In short
- Pen, nodes, boolean operations, a shape builder and image tracing.
- Opens PDF-compatible .ai files and exports to SVG, PNG and PDF.
- Free forever, including for commercial use.
It’s for you if…
- You design logos, icons, illustrations or graphics for social media and the web.
- You want to stop paying for Creative Cloud just to make vectors.
- You work with SVG or prepare files for laser cutting or vinyl.
Better pick something else if…
- You deliver CMYK files with colour profiles to printers: Inkscape works in RGB.
- Your team swaps .ai files daily with Illustrator effects and panels you need to keep editing.
From Illustrator to Inkscape: equivalents
| Illustrator | Inkscape |
|---|---|
| Artboards | Pages (Pages tool): several in the same document |
| Pen | Bézier tool (B) |
| Direct Selection | Node tool (N) |
| Pathfinder | Path › Union, Difference, Intersection… and the Shape Builder (X) |
| Image Trace | Path › Trace Bitmap (Shift+Alt+B) |
| Color and Stroke panels | Fill and Stroke (Shift+Ctrl+F) |
| Layers | Layers and Objects (Shift+Ctrl+L) |
| Export for Screens | File › Export (Shift+Ctrl+E): PNG, SVG or PDF per page, selection or drawing |
Step by step
Download Inkscape
Download it for free from inkscape.org for Windows, macOS or Linux. It needs no account and no connection to work.
Turn on Illustrator shortcuts
Go to Edit › Preferences › Interface › Keyboard and choose the Adobe Illustrator shortcut map. V, A, P and the other keys will then do what your fingers already expect.
Open your .ai files
Illustrator saves with “Create PDF Compatible File” on by default, and that lets Inkscape open them with File › Open. If one won’t open, save it from Illustrator as PDF or SVG before you cancel your subscription.
Draw and edit paths
Use the Bézier tool (B) like the pen and the Node tool (N) to adjust points and curves. To combine shapes, the Shape Builder (X) or the Path menu do the same job as Pathfinder.
Organise the document
In Layers and Objects (Shift+Ctrl+L) you order and lock elements, and the Pages tool gives you several artboards in one file, for example for every piece of a campaign.
Export
File › Export (Shift+Ctrl+E) produces PNG for social media, SVG for the web or PDF for print, from one page, the selection or the whole drawing.
Files and formats
Its native format is SVG, the open vector graphics standard that browsers understand. It opens AI (PDF-compatible), PDF, EPS (with Ghostscript installed), CorelDRAW CDR and EMF, and exports to SVG, PNG, PDF, EPS and EMF. Save your work as Inkscape SVG to keep layers and pages, and deliver PDF or PNG depending on where it’s going.
What you won’t find
- It works in RGB: it doesn’t export CMYK PDFs natively. For print, convert afterwards (for example with Scribus) or ask your printer.
- Some Illustrator effects and appearances arrive already converted to ordinary paths and can no longer be edited as effects.
- Very heavy files with thousands of objects can be slower than in Illustrator.
Tips
- For the web, export as “Optimized SVG”: it’s smaller and looks the same.
- Install the design’s fonts before opening other people’s files, or ask them to convert text to paths.
- The XML editor (Shift+Ctrl+X) shows the SVG code: handy for fine-tuning icons by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Does Inkscape open Illustrator files?
Yes, .ai files saved with PDF compatibility, which is Illustrator’s default. If one won’t open, ask for the file as PDF or SVG.
Can I use Inkscape for commercial work?
Yes. It’s free software (GPL licence): you can use it for free for logos, client work and any commercial project, and your designs belong to you.
Is it good for print?
Yes, it exports high-quality PDFs. Just bear in mind it works in RGB: if your printer requires CMYK, convert the PDF or ask them to do it.
Independent: we have no commercial relationship, sponsorship or affiliation with Illustrator or with these alternatives, and nobody pays us to recommend them. Links go to their official websites and are not affiliate links; the site is funded only by Google AdSense ads, which don't influence the selection. Learn more.
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