Illustrator VS Inkscape: A Complete Comparison

One of the most common questions I receive is how Inkscape compares to Illustrator, and if one is better than the other. The two applications are very similar and have a lot in common, but despite that there’s still enough differences between them for a worthwhile comparison to be made. In this video I’m going to break that all down and go over some the advantages and disadvantages of Illustrator vs Inkscape.



Intro song: "In Da Mood" by Combustibles, used with written permission

[electricimpulsetoprogramming]

"You can still be a freelancer as an inkscape user"
That's what I needed to hear, thank you :)

[gxexrxmxaxnx]

As you said, Inkscape is solely supported by its own community. Thank you for helping us all!

[NighthawkX]

This is basically the design and art industries today...
*Random company:
We need a motorcycle driver for this job. Let's put an announcement online
"We require an employee that owns and knows how to drive a 2020 Yamaha WR250F"
*Job applicant:
Hello, I never had a Yamaha before, but I own and drive Honda, Husqvarna, KTM, and Kawasaki motorcycles.I've been doing it my entire life.
*Random company:
Uh-oh sorry, driving a Yamaha is the specific requirement since we think it is the best and only motorcycle worth driving and the only vehicle to get the job done, next please.

[dsanek]

The day I downloaded and opened Inkscape was the last day I was using Adobe Illustartor. It happened 8 years ago.

[victornpb]

I am a software developer and I used to use illustrator, I discovered Inkscape from your videos like 5 years ago. I’m so glad I don’t have to install illustrator anymore.

[jackengels]

I've been using Inkscape for a decade, I always felt it was such un underrated software, especially compared to illustrator. On few occasions, I worked along some illustrator's user and while I was doing the very same things in a fraction of the time, I felt like they were suggesting that it wasn't as good as doing it with illustrator. I know this because they didn't stop recreating what I'd already finished, like the final version had to be an ai file or something. Felt like dealing with some proud cult

[Abrahamic.Design]

Thank you for your contribution to design, Nick. I was the person you described in the beginning. I wanted to try out vector art, but couldn't justify spending the money on Adobe Illustrator. I downloaded Inkscape and learned a lot about vector design. I learned a lot from your videos and bought your logo design ebook. I got clients and even started a little sticker shop, using the skills I learned. Now, I work as a full-time designer, where I use the Adobe software, but I'll never forgot the low barrier to entry that helped me get where I am today.

[KRXOVRmedia]

I can't say enough how grateful I am for you and this channel. Transitioning to Inkscape has been so painless and it has been helping me level up my designs so much.

[tarigeltom]

I must raise my hat for you dear Nick for this video. Your comparison is as proffessional as your tutorials. It is unbiased and to the point.
What I liked most about this video is that such free apps like Inkscape and Gimp help us test the water and discover our potentials.
Thank you

[yt_bharat]

People like you are real contributors in the world. God bless you for these amazing videos. Please keep sharing!

[MadTytanG]

Hey so I've been using Inkscape for over a year now and thank you for the videos because honestly without them I would have been lost. I've used Inkscape to help with designing the logos for my brand and it's awesome

[andrews.]

Thank you for this. I gotta say you nailed it for me. I was a designer, going back to the 80's. Everything went to Adobe because it became the standard in Pre-Press. I moved on to another industry but I still like to tinker. Adobe products are expensive to tinker with. I found inkscape some time ago. Inkscape was frustrating because it was different. You inspired me to look at inkscape differently. 25 years using Illustrator, I never gave inkscape a chance. Thank you. And thank you to Youtube for suggesting your channel.

[theaninova]

Inkscape is one of those Open Source miracles where you get almost the same or more functionality as the pricy industry standard. No middle mouse button in Illustrator was the final death note for it imo, I now use Affinity Designer for its performance and ease of use and Inkscape whenever I miss features in Designer. Same with a program like Blender where there literally is no reason to use Maya or 3ds max outside of "It's industry-standard".

[finnflash]

Continuing a bit from your previous video where I talked about Inkscape and careers in graphic design. Actually the only things I ever felt were "bad" with Inkscape, were the options to edit and work with text. Comparing that to Illustrator is a big difference, what is easy there, can be very hard in Inkscape. For example putting text on a path, or to a specific shape is way too complicated, and it still usually looks "okay" at best.

The other problem with Inkscape were the sometimes strange and crazy bugs. You know the program could crash even during some of the basic things that should be done without trouble. Sometimes it even crashed when you were using CTRL+Z "too many" times, usually 2-3. Then there were the strange troubles with commands like Difference and Division, almost everytime while using these, the resulting shape was not the one it should have been, but a completely different sized one. I remember watching your Celtic Knot tutorial back in the day, and I couldn't finish doing it myself because all the shapes done with Difference were horribly strangely shaped. Even today I don't know what causes that problem. And like you said in this video, trying to get help for these bugs and stuff, can be very difficult. Anyway, nicely done video, thx for that!

[AA-lqpu]

This really helps me qualm some concerns I had about not being an adequate designer because I don't have adobe. Absolutely cannot afford illustrator at the moment. I do freelancing and run an etsy store where I sell Iron-on decals so I do not need it right now. I thought that maybe Inkscape was like a app compared to Illustrator but now I see it is definitely enough to get the job done. I am just so happy I found Inkscape this channel, which is my favorite and an absolute God send.

[OasisForYu]

Well, i just learned that there is a free alternative for ilustrator, thanks, i really wanned to try vector design !

[Safetyman]

Thanks for the comparison... I've used just about every vector program you can imagine; I have to use Illustrator for work, but I use Inkscape at home. I'm so thankful that Inkscape continues to be improved upon.

[juliosardinha]

And, in the middle of this battle, we have the Affinity Designer, which is faster, better to use and understand and have a low price considering the Illustrator subscription. But, as you told, with any app you can get great results if you’re committed to learning. Thank you for the video and, for sure, I’ll give Inkscape a try. 🎉

[oofiebiscuit]

I am super agree with the gradient problem. I have used Inkscape for quite some time now and recently I decided to try Adobe Illustrator. AI's gradient tool is so annoying to use, it's complicated for first-time user. Meanwhile in Inkscape, I don't need any tutorials and with just a bit of messing around I could just figure it out by myself lol.

[MJRookieForge]

I have used Photoshop since CS3, and never once touched illustrator. Idk how I've gotten away with it for so long as a free graphic designer, but today was the day that I needed to bite the bullet. This video helped a ton. Thank you.