rawtherapee.com/

Photo POs Pro

With +10,000,000 Downloads, Photo POs Pro became one of the most popular photo editors around the world!
https://bit.ly/gregscloud-photopos

Blender

Need to do animation, modeling, VFX, or games? You name it. Blenders got you covered. Free to use, share, change, and sell your work Blender is Free.
https://www.blender.org/download/

SketchUp Free

Where great ideas get to work. Design delightfully. Collaborate clearly. Build better buildings.
Free plan available.
https://www.sketchup.com/

Daz Studio

FREE 3,D Software Suite – Start creating your 3D world
https://bit.ly/gregscloud-daz3d

Hexagon

FREE 3D Modeling Software from Daz 3D
https://bit.ly/gregsclous-hexagon

ZBrushCoreMini

EXPERIENCE 3D! Enjoy a true Z-Brush experience as you take your first steps into the exciting world of digital sculpting with Z-Brush Core Mini… completely free! *
https://zbrushcore.com/mini/

Houdini Apprentice

Houdini Apprentice is a free version of Houdini FX that can be used by students, artists, and hobbyists to create personal non-commercial projects.
https://bit.ly/gregscloud-houdini

SculptGL

Ginier’s Sculpt GL is a browser-based application, it is also available to download and as a chrome app. It supports sculpting for multiple resolutions as well as having the capability to do voxel remeshing and dynamic retopology. It will also import and export different formats, including OBJ, PLY, and STL file types.
https://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/

Venngage

Say goodbye to dull documents, dry data, and confusing communications with Venngage — the free Graphic Design and Infographic maker.
https://venngage.com/

Visme

We’re not just a tool, we’re the whole workshop. Create visual brand experiences for your business, whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.
https://www.visme.co/

In Vision

Not just a whiteboard, a workboard. Collaborate better, align faster, and move forward together in a real-time workspace built for the future of work.
https://www.invisionapp.com/home

Marvel

Marvel has everything you need to bring ideas to life and transform how you create digital products with your team. Placing the power of design in everyone’s hands.
https://marvelapp.com/

Google Drawings

Easy and secure access to your content. Store, share and collaborate on files and folders from your mobile device, tablet, or computer.
https://www.google.com/drive/

Sketch

Everything you need. Sketch gives you all the tools you need for a truly collaborative design process. From early ideas to pixel-perfect artwork, playable prototypes, and developer handoff. It all starts here.
https://www.sketch.com/

Figma

Figma connects everyone in the design process so teams can deliver better products, faster.
https://www.figma.com/

MockFlow

Transform the way you design software Whether it is visualizing your UI ideas or designing entire products with your team, MockFlow covers it all.
https://mockflow.com/

Justinmind

Free Graphic Design and prototyping tool for web and mobile apps from wireframes to highly interactive prototypes.
https://www.justinmind.com/

Framer

Design stunning interactive products with your team.
https://www.framer.com/

Bootstrap

Build fast, responsive sites with Bootstrap Quickly design and customize responsive mobile-first sites with Bootstrap, the world’s most popular front-end open-source toolkit, featuring Sass variables and mixins, a responsive grid system, extensive prebuilt components, and powerful JavaScript plugins.
https://getbootstrap.com/

Startup 4

Bootstrap Builder to create websites and landing pages.
https://bit.ly/gregscloud-startup4

Pattern Lab

Create atomic design systems with Pattern Lab. Pattern Lab is a front-end workshop environment that helps you create, view, test, and present UI components for your design system.
https://patternlab.io/

Material Design

Create intuitive and beautiful products with Material Design. Free Graphic Design Software uses.
https://material.io/design