Adobe Illustrator vs GIMP: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Adobe Illustrator and GIMP are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering powerful features for creating stunning visuals. We'll compare Adobe Illustrator and GIMP to determine which one best meets the needs of professionals and organizations.

A Quick Overview of Adobe Illustrator and GIMP

What is Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe is a software company known for its creative and multimedia software products. Adobe Illustrator is part of Adobe's Creative Cloud suite, which includes applications for design, photography, and video.

Adobe Illustrator offers features like Generative Shape Fill, which quickly fills vector outlines with detailed patterns. Its scalability of vector graphics allows designs to be resized without losing quality, setting it apart from competitors.

What is GIMP?

GIMP is a free and open-source image editor available for multiple operating systems, including GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. It provides tools for graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, and scientists to perform high-quality image manipulation, create original artwork, and design graphical elements.

GIMP offers cross-platform availability, making it accessible on various operating systems. Its status as free and open-source software allows users to modify and distribute the source code, providing a high level of customization and extensibility.

Features of Adobe Illustrator and GIMP

Similarities

Adobe Illustrator and GIMP share several key features that make them both powerful tools for graphic design and image manipulation. Despite their differences, they offer similar functionalities that cater to a wide range of creative needs.

• Graphic Design Tools: Both software provide extensive tools for creating and editing graphics, including brushes, layers, and selection tools.
• Customization: Users can customize their workspace and extend functionality through plugins and scripts.
• High-Quality Artwork: Both are capable of producing professional-grade artwork, whether it's vector-based in Illustrator or raster-based in GIMP.
• Text and Typography: Each offers robust text manipulation tools, allowing for advanced typography and text effects.
• Cross-Platform Availability: Both Adobe Illustrator and GIMP are available on multiple operating systems, ensuring accessibility for a broad user base.

Differences

Adobe Illustrator and GIMP are both powerful tools, but they cater to different needs and offer unique features. Here are the key differences between the two:

• Vector vs. Raster: Adobe Illustrator specializes in vector graphics, allowing for infinite scalability without loss of quality, while GIMP focuses on raster graphics and photo manipulation.
• Generative Shape Fill: Adobe Illustrator offers a Generative Shape Fill feature for quickly filling vector outlines with detailed patterns, a capability not available in GIMP.
• Free and Open-Source: GIMP is free and open-source, allowing users to modify and distribute its source code, unlike Adobe Illustrator, which requires a subscription.
• 3D and Materials Panel: Adobe Illustrator includes a 3D and Materials Panel for adding realistic effects and textures, a feature not found in GIMP.
• Plug-ins: Both software support plug-ins, but GIMP has a vast array of community-created scripts and plug-ins, enhancing its customization and extensibility.

User Interface and Usability

Adobe Illustrator's user interface is designed with a focus on precision and ease of use, featuring tools like the Pen and Curvature tools. The user experience is enhanced by time-saving features such as Repeat for Patterns and Global Edits. Overall, Illustrator's usability is bolstered by its customizable templates and cross-platform availability, making it accessible for various user needs.

GIMP, on the other hand, offers a flexible and feature-rich interface with extensive customization options. The user experience is centered around high-quality photo manipulation and original artwork creation, supported by numerous third-party plugins. GIMP's usability is further enhanced by its free software nature and integration with other tools like Scribus and Inkscape.

Adobe Illustrator has a more streamlined user interface and usability compared to GIMP.

Collaboration

Adobe Illustrator offers some features tailored for team collaboration, particularly through its integration with other Adobe products like Creative Cloud. However, the specifics of real-time collaboration tools and file sharing capabilities are not explicitly detailed. This makes it somewhat challenging to gauge the full extent of its collaborative potential.

GIMP, being a free and open-source software, does not emphasize collaboration features on its official site. There is no mention of real-time collaboration tools or built-in file sharing capabilities. Its integration with other free software like Scribus and Inkscape is noted, but these do not directly enhance collaborative efforts.

Overall, neither Adobe Illustrator nor GIMP stands out as particularly strong in facilitating collaboration.

Adobe Illustrator and GIMP Pricing

Adobe Illustrator offers various pricing plans tailored to different user groups. Individuals can subscribe to Illustrator for £21.98 per month or opt for the Creative Cloud All Apps plan at £27.98 per month for the first three months, then £56.98 per month. Students and teachers benefit from a discounted rate of £16.24 per month for the Creative Cloud All Apps plan.

GIMP, on the other hand, is entirely free and open-source, with no subscription costs. Users can support the project through voluntary donations via platforms like Patreon and Liberapay. This makes GIMP a cost-effective option for those who need powerful image editing tools without the financial commitment of a subscription.

Overall, GIMP offers better pricing as it is free, while Adobe Illustrator requires a subscription.

Comparing Adobe Illustrator and GIMP to Piktochart

Piktochart is a versatile platform that transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals, making it easy to create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations. With Piktochart, you can effortlessly visualize your content like a pro, thanks to its AI-powered design tools and user-friendly interface. Learn more about Piktochart.

Pros of Piktochart

• AI-Powered Design Generator: Piktochart's AI-powered design generator allows you to create stunning visuals quickly and effortlessly, boosting productivity and creativity.
• Extensive Template Library: With a wide variety of customizable templates, Piktochart saves you time and ensures your designs are professional and visually appealing.
• Versatile Visual Tools: From infographic makers to video tools like screen recorders and social media video makers, Piktochart caters to all your visual content needs.
• Automatic Video Transcription: Piktochart's ability to transcribe videos into any language automatically helps you reach a broader audience and repurpose content easily.
• User-Friendly Interface: The intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for anyone to create high-quality graphics, regardless of design experience.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually)
• Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Adobe Illustrator Reviews

Adobe Illustrator has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5. Users appreciate its powerful features but find the steep learning curve and high subscription costs frustrating.

• "The learning curve is steep, and it can be overwhelming for new users." - John D., 3.5/5
• "Performance issues on less powerful computers are a significant drawback." - Sarah K., 3/5
• "The subscription cost is too high for freelancers." - Alex M., 3.8/5

Find more of Adobe Illustrator reviews on G2!

GIMP Reviews

GIMP has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5. Users appreciate its free services but find the learning curve and limited features frustrating.

• "It's a bit heavy: if you want to do just a quick change it might take more time to load GIMP than really doing the job. Also might seem a bit complex at the beginning, as it has a million options, but is quite easy to get used to it." - Verified User in Entertainment, 3.0/5
• "It sometimes has technical issues like multilayer selection and transformations which used to be an issue before but recent updates have fixed it. The user interface is not very friendly like other alternatives but seemingly does the job." - Vishal L., 3.0/5
• "I find it more confusing than other items. I find it less intuitive, I find that there is a lot that a program like Affinity, Photoshop or Luminar do for me that I actually have to do for myself and have to know how to do." - Devon Courtney T. K., 3.0/5

Find more of GIMP reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, extensive template library, and powerful design tools.

• "Piktochart is very easy and simple to use online graphics creation tool." - Andrea V.
• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
• "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - Samuel J.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Adobe Illustrator:

• Consumers who need precise, scalable vector graphics for professional projects will find Adobe Illustrator indispensable. This software is ideal for graphic designers and illustrators who require advanced tools and features for detailed and high-quality artwork.

Why Choose GIMP:

• GIMP is perfect for users who need a powerful, free, and open-source image editor for photo manipulation and graphic design. It's especially suited for hobbyists, students, and professionals who prefer customizable software without the cost of a subscription.

Why Choose Piktochart:

• Piktochart is the go-to tool for users who want to create stunning visuals quickly and effortlessly, without needing design experience. It's ideal for content creators, businesses, and educators who need an easy-to-use platform for infographics, reports, and presentations.

Adobe Illustrator, GIMP, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a professional designer, a hobbyist, or someone who just needs to create stunning visuals quickly, there's a tool for you. Adobe Illustrator and GIMP both offer powerful features tailored to different needs, but at Piktochart, we believe in making design accessible to everyone. With our user-friendly interface and AI-powered tools, creating captivating visuals has never been easier. Give Piktochart a try and see how effortlessly you can transform your ideas into engaging content.