Nobody likes paying for stuff, at least not when there are free alternatives that can do the job just as well. However, free tools typically come with some sacrifice, whether in power, capability, usability, or just the look of the app. One thing Adobe products usually get right is the user experience and the look of their apps. The tools aren’t perfect and have their own issues, but the company has some of the best designers on their teams. And UI/UX are more influential than people realize - they’re what make or break a product for most users.

Not everyone wants to or can dish out a monthly subscription, however. And many potential users might not even try to find alternatives because they’ve seen what’s out there, and the pickings might look a little…questionable. Open-source apps do have a reputation for being a little rough around the edges and looking outdated, because many of them are. But open-source tools have been shifting toward modern design trends that focus on frictionless user experiences and simplified, distractionless navigation. And these are the ones that do it best, if not better than Adobe…

Penpot

A design app with a fantastic interface design

Of course I’m going to start off this list with Penpot, one of my favorite design apps. Penpot is an open-source, browser-based, self-hosted design and prototyping tool. Its closest Adobe equivalent would be the discontinued XD, but it can also be a stand-in for Illustrator and Photoshop in some cases, since it handles both vector and raster graphics.

When I first visited the Penpot site, I was actually skeptical of its open-source and self-hosted status because it’s so well-designed and easy on the eyes. It reads like a well-funded design platform in the same category as Figma or Adobe’s tools. The app itself is even better…

Penpot’s interface is clean and is built around minimalist workspaces. It has a multi-window canvas and panels can be hidden out of view. Tools are also clearly labeled and easy to recognize. As for the tools themselves, you’ve got frames, pen tools, shapes, text, constraints, components, coloring options, easing curves for animation, real-time collaboration, and dev handoff - all available in the free version.

Graphite

Surprisingly modern

Graphite is another design app that took me by surprise. I fully expected it to be like some of the weirder, less popular open-source projects I user-test. But it’s actually a super sleek-looking and modern-feeling app. Graphite is a free and open-source vector graphics tool that can handle some raster editing too, and it runs in your browser (although there are talks of a cross-platform desktop app on the way).

This would be a direct replacement for Illustrator and Photoshop, depending on the type of work you do. It has path, pen, freehand, spline, line, shape, and text tools for comprehensive vector designs. It can also handle raster images, but you’d have to rely on the drawing, gradient, fill, and blend tools to create looks since it doesn’t have sliders for HSL.

The thing I like most about it, though, is that it’s a layer-node hybrid. So you can navigate the layers non-destructively and also use adjustment layers. But for more precise adjustments, the node graph is your friend, where you can stack properties and effects in any direction.

OpenShot

The Cosmic Dusk theme in version 3.3 or later

OpenShot has received some criticism for its outdated UI not too long ago, plus it’s still not exactly a match for Premiere Pro’s editing capabilities. However, recent updates have significantly improved the toolkit, user experience, and the look of the app. If you have version 3.3 or up, especially with the Cosmic Dusk theme enabled, then you’re looking at a pretty sleek and frictionless interface.

The December 2025 update also introduced an experimental QWidget timeline, which gave users faster scrolling and zooming, improved snapping, and overall fewer crashes and more stability. It’s a good free Premiere alternative, though you won’t find advanced features like the Lumetri Color panel, AI tools, multi-camera editing, or dedicated motion graphics tools. But it does have keyframing, transitions, effects, audio editing, color editing, and transformations.

Pinta

A minimalist design tool

I will say upfront that Pinta is not a match for any of Adobe’s graphics tools. It’s minimalist not only in its interface design but also in the features it offers. Pinta is best suited to people who need a comprehensive enough graphics tool but don’t want to drown in menus or get overwhelmed by advanced functions. That’s why I still consider it a better-feeling app than Adobe; it’s easier and simpler, perfect for beginners, and the UI is still pretty sleek.

Pinta is more of an equivalent to Adobe Express. It has all the essentials for basic graphics; the stuff you’d post on a small business’s social media or add to a YouTube banner. It also has some image editing features like color effects and blur filters. Think of Canva meets Photoshop, minus the complexity.

Open-source is catching up

For the longest time, open-source usually meant compromise, whether the UI/UX or the features. And often it still does mean there’s a trade-off. But as someone who’s tested dozens of open-source graphics tools, a pattern of sleek, smooth, and modern tools is emerging, and sometimes, they even beat their biggest competition.