Unbiased side-by-side comparison of verified reviews, user ratings, features, and pros/cons to help you decide which software fits your business needs.


In our 2026 comparison of Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Designer, Microsoft Designer comes out ahead overall (weighted score 91% vs 87% for Adobe Illustrator). Adobe Illustrator is rated 4.4/5 from 88 user reviews; Microsoft Designer is rated 4.8/5 from 142 user reviews. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month; Microsoft Designer has a free plan.
Last updated
| At a glance | Adobe Illustrator | Microsoft Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Graphic Design & UI/UX | Graphic Design & UI/UX |
| User rating | 4.4/5 (88 reviews) | 4.8/5 (142 reviews) |
| Starting price | $22.99/mo | Free plan |
| Listed features | 18 | 14 |
| Integrations | 4 | 3 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Ease of use | 4.4/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Customer support | 4.2/5 | 4.8/5 |
What each platform does and who it's for
The main classification for each product
Independent expert panel ratings and quality validations
Expert Score
Expert Score
Compare supported third-party apps and services
Supported platforms across each product
Real-world pros and cons from verified users
User sentiment analysis
User sentiment analysis
Detailed side-by-side capability checklist
18/30 features
14/30 features
Compare plans, features, and starting points side-by-side
Industry-standard vector graphics software.
Month-to-month subscription (cancel anytime).
Access to 20+ Adobe apps including Photoshop & Premiere.
Free AI design tool.
Real-time crowdsourced comparison feedback and buyer signals.
Real-time crowdsourced buyer signals
Agreement between algorithmic rating & user voting

Calculated by features, pricing, support & ratings.
Cast your vote above to update results.
Share your decision anonymously with the community
Feature your software prominently in the sidebar & pricing pages of Adobe Illustrator vs Microsoft Designer to capture high-intent Graphic Design & UI/UX evaluators.
Data-backed performance comparisons across pricing, features, usability, and support
At-a-glance scorecard results
Normalized composite performance scores
Head-to-head decision matrix based on your business workflow
Dimension scorecard
Adobe Illustrator is a runner-up with a composite score of 87%.
Pricing: $22.99/mo (No Free Trial), a less accessible entry point than the leader.
Adobe Illustrator lists the most features (18 features).
Satisfactory usability with a user rating of 4.4/5 stars.
Decent support with a user rating of 4.2/5 stars.
Available on 3 Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, fewer than the leader.
Dimension scorecard
Microsoft Designer wins overall with a weighted score of 91% based on user rating, pricing, features, usability, and support.
Microsoft Designer has the most accessible pricing ($0/mo (No Free Trial)).
Offers 14 features (fewer than the category leader).
Ranked #1 for usability with a user rating of 4.8/5 stars.
Ranked #1 for support with a user rating of 4.8/5 stars.
Widest platform availability (5 Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS +1 more).

Composite scores are within 5 points. Microsoft Designer edges ahead on sample-size-adjusted user satisfaction.
Composite scores are within 5 points. Microsoft Designer edges ahead on sample-size-adjusted user satisfaction.
Composite scores are within 5 points. Microsoft Designer edges ahead on sample-size-adjusted user satisfaction. The best choice still depends on your team's workflow, budget and required integrations — use the side-by-side sections above to check the details that matter to you.
Adobe Illustrator is rated 4.4/5 from 88 user reviews. Microsoft Designer is rated 4.8/5 from 142 user reviews. Ratings come from approved user reviews on SoftwareHope.
Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month. Microsoft Designer has a free plan. Always confirm current pricing on the vendor's site, as plans change.
Adobe Illustrator does not list a free plan or trial; Microsoft Designer offers a free plan.
Adobe Illustrator supports Windows, macOS and iOS; Microsoft Designer supports Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Adobe Illustrator has an ease-of-use rating of 4.4/5, Microsoft Designer has an ease-of-use rating of 4.8/5. Microsoft Designer is rated easier to use by reviewers.
Community-voted helpful feedback from verified users
Image Trace's high-fidelity mode converts scanned hand-drawn logos into clean vector paths that scale to billboard size without degradation. Vectorizing a client's 30-year-old raster logo in minutes rather than days of manual redraw is invaluable.
Building complex icon shapes through Pathfinder operations on basic geometric primitives is faster and more geometrically precise than drawing complex paths directly. Our icon library of 600 symbols was constructed almost entirely with Pathfinder unite and minus front.
Illustrator's Variable Font support lets our editorial team explore the full weight-and-width design space of a typeface interactively. Headline typography that previously required switching between multiple font weights now adjusts fluidly through the axis slider.
Designing all social media formats, web banners, and print ads for a campaign on a single Illustrator artboard canvas gives our team the cross-format visibility needed to maintain visual consistency. Batch exporting all formats with Asset Export takes seconds.
Calculated via real engagement & conversions





Other highly-rated software you might want to consider