Inkscape
Professional vector editing, free for twenty years.
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sovereigntyInkscape is a mature desktop vector editor — the open answer to Illustrator rather than to Figma. Precise path editing, full SVG support, extensions and a two-decade track record. For icon work, illustration and print-bound vector output it is genuinely professional. It is on this page because a meaningful slice of Figma seats are bought by people who only ever draw vectors, and a desktop tool with no per-seat fee serves them better. GPL, installed rather than browser-based, and single-player by design.
OPEN SOURCEGPL-2.0 / GPL-3.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
LicenseGPL-2.0 / GPL-3.0
PricingFree and open source. Desktop install, no accounts.
Open sourceYes
Self-hostableYes
Local-first dataYes
What it does well
- +Deep, precise vector editing — better than Figma at pure illustration
- +Native SVG throughout; files open anywhere
- +Runs entirely offline with no account of any kind
- +Twenty years of development and a large extension library
Where it falls short
- −No collaboration — this is a single-player desktop tool
- −No prototyping, components or developer handoff
- −Interface feels dated next to browser-native tools
- −Wrong tool for designing product screens
Inkscape as an alternative to
Where Inkscape shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Inkscape head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.