Okay friend, if you’re diving into the world of crafting and creating your own SVGs, there’s a BIG question you’ll eventually run into:
Should you use Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator?
Spoiler alert: You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars a year to create gorgeous designs.
Let’s break it down, plain and simple.
First Things First: What’s the Difference?
- Illustrator is Adobe’s professional vector design program. It’s powerful, it’s shiny… and it comes with a pretty hefty price tag. (Like, $20+ a month forever.)
- Inkscape is a free, open-source program that does almost all the same things — without costing you a penny.
So if you’re thinking, “Wait, why would I not choose free?” — you’re already asking the right questions.
Why I Recommend Inkscape Over Illustrator for Crafters
Here’s the truth: if your goal is to design, edit, and use SVGs for your Cricut or Silhouette,
👉 Inkscape gives you everything you need — without the monthly bill.
And honestly? In some ways, it’s actually better than Illustrator for what crafters need.
Here’s why:
1. It’s FREE (and saves you so much money)
Listen, Adobe Illustrator is amazing… but it costs around $240 a year.
Meanwhile, Inkscape is completely free — no subscription, no hidden fees, no “free trial” that vanishes after 7 days.
You can download it today and start creating tomorrow. That’s a huge win, especially if you’re just starting out, crafting for fun, or building a side hustle.
2. It Traces Images BETTER Than Illustrator
Yep, you heard me right.
If you’ve ever tried to turn a JPG or PNG image into a clean SVG (like a hand-drawn doodle, a photo, or a cute graphic you found), you know how tricky it can be.
Inkscape’s trace feature is seriously powerful.
It gives you more control, better results, and cleaner lines than Illustrator does — which means faster, easier projects and better cuts on your Cricut (learn how to do it here).
(If you’ve struggled with messy traces or choppy SVGs before, Inkscape is about to feel like a miracle.)
3. It Has All the Essential Tools You Actually Need
You might hear people say, “Well, Illustrator has more features…”
Sure, if you’re designing a billboard for Times Square or animating a movie.
But for crafters?
You need a few key things:
- Draw shapes
- Add and style text
- Combine, cut, and weld designs
- Trace images into SVGs
- Save your files the right way
Inkscape can do ALL of that — and it does it beautifully.
You get everything you need to design professional, polished SVGs without feeling overwhelmed by 10,000 extra buttons you’ll never use.
Final Thoughts: Which One Should You Pick?
If you’re a graphic designer working with giant brands, sure — Illustrator might make sense.
But if you’re a crafter, a small business owner, a DIY queen, or someone who just wants creative freedom without a massive price tag?
👉 Inkscape wins. Hands down.
It’s powerful, it’s easy to learn, it saves you money, and it’s the BEST way to trace and create custom SVGs.
Ready to see it in action?
Come check out our free training where I show you how to convert images to SVGs (step-by-step!) at svgandme.com/convertimages
You’ll be amazed what you can create once you know this one skill!