Sketch is a design tool that offers features for creating, prototyping, collaborating, and handing off designs. This article will provide an overview of its features, user reviews, and other design tools to consider.
What is Sketch?
Sketch is a design tool that allows users to design, prototype, collaborate, and handoff their work. It provides a focused toolkit for designers to create and test their ideas efficiently. Sketch offers features like an intuitive interface, vector editing, and offline capabilities.
Additionally, Sketch includes tools for quick prototype creation, Smart Animate for adding movement, and various interaction options. Collaboration is streamlined with easy sharing, threaded comments, and free handoff tools for developers.
What to Consider When Selecting a Sketch Alternative?
Ease of Use Look for a tool with an intuitive interface that minimizes the learning curve, allowing you to start designing quickly without extensive training.
Collaboration Features Choose a platform that offers real-time collaboration, enabling team members to work together seamlessly and provide feedback directly within the tool.
Cross-Platform Compatibility Ensure the tool supports multiple devices and operating systems, allowing you to access and edit your designs from anywhere.
Template Variety Select a tool that offers a wide range of customizable templates to suit different design needs, from social media graphics to detailed reports.
Brand Consistency Opt for a tool that includes features for maintaining brand consistency, such as brand asset libraries and customizable branded templates.
Best Alternatives to Sketch
1. Piktochart
Piktochart is an AI-powered design tool that allows users to create stunning infographics, reports, presentations, and other visual content quickly and easily. It is designed to transform complex ideas into engaging visuals that align with the user's brand, without requiring any design experience. Try Piktochart For Free!
Pros of Using Piktochart
Instant Visual Generation: Quickly transform any idea or prompt into professional infographics, banners, flyers, posters, and more.
Document-to-Visual Conversion: Effortlessly convert documents into engaging data visualizations without copying and pasting content.
Text-to-Image: Generate high-quality, contextually relevant images from text prompts.
Brand Consistency: Access brand fonts, colors, and logos easily to ensure consistent branding.
Collaboration: Streamlined collaboration features for teams, including commenting and revisions.
Who should use Piktochart?
Piktochart targets businesses, educators, and individuals who need to create professional visual content without extensive design experience. It's ideal for marketers, educators, and small business owners.
Pricing
For businesses, Piktochart offers several pricing packages:
Free: $0 (Free forever)
Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
Campus: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
Reviews
Piktochart has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally praise its ease of use and effectiveness in creating professional visuals. Check out more of our reviews here!
2. Vectr
Vectr is an AI-powered vector graphics editor that allows users to create and edit vector images online. It offers tools for creating logos, icons, presentations, removing backgrounds, and converting JPG to SVG.
Pros of Using Vectr
Intuitive and Easy to Use: The interface is user-friendly, making it accessible for both beginners and professionals.
Real-Time Collaboration: Allows teams to work together seamlessly with integrated chat features.
Generative AI Tools: Automates complex tasks, saving time and enhancing creativity.
Cons of Using Vectr
Premium Features: Some features like sharing vector graphics or downloading them require a premium account.
Browser Compatibility: Works best on Chrome; other browsers may have compatibility issues.
Pricing
Free Plan: Free
Plus Plan: $3.99 per month
Premium Plan: $7.99 per month
Reviews
Vectr has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it to be an excellent tool for beginners and basic editing. Check out more Vectr reviews here.
3. Lucidpress
Marq is a web-based design and publishing tool that allows users to create and collaborate on various types of visual content such as brochures, flyers, newsletters, presentations, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to users with varying design skills. Marq is designed to help businesses maintain brand consistency, speed up content creation, and reduce creative requests by turning designs into branded templates that teams can customize without losing brand control.
Pros of Using Lucidpress
Brand Consistency: Guarantees brand consistency by locking critical elements like logos, fonts, and colors.
Content Creation Speed: Speeds up content creation, allowing more content to reach the audience faster.
Team Empowerment: Empowers teams to self-serve their content needs, leading to higher productivity.
Cons of Using Lucidpress
Learning Curve: The learning curve for new users unfamiliar with design tools.
Internet Dependence: Dependence on internet connectivity as it is a web-based platform.
Pricing
Enterprise: Custom quote
Reviews
Marq has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention issues with downloading large projects and occasional slow performance. Check out more Lucidpress reviews here.
4. BeFunky
BeFunky is an all-in-one online creative platform that provides tools for photo editing, graphic design, and collage making. It offers a variety of features to enhance photos, create custom graphics, and combine multiple photos into collages.
Pros of Using BeFunky
Ease of Use: The platform is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
AI Features: Includes advanced features like Background Remover, Object Eraser, and Photo Enhancer powered by artificial intelligence.
Device Compatibility: Available on both web and mobile, allowing users to edit and create on the go.
Cons of Using BeFunky
Limited Advanced Features: While it is user-friendly, it may lack some of the advanced features found in more professional software like Adobe Photoshop.
Subscription Model: Some of the more powerful features are locked behind a subscription service (BeFunky Plus).
Pricing
BeFunky's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
BeFunky has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention ease of use and a wide range of templates. Check out more BeFunky reviews here.
5. RelayThat
RelayThat is a design automation tool that helps marketing managers, agencies, and teams create consistent, on-brand digital marketing materials, display ads, and social media content. It automates the design process across various channels, ensuring brand guidelines are adhered to with minimal effort.
Pros of Using RelayThat
Brand Management: Easy management and switching between multiple workspaces and campaigns.
