The trend of graphic design has increased in recent years. As the field offers a lot of opportunities, becoming a professional graphic designer can be a great career choice for youth. With the rise in popularity of this field and its connection to technology, incredible graphic design software tools have been launched, offering thousands of features for designers to add value to their designs, art, and projects.
Assisting in graphics and design, these tools make the work of designers easier and less time-consuming. Traditional tools have been replaced with AI tools and tech-aided software that bring new designs, choices, and art styles to designers.
In 2025, many incredible tools will be launched and will offer some of the best designs and ideas to users. If you are a graphic designer looking for some amazing software and graphic design tools, this article is for you!
This article will introduce you to the top graphic design software tools trending in 2025.
Table of Contents
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Fresco
- Adobe Illustrator
- Canva
- Coreldraw
- Inkscape
- Sketch
- Xara Designer Pro X
- Procreate
- Affinity Designer
Adobe
A well-known name in graphic design and editing is Adobe. The world knows the products offered by this company, and many of them are everyday tools for people across the globe. Adobe offers some of the best graphic design software and tools that add great value to users’ projects and work.
Some of the best tools and software by Adobe are:
Photoshop
One of the top choices for artists and designers is Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop offers thousands of design tools and features to enhance your work, helping you create the best visuals for your projects.
The software is easy to learn and can be operated on various operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Android. It follows a subscription model to access all features and tools and can be downloaded from the Adobe website. This software is best for photo editors and designers looking to add effects and artistic value to their projects or photos.
Fresco
Another offering from Adobe Inc., Adobe Fresco is a painting, sketching, and art software that can be used on the iPad. The software offers various drawing and painting tools to users, delivering the feeling of actual drawing in digital form. The app offers both freemium and subscription plans. With a subscription, users get access to some of the best and most advanced painting and drawing tools not available in the free version.
The software requires an Apple Pencil to draw and paint on the iPad, offering a real digital drawing experience. It provides thousands of options with various brushes, paints, art styles, shapes, and much more to help create stunning drawings and paintings.
Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is one of the best graphic creation programs from Adobe to create outstanding designs for your projects. This highly versatile vector-based program offers users the latest features in graphic design. The software includes many pre-created designs that can be directly used in your assignments, saving a lot of time.
It also offers collaborative design tools along with many advanced options and effects. Illustrator is subscription-based, where users can choose a monthly or yearly plan to enjoy access to the full suite of Adobe Illustrator design tools.
Canva
Offering the best design tools for both designers and non-designers, Canva is a graphic design app launched in 2013 in Australia. The app provides both free and subscription-based design tools to support your projects and assignments. It primarily relies on drag-and-drop and resizing functions, making Canva a good choice for professional design work.
With Canva, users get access to a photo editor (Canva PDF Editor), video editor (Canva Video), and even a website builder (Canva Website Builder). It currently serves more than 100 million users worldwide.
Corel Draw
Part of Corel Corporation, which was founded in 1985, CorelDRAW is a graphic design software best suited for creating cards and brochures. With thousands of design tools, shapes, effects, structures, and images, CorelDRAW is a top choice for both designers and non-designers.
It is part of a comprehensive package offered by Corel, which includes multiple graphic software tools such as PhotoPaint, AfterShot, PowerTRACE, CorelDRAW, and Font Manager. The software can be accessed on both Windows and Mac systems.
Inkscape
Inkscape is one of the best freemium graphic design software options available for designers. It offers a wide range of tools, file support, design elements, logos, typography, diagrams, charts, and spiro curves to help create amazing designs for your next assignment. It works seamlessly on both Mac and Windows platforms.
Initially launched in 2003, the software has evolved with the addition of new features and updates, with a stable release recently made in July 2025. Inkscape was awarded the “Best of Open Source Software” award in 2012 for being one of the best open-source desktop applications.
Sketch
Sketch is a vector graphics editing software launched in 2010 for macOS. It is mainly used for designing the UI and UX of mobile apps and websites. A stable version of the software was released in April 2025. It allows users to create high-quality digital designs.
The main features of the software include editing (to make design changes as needed), prototyping, artboards, symbols, and plugins. Sketch offers a wide range of graphic design tools to produce high-quality results. In 2012, Sketch won the Apple Design Award.
Xara Designer Pro X
Xara, launched in 2012, offers premium design and graphic tools for professionals. It features integrated tools for illustration, desktop publishing (DTP), editing, and web design. With a wide user base for over 10 years, Xara has become a one-stop solution for all graphic design needs.
It allows users to minimize image file size without reducing image quality. The software has continuously evolved, with new features added in each release to provide top-tier design tools to users.
As a comprehensive tool, Xara combines photo editing, graphic design, and page & layout design in one platform. It offers a user-friendly interface and high-speed performance.
ProCreate
Procreate is a professional design tool offering sketching, painting, and creative features for both designers and casual users. It comes with a wide range of animations, illustrations, paintings, sketches, and artistic tools.
Procreate has won Apple Awards in 2013 and 2022 for its outstanding design and innovation. It offers more than 200 handcrafted brushes with creative styles to help you bring your ideas to life.
Along with an intuitive user interface, Procreate provides powerful shortcuts and minimal interface distractions, delivering a truly creative experience with industry-leading features.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is one of the best software tools for personal creative projects. It offers a variety of design tools and shortcuts tailored to your needs.
The platform provides a 30-day free trial so users can explore the features before committing. After the trial, users can purchase full access with a one-time fee of $69.99.
Key features of Affinity Designer include:
- One-time purchase with no subscription
- Color management
- Time-saving, effective design tools
- X-ray view
- Raster and vector workspace in a single program
Conclusion:
With the growing trend of digitalization and AI, designers are seeking advanced tech-based software that adds immense value to their work, whether through time-saving capabilities or offering platforms to create professional and creative projects.
Millions of applications and software tools have been launched globally, offering various design features for both designers and non-designers, available through freemium or subscription models. The software tools listed above are among the most popular and widely used in the world, standing out from the millions of options available.
Q-1: Which is the best graphic design software for beginners in 2025?
For beginners, Canva and Adobe Photoshop are among the best graphic design software tools in 2025. Canva offers a simple drag-and-drop interface, while Photoshop provides a more professional toolset with tutorials for easy learning.
Q-2: Is there any free graphic design software that is good in 2025?
Yes, Inkscape and the free version of Canva are excellent free graphic design software options in 2025. They offer a wide range of tools, templates, and features suitable for both beginners and professionals.
Q-3: What software do most professional graphic designers use in 2025?
In 2025, most professional graphic designers use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate (for iPad users), and Affinity Designer. These tools offer powerful features, industry-standard formats, and advanced editing capabilities.
