Table of Contents
- Adobe Illustrator Review – Best Vector Graphics Software
- Features of Adobe Illustrator
- Benefits of Adobe Illustrator
- Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Adobe Illustrator CC
- Price
- Collaborations
- Compatibility
- Support
- What Do the Customers Think?
- Best Vector Graphics Software
- Coreldraw Review – Graphic Designer Approved
- Features of Coreldraw Software
- Benefits of Corel draw
- Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Coreldraw Graphics Suite
- Price
- Collaborations
- Compatibility
- Support
- What Do the Customers Think?
- Graphic Designer Approved
- Adobe Illustrator vs Coreldraw – Buyers’ Guide
- Price
- Collaborations
- Compatibility
- Support
- Final Verdict
Finding the best graphic design software is confusing, especially if you have limited knowledge about them.
Our top two picks are Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw.
They are both amazing vector-based drawing programs. You can use them to create interactive graphics to make your online course visually appealing and improve marketing.
However, only one can be the right program for you.
In this post, we will compare Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw as well as go over their features, pros, and cons.
| Features | Adobe Illustrator | CorelDraw |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 3.5 stars | 5 stars |
| Collaborations | 5 stars | 5 stars |
| Compatibility | 4.5 stars | 5 stars |
| Support | 5 stars | 4.5 stars |
Now that you know a general overview of both software, let’s move on to an in-depth analysis of Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw
Adobe Illustrator Review – Best Vector Graphics Software
If you have worked with graphics before, chances are you are already a part of the Adobe family.
But if you aren’t familiar with Adobe Illustrator, it is a known vector-based drawing program as a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.
Illustrator works with the help of mathematical constructs to create vector graphics.
So, as an online course creator, you can use it to create diagrams, graphs, charts, logos, and much more for your lectures. Adding graphics like these is a great way to add more value to the written content of your course.
Since Illustrator is made for professional use we did find it to have a steep learning curve. But once we got the hang of it, it was fairly user-friendly.
Features of Adobe Illustrator
- Pre-made templates and presets
- Vector design tools
- Adobe Stock marketplace integration
- Shape builder tools
- CSS extractor tool
- File packaging
- Perspective drawing options
- Snap to pixel ability
- Color synchronization and recolor options
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Cloud storage so you never lose your work • Compatible with both PC and Mac • 30-day free trial • Ability to sync files between devices via Adobe CreativeSync • Excellent customer support • Ability to print images | • Expensive • Overwhelming for new users |
Benefits of Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is considered one of the most versatile software for graphic design due to its viable range for functions all under one roof.
It has a wide array of templates available in the app.
They are arranged by final output such as Film, Print, Web, Mobile, Art, etc.
We thoroughly enjoyed using these templates. They provide an excellent base for your design, whether it be a poster, logo, or anything else.
They were also great for helping us cut down our workload.
It offers shape builder tools.
You can use these tools to merge and subtract shapes to create different designs to incorporate into your lectures.
Whereas, the Library tools let you form your own color palettes and font styles.
There is also a good variety of brushes you can choose from or even create your custom brushes.
One of the best things about Adobe Illustrator is that it integrates with Cloud documents.
You can access your lectures and in-progress files from anywhere.
Moreover, the Autosave feature keeps your files up to date.
This way there is no threat of your program crashing and you losing all your important work.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Adobe Illustrator CC
Price
We would recommend Adobe Illustrator to already established graphic designers who are looking for the best of the best.
It is only available through the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription model. It comes with different prices as a part of different plans:
- $20.99 per month for just Adobe Illustrator
- $52.99 per month for the All Apps plan (gives you access to the full Creative Suite)
- $19.99 per month for the Students and teachers plan (includes all Adobe products)
Collaborations
Adobe is famous for its collaborative features.
When testing out the software, we were super pleased with how easy it was to work with others on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator documents with the Invite to Edit feature.
This feature allows asynchronous editing on desktop and iPad, as long as you are using PSD or Al files.
You can also share cloud documents on assets.adobe.com or the Creative Cloud desktop app.
This is a great way to save time if you are working on your online course as a team.
Compatibility
Adobe Illustrator works on many operating systems including Mac and Windows.
Adobe has also launched Adobe Illustrator CC for iPad. This gives you the freedom to design your course on a mobile app or PC.
Support
Both Adobe Illustrator and Coreldraw have excellent support.
If you are new to Illustrator, Adobe offers a Learn and Support page. You can use it to get familiar with the interface and tools.
It also has in-app tutorials to help you learn Illustrator. It includes teaching you new features, program basics and gives step-by-step instructions on techniques and tools.
When we first started using Illustrator we made use of the Illustrator User Guide. It gave us in-depth instructions about the program all in one place.
In addition to that, Adobe Illustrator has 24/5 tech support via call or chat.
What Do the Customers Think?
During our research, we found Adobe Illustrator CC to be extremely popular in the graphic design industry. It also has a collective 4.5 out of 5-star rating on www.g2.com
Many graphic designers claimed it to be extremely helpful in their designing process. They were satisfied by its file integration, brushes, and flexible interface.
Adobe users loved the support Illustrator has from other Creative Cloud applications like Adobe Stock and Adobe Fonts. Using this package saved them both time and money.
They were also satisfied by the ability to customize the toolbar and themes to make the user environment more personal to the artist. The customized keyboard shortcuts were also a great addition.
Here are some of the reviews:
Best Vector Graphics Software
The best vector graphics software is Adobe Illustrator because of its wide range of features that allow you to create vector art, digital cartoons, and illustrations. It also has great collaborative features, customer support, and regular software fixes.
Other Adobe Softwares such as Adobe Spark, Adobe Stock, and Adobe Creative Cloud are worth trying out as well.
Coreldraw Review – Graphic Designer Approved
Coreldraw Graphic Suite is a professional graphic design software by Corel Corporation.
It includes incredible customization capabilities regardless of what you are trying to create. The full Suite includes a photo editor as well as other programs to draw vectors and page layout.
It’s an excellent choice if you are new to design since it offers easy-to-use tools that are up to par with any other vector graphics editor.
Features of Coreldraw Software
- Live Sketch tool
- Healing tool
- Vector previews and nodes
- Custom node shapes
- Corel font manager
- Multi-monitor
- Gaussian blur
- Flowchart tools
- +100 file-formats including Adobe Illustrator CC
- Corel photo paint
- Art style effect
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Ability to properly cut vector and raster content • Robust CAD • Multi-page implementation • Customizable workspace • Easy to learn • Smart drawing tools | • No free trial • PC only |
Benefits of Corel draw
When testing out Corel draw, we were pleased to find more than one way to create vector shapes and fast software performance.
It includes:
- Pen tool
- Brazier tool
- Freehand tool
- Mesh fill tool
Including typography in your online course is a great way to make your lectures more appealing to the students.
Coreldraw has great typography editing features including:
- Refine type
- Fill adjustment
- Kering
- Alignment
- Visual effects like drop shadow, etc.
It also boasts an incredible Font Manager to help you organize and manage the font library. This saves time in looking for exactly the type of font you need.
The Power Trace feature is one of our favorite tools in Coreldraw. We were able to create beautiful vector illustrations from photographs.
It also lets you adjust the final vector image in preview mode. This way you create stunning and precise vector images for your course without losing quality.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Coreldraw Graphics Suite
Price
Coreldraw offers both one-time purchase and monthly subscription options.
You can get Coreldraw for:
- $499.00 as a one-time purchase
- $34.95 as a monthly subscription
- $249.00 as a yearly subscription
We recommend you choose Coreldraw if you are interested in a subscription model. It will help you save money while giving you access to the same advanced features as Illustrator.
Collaborations
If you are working on your online course as a team, Coreldraw’s collaborative features are worth considering.
We were able to comment and edit the shared artwork when working with our team. What we love about this is that the comments could be replied to and resolved by everyone.
This way we were able to get feedback without exiting the platform, keeping all the revisions and discussions in one place through the Corel Cloud.
It also offers an online application called CorelDraw.app. It is great if you are on the go or want to make a quick edit on your colleague’s project.
However, this online application is only for desktop use.
Compatibility
Coreldraw is compatible with both Mac and Windows. There is also an iPad application, but we found the ratings on it to be relatively low.
One great thing about Coreldraw is that it exports and imports Illustrator files along with Coreldraw files.
Whereas, to open a Coreldraw file in illustrator we had to first convert it into an Illustrator file. This conversion is not seamless and time-consuming.
Support
Illustrator and Coreldraw tie in terms of compatibility.
Corel has so many features to help you get comfortable with the app in the Corel Discovery Center.
It offers:
- Step-by-step instructions
- Detailing tools
- Guidance on how to use the platform for the best results
- Video tutorials
- QuickStart guide to walk you through the basics
- Hint features with the tool you’re using
Coreldraw also has tech support through Zendesk. We were given detailed answers to all our queries by Coreldraw’s customer service representative via call and chat.
What Do the Customers Think?
There are many Coreldraