Adobe Illustrator replacements

Last checked: 14 October 2026

Provisional. SwitchFreely has not yet run its own Readiness Score tests. Notes below come from each project's own documentation and our desk research, and are labelled where self-reported. We have not invented any test scores.

Graphite Green Independent alternative

Open Graphite in your browser

Easy to install: Browser only. Nothing to install: it runs in your web browser. Desktop apps are only at a test (release-candidate) stage, shared through the project’s Discord, so we don’t link them.

Green on licence

Caveats

Early-stage; node-based workflow differs from layer-based Photoshop.

Official site · Sources: [1]

Licence	Apache-2.0
Stage	Pre-1.0, node-based editor
Latest release	No GitHub releases listed; pre-1.0
GitHub stars	27.6k (14 Oct 2026)
Platforms	Web browser (desktop apps in testing)

Inkscape Green Independent alternative

Official site · Sources: [1]

Licence	GPL
Stage	Mature
Latest release	Mature

VectorCraft Amber Rebuild

Caveats

Same open questions as the wider ArtCraft family.

Official site · Sources: [1]

Licence	MIT OR Apache-2.0
Stage	Early
Latest release	v0.10.0 (12 Oct 2026)
GitHub stars	8.7k (14 Oct 2026)

Affinity (by Canva) Not vetted Independent alternative

Proprietary – not assessed under our open-source criteria

Caveats

Not open source; requires a Canva account.
No affiliate programme – we earn nothing from this recommendation.

Official site · Sources: [1]

Licence	Proprietary (free download via Canva)
Stage	Mature, professional
Latest release	Commercial app
Platforms	Windows, macOS

Not listed? Tools rated Red (decompiled or leaked code, circumvention, trademark misuse, or no licence) are excluded. How we vet.