One Click Resize: Allows resizing and remixing of layouts to fit any channel without additional tweaking.
Cons of Using RelayThat
Template Inflexibility: Some users find the templates to be inflexible and limiting.
Customer Support: Reports of poor customer support and issues with canceling subscriptions.
Pricing
PRO: $15 per month per user
PRO PLUS: $25 per month, includes 2 users
ENTERPRISE: Custom pricing
Reviews
RelayThat has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention issues with template inflexibility and customer support. Check out more RelayThat reviews here.
6. Desygner
Desygner is an all-in-one business growth and marketing solution that provides tools for creating marketing materials without the need for costly designers or agencies. It offers features like design tools, PDF editing, stock images, AI-powered text and image generation, and team collaboration. Desygner aims to streamline the content creation process, making it accessible and efficient for businesses of all sizes.
Pros of Using Desygner
Cost-Effective: Saves money by eliminating the need for expensive designers and stock images.
User-Friendly: Easy to use, even for individuals with no design or marketing experience.
Comprehensive Tools: Offers a wide range of features, including design tools, PDF editing, and AI-powered content creation.
Cons of Using Desygner
Upcoming Features: Some features like the AI Image Creator are still "launching soon," indicating they are not yet available.
Potential Learning Curve: Despite being user-friendly, there may still be a learning curve for users unfamiliar with design tools.
Pricing
Desygner's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Desygner has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the ability to create on-brand content with customizable templates. Check out more Desygner reviews here.
7. Crello
VistaCreate (formerly Crello) is a free graphic design tool that offers thousands of free templates for various design needs. Users can pick a template, adjust it to their project, and post or print. It provides a vast library of design elements, including fonts, music, animations, illustrations, backgrounds, and objects. The tool also offers features like Brand Kit, animation and video tools, background remover, and Sticker Maker.
Pros of Using Crello
Extensive Template Library: Over 150,000 professionally-designed templates.
Vast Design Elements: Huge library of design elements and creative assets, including 70M+ photos, videos, and vectors.
Collaboration Tools: Allows up to 10 team members to work on projects simultaneously.
Quick Resizing: Ability to resize designs for different formats quickly.
Cons of Using Crello
Limited Free Plan: Some advanced features and a larger library of assets are only available in the Pro plan.
Storage Limitations: The free plan has limited storage (10 GB) compared to the unlimited storage in the Pro plan.
Pricing
Starter: $0 per month
Pro: $10 per month
Reviews
VistaCreate has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention issues with downloading designs and slow performance. Check out more Crello reviews here.
8. Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a free web page maker that allows users to design professional-quality web pages for their brand or business. It offers a variety of customizable templates and professionally-designed themes, making it easy to create engaging web pages without any design skills.
Pros of Using Adobe Spark
Free to Use: No cost involved in using the basic features.
Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive interface suitable for users without design skills.
Customizable Templates: A wide range of templates for different purposes like education, business, and portfolios.
Cons of Using Adobe Spark
Limited Advanced Features: The free plan may not include all advanced features available in paid plans.
Template-Based: While templates are customizable, users looking for highly unique designs might find the options limiting.
Pricing
Adobe Spark's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Adobe Spark has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention the ease of use and the wide range of templates available. Check out more Adobe Spark reviews here.
9. Visme
Visme is an interactive content creation platform designed for marketers and professionals to create engaging presentations, documents, infographics, social media graphics, videos, and more. It leverages AI to simplify the design process, allowing users to generate ready-to-use designs quickly. Visme offers a wide range of customizable templates and tools for data visualization, branded content creation, and team collaboration.
Pros of Using Visme
AI-Powered Design: The AI Designer helps users create presentations, documents, and social media graphics quickly from text prompts.
Wide Range of Tools: Includes tools for creating presentations, documents, charts, infographics, forms, surveys, whiteboards, social media graphics, videos, and more.
Customizable Templates: Thousands of templates covering over 50 content types.
Cons of Using Visme
Complexity for Beginners: Despite being user-friendly, the wide range of features might be overwhelming for absolute beginners.
Cost: Advanced features and extensive template libraries may require a paid subscription, which could be a barrier for small businesses or individual users.
Pricing
Basic: $0 per month (Free)
Starter: $12.25 per month
Pro: $24.75 per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing
Reviews
Visme has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention missing features and occasional interface issues. Check out more Visme reviews here.
10. Stencil
Stencil is an easy-to-use online graphic design tool designed for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. It allows users to create beautiful social media graphics, compelling ads, stunning blog headers, and more quickly and efficiently.
Pros of Using Stencil
Ease of Use: Simple interface that allows users to create images quickly.
Extensive Resources: Access to over 5,000,000 stock photos, 1,350+ templates, 6,550+ Google Web Fonts, and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.
Customization: Ability to upload and store multiple logos and custom fonts.
Cons of Using Stencil
Limited Advanced Features: May lack some advanced design features found in more complex tools like Photoshop.
Dependency on Internet: As an online tool, it requires a stable internet connection to function.
Pricing
Stencil's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Stencil has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention ease of use and the ability to upload custom fonts and images. Check out more Stencil reviews here.
Which One Should You Go With?
Each of these design tools offers unique features and benefits, making them all excellent choices depending on your specific needs. However, if you're looking for a user-friendly alternative that excels in transforming complex ideas into engaging visuals, Piktochart stands out. Its intuitive interface and powerful AI capabilities make it a top recommendation for anyone aiming to create professional-quality content effortlessly.