In the modern world, graphic design has become a universally required skill, used by everyone from marketers to web developers. Nevertheless, beginner designers tend to struggle in finding the right tools of the right quality and value. As an example, while the Adobe Creative Cloud is popular due to its innovative features, its pricing style is not welcoming to new users. Fortunately, the skilled graphic designer community has provided several options of lower priced and even no cost software that still pack a punch when it comes to design.

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In this article, we outline five tools that will benefit novice designers looking for affordable products that still deliver on the professional front.

1. Canva – For Basic and Fast Designs, Look No Further

Price: Free (Pro version available for $12.99/month)

Best For: Social media posts, slides, and marketing collateral

Easy to use, Canva is a design tool that lets anyone create stunning images with a little effort. With thousands of free customizable templates, stock photos, and design elements, it is perfect for social media, presentations, or business branding.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop interface for easy design creation
• Comprehensive selection of templates and graphics
• Paid and unpaid stock images, fonts, and icons
• Team collaboration tools
• Export designs to PNG, JPG, PDF, and more

The free option offers many of the core features, while Pro gives you access to more tools such as brand kits, templates, and background erasers. Canva is a great tool for beginners, looking for a simple and affordable design application.

2. GIMP – The Most Complete Free Option for Photoshop

Cost: Free (Open-source software)

Ideal For: Editing photographs, painting, or dealing with raster images

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is a fully featured open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It allows users to edit images for free, which makes it a top choice for beginner designers who don’t want to spend too much money.

Key Features:

• Tools for photo retouching and photo manipulation are professional-grade
• Various file formats support, including PSD, PNG, JPEG, GIF
• Customizable plug-ins and brushes for interface
• Layered editing for complex design projects
• Compatible with other systems (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Unlike Canva, GIMP takes a bit longer to learn, but it is one of the most powerful free programs for editing images and other complicated design work.

3. Inkscape – Best for Vector Art and Illustration

Inkscape prides itself on its very extensive feature set. However, one of the main advantages of Inkscape is the fact that it allows users to easily create and edit logos, icons, and SVGs.

Marking Inkscape as a suitable alternative for novice Adobe Illustrator users.

The Features:

• Vector graphics which are fully scalable (SVG) 
• Manipulation of nodes and advanced path editing 
• Grouping, layering, and alignment of objects 
• Pencil and calligraphy freehand tools 
• Exports available in AI, EPS, PDF, and PNG formats 

Because of the truly endless set of possibilities that can be achieved without spending a dime, Inkscape can be described as one of the most desirable tools for illustration and logo design.

4. Figma – Best for Designing UI/UX and Teamwork

Cost: Free (Pro version starts at $12/month)

Best For: Web designing, UI/UX mockups, and group work

Figma is an online design platform that allows users to design wireframes, UIs, and even interactive prototypes. Figma goes beyond traditional software by existing solely in the browser, enabling access from any device.

Core Features:

• Real-time collaboration with a cloud-based interface
• Easy drag and drop for UI/UX projects
• Editing tools for vectors similar to Adobe XD and Sketch
• Tools for creating interactive prototypes and receiving design feedback
• Figma’s integration with well known apps like Notion and Slack

With Figma’s free plan, users can create up to three projects which makes it ideal for those starting with UI/UX design. Its collaborative features also facilitate group work and remote tasks.

5. Affinity Designer – The Most Affordable Competitor of Adobe Illustrator

Price: $69.99 for a permanent license

Best For: Pro-level designs in vectors and rasters with high detail

If you aim for powerful software performance in a virtually professional software-grade design, Affinity Designer is the ideal choice. It is way cheaper than Adobe Illustrator-as a one time purchase cost Affinity designer is lower and it doesn’t have any subscription payments. These factors make it a good investment for novices in their initial stages.

Key Features:

• Edit while maintaining original photos with an unlimited number of layers
• Intelligent switching between vector and raster design styles
• Advanced illustration shape tools
• CMYK and RGB compatible for printing and online projects
• Windows, macOS, and iPad compatible

While Affinity Designer is paid software like others within its category, the powerful features combined with the low price, affordability and value makes it a solid starting point for many learners of design with no recurring fees.

Considerations for Choosing Design Tools

It’s all about choosing the right graphic design tool as per the set prices, availability of features, compatibility, and ease of use. Same goes for someone who is venturing into it for the first time. To elaborate, someone who needs content for social media can use Canva, whereas someone who needs a brand identity and a logo designed would need to use vector programs like Inkscape or Affinity Designer.

A major point to keep in mind is the learning possibilities and community. Some free tools like GIMP and Inkscape have a large online presence, so there are plenty of tutorials, plugins, and troubleshooting guides out there, which can help a novice learn at no cost. Then again, some tools like Affinity Designer come with their own tutorial documents which makes it easier to learn professional skills.

Similarly, hardware compatibility is an important issue. The use of some design tools requires greater processing power for proper utilization. For example, those who use Affinity Designer and GIMP will require systems with dedicated graphics cards whereas basic laptops and even mobile devices are enough for those who use Canva and Figma. Tools selected by beginners should be compatible with the capabilities of the system they possess so they do not experience lag and performance issues.

Aside from that, file formats and export options compatibility matter, specifically for designers serving a client or working on a print project. GIMP and Inkscape are versatile because they allow designers to work with various types of files, which include PSD and AI, to work with different professionals who use Adobe products. Beginners may find using Canva and Figma easier, but not being able to export high quality vector files is one of their limitations.

Conclusion

Starting out in any design field is costly, but having the right equipment can make beginner designers enjoy the process of learning much more. Luckily, from creating social media posts to UI/UX structures and even vector art, there exist affordable and user friendly tools such as Canva, GIMP, Inkscape, Figma, and Affinity Designer. 

Choosing tools that are less expensive to look for but effective to work with allows learners to broaden their skill set, have a professional portfolio, and be budget friendly. Once they have gained enough knowledge and experience in the field, they will also be in a position to decide if spending more money on the software is worth it or not.