How to Get Adobe Illustrator for Free (or Cheap)

The easiest way to get your hands on Illustrator for free is to use the 7-day free trial. This is provided by Adobe as an official avenue for users to try Adobe Illustrator at no cost.

At the end of the trial, you can choose to activate a monthly subscription for access or a yearly subscription. Visit the Illustrator free trial page on the official Adobe website for more details and signup options.

Another way to get more without overpaying is to bundle Illustrator in with a Creative Cloud subscription. This is definitely ideal for anyone interested in multiple Adobe applications.

How much is Adobe Illustrator?

The Adobe Illustrator app by itself costs $239.88 per year. When you bundle it with Creative Cloud, it's $599.89 but you also get access to almost every other app Adobe has to offer.

If you're a student or a teacher, you can currently save over 60% on a Creative Cloud subscription. This is definitely ideal for anyone in the education field looking to save money on access to Illustrator and other Adobe applications.

If free trials won't cut it, we hear you loud and clear. Sometimes you need to get the job done but don't have the extra funds to spend on a regular subscription (even at a discount). So here are a few apps you can take advantage of that have many of the capabilities you'll find in Adobe Illustrator that cost absolutely nothing.

Inkscape - This application has pen tools necessary for creating vector art and .svg files. It also has a robust online community with plenty of useful extensions and addons.

Gimp - This is a tool I've personally used for years (more than a decade). I find it useful to have on hand as it provides not just Illustrator tools but ones similar to Photoshop as well.

Boxy SVG - As the name suggests, this tool can be used to create .svg files. However, this tool works in browser and doesn’t require any installation.