Adobe Alternatives


What is Adobe?

Adobe Systems is an organization which delivers software applications related to multimedia and creativity. The company has its headquarters in San Jose, California. The first product that the company launched was digital fonts. The first consumer product that the company launched in the market was Adobe Illustrator for Mac systems. Later on, many popular products like Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat Reader, and many more were launched.

Why Adobe alternatives?

There are many disadvantages of Adobe and some of them have been discussed here.

  • Products available are expensive

  • You may not get authorization to purchase the products

  • Adobe products have to be learned to use them perfectly

  • Some applications may have performance problems

How to choose an Adobe Alternative?

An Adobe alternative has to be chosen by those users who are not satisfied with Adobe products. Here are some of the benefits of Adobe which users have to find the products of other companies:

  • The latest software applications are available

  • Extra purchase available with the software purchase model

  • User interface of some applications are easy to use

  • Files of manageable sizes can be created

  • Applications are compatible with different operating systems

Top 10 Adobe Alternatives

There are many Adobe alternatives available in the market and some of them have been discussed here in detail.

Alternative 1 – Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop. The tool is not available for free but the cost of its subscription is less than Photoshop. You have to pay a fee only for once. There are separate fees for Windows, Mac, and iPad. You also have to make payment for an updated version. The software is easy to use and you can edit images with various file extensions.

Pros

  • User interface is simple

  • Images can be edited using layers

  • Brush selection is adequate

Cons

  • Design templates not included

Alternative 2 – Inkscape

Inkscape is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. This is an open-source software which you can use for free. The tool comes with a lot of features along with a user-friendly interface. Some of the features include Boolean operations, drag-and-drop rendering, customizable fonts, and many more. You can draw tracks with the help of Bezier tool.

Pros

  • The tool Is available for free

  • User-friendly interface

  • Can be installed on all operating systems

Cons

  • All tools may not be available

Alternative 3 – Skylum Luminar

Skylum Luminar is an alternative to Adobe Lightroom software. This is a RAW photo editor in which you can edit images of different file extensions through AI powered image editing features. The app can be used easily by beginners as well as professionals. The software consists of 70 presets and libraries feature to make image editing easy.

Pros

  • AI tools are powerful

  • Can edit RAW images

  • Available at an affordable price

Cons

  • RAM usage is more

Alternative 4 – Affinity Publisher

Affinity Publisher is an alternative to Adobe InDesign but comparatively its cost is less. The tool can be used to design posters, books, ads, and many more things. If you are a website designer, you can edit graphics in this tool. User interface is simple and easy to use The tool does not have the support of footnotes and endnotes.

Pros

  • Only a one-time fee has to be paid to purchase the software

  • Available at an affordable price in comparison to InDesign

  • Can access Affinity Photo

Cons

  • InDesign files cannot be used

Alternative 5 – PDF-XChange

PDF-XChange is available for Windows and PDFexpert for Mac. Both of them are alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Pro. You can find all the features related to PDF files. You can browse PDF documents easily along with using drawing and text tools. OCR and image recognition features are also available in the tool. Custom stamps and markups can also be applied to your PDF documents

Pros

  • Can be used to fill PDF forms

  • OCR tool comes inbuilt

  • Batch processing features available

Cons

  • Trial version has a watermark

Alternative 6 – DaVInci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is an alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro. It is a movie studio whose interface comes with a lot of workspaces. These workspaces are available with a lot of features for editing and adding visual effects to the videos. The same file can be edited by sound designers and editors. The software also has a free version which includes only basic features.

Pros

  • The software has a free version

  • Can be learned easily

  • Can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems

Cons

  • Pre-designed templates not available

Alternative 7 – HitFilm Pro

HitFilm Pro is an alternative to Adobe After Effects. It is a video editing tool which can also be used to give 3D effects and visual effects to a video. The software can be best used by professional editors, filmmakers, and motion artists. The software consists of 850 presets which can be used to make a stunning video by adding graphics and effects.

Pros

  • 3D animation feature available

  • Workspace can be easily customized

Cons

  • Interface needs to be changed

Alternative 8 – Figma

Figma is an alternative to Adobe XD. It is a design tool with an easy-to-use user interface. The app comes with sharing and many other features. This is web-based software and can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Designers can learn new things as the software comes with community support. Readymade templates are also available. A free version is also available.

Pros

  • Files can be shared easily

  • Easy to create design prototypes

  • Readymade templates available

  • Comes with a lot of plugins

Cons

  • A lot of RAM and graphics card is needed

  • Internet connection is required

Alternative 9 – Canva AI

Canva AI is an alternative to Adobe Firefly. Canva AI is a free tool which can be used to create such images that can identify your product. You can also use the tool to sketch something that is in your mind. You can type text which will later be converted to beautiful images.

Pros

  • Free to use

  • Can create different types of images

  • Words can be transformed into beautiful images

Alternative 10 – Blender

Blender is open-source software and is best for those who want to learn motion graphics. You can perform character animation, non-character animation, sound synchronization, and a lot of things. It is an alternative to Adobe Animate. And can be used for making 2D and 3D animations.

Pros

  • The software is light in weight

  • Blender is open-source software and developers update it frequently

  • Best for small studio

Cons

  • The software has a lot of features and has to be leaned

  • Sculpting feature needs improvement

Conclusion

Adobe Systems has launched a lot of software applications which can be used to create and edit images, videos, animations, and others. All the applications are available at a high price. Organizations who are unable to purchase Adobe software applications can go for alternatives which come with great features.

Updated on: 02-Jun-2023

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