I’ve been keeping a close eye on design tools for several years now, whether that’s tracking new releases or waiting to see what new updates land in the tools I already use. Every now and then, a new tool shows up and claims to replace one of the bigger players in the industry, but that’s rarely the case. And sometimes, an unpopular tool comes onto my radar and ends up being much better than I expected.

I’ve tried so many of them at this point that I’ve lost count. But there are a handful of graphics apps that stuck with me, mostly due to a combination of advanced features in the free tier and an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate. It’s hard to find a tool that checks every single one of your boxes, which is why I usually keep a couple in rotation at any given time. Even if I don’t use all of them every day, these are the ones that made a lasting impression…

Lunacy by Icons8

A free design tool that actually feels pro

Lunacy surprised me because it does more than you’d expect for a free editor. It was developed as a Sketch alternative that Windows and Linux users can use. The app is primarily built for vector UI design, graphics design, and illustrations, though its use cases are more expansive - think posters, banners, logos, and so on.

It’s not a stripped-down freebie either - you get the full stack with a frame tool, shapes, a pen tool, text, highly customizable properties, and even interactive prototyping. My favorite part is probably the elements library. There are over a million free icons, images, and illustrations which you can use in your designs (attributing credit to Icons 8). This selection is the biggest I’ve ever seen in any design app, and it makes designing much easier for beginners who need help getting started.

Another cool thing is that it supports importing Sketch and Figma files, so you can actually migrate those projects over without worrying about breaking the layers. Plus, there are some useful AI features that take care of the more mundane tasks like spell-checking text and renaming layers. There is a paid tier that gives you access to more cloud storage and design elements, but I’ve been getting by without it just fine.

Kittl

Ideal for those who want templates

Kittle is a web-based design app made with accessibility in mind, but it’s still powerful enough for serious designs. It’s primarily a vector-based app, though it supports raster formats too, making it a hybrid editor. The app is built around templates and AI-assisted design, so anyone can create anything from illustrations and logos to mockups and social media content.

You’ve got all the vector tools, including frames, shapes, a pen tool, typography, and customizable properties such as alignment, transform, coloring, layout, and so on. Relying on the manual tools and designing from scratch makes it feel more like a proper design environment, but I personally love that it mixes traditional editing tools with AI, which is great for beginners or those short on time. It started out primarily as a typography tool, which still shows based on the preset selections, but my favorite part is probably the Texture options - these are great for more creative editing with overlays.

When I first tried Kittle, I thought it was going to be similar to Canva or Picsart. But it turned out to be a little more heavy-duty than both. It gives you the option of designing from templates or with the help of AI, but you can also create designs from scratch with tools similar to what you’ll find in Figma or Inkscape, all in a non-destructive layer-based environment.

Affinity

The all-in-one design app

This article wouldn’t be complete without Affinity. I’ve covered it a lot already, so there’s no shortage of Affinity coverage if you want to dig into it further. Canva’s move to make the Affinity trio (Photo, Designer, Publisher) free significantly changed the landscape of design software, especially in terms of access to professional-grade tools.

You get a full vector editing environment with all the usual suspects: pen tools, node control, fill and gradients options, shapes, text, and much more - all of this can be found in the Vector workspace at the top. However, I mostly hang out in the Pixel workspace, which is the raster-based interface for image editing and graphic design. In terms of advanced features, this is probably as close as you’ll get to a free Photoshop - there’s Lasso selection, brushes, clone stamp, loads of filters and effects, just to name a couple.

I’ve been using Affinity for my personal projects for several months now and can’t really imagine going without it. The interface is also one of the best I’ve ever come across in a free design tool, balancing approachability with advanced tools.

Free doesn’t mean lackluster

I’ve been really impressed by free design tools these past couple of years. It used to be the case that you had to settle for very limited features in the free tier, or try to navigate complex software like GIMP for real power. Now, there are free editors that actually give you an advanced toolkit and a reliable user experience.