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Comparisons

VectorCraft vs Illustrator: Free Vector Editor Compared

Updated 2026-10-11

VectorCraft mirrors Illustrator's tools, panels and shortcuts. Its README self-assesses about 88% of Illustrator's menu items, tools, effects and formats present and about 65% ready for real work.

What matches

  • Bezier pen, Direct Selection, Pathfinder and Shape Builder with exact curve booleans.
  • Gradient mesh, Live Blends, Envelope Distort, perspective grid, Appearance panel.
  • SVG, PDF (with PDF/X), EPS, DXF and EMF/WMF; PSD export.
  • Interface in nine languages including English, German, Japanese and Chinese.

Where Illustrator still wins

  • Reliable exchange of Illustrator's own .ai files - VectorCraft reads layer structure but does not write editing data.
  • 3D and Materials, scripting and generative AI features.
  • About half of the Photoshop-style raster effects are missing.

Which to pick

Logo, icon and flat illustration work that lives in SVG is practical in VectorCraft today. Anyone exchanging native .ai files with clients should keep Illustrator. If you want a mature free option, see VectorCraft vs Inkscape.

Try it in your browser

Text to image

No install, first generation free.

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Common questions

Can VectorCraft open .ai files?
It imports PDF-compatible .ai files, but editing data is not written back, so SVG is the safer interchange.

Keep reading

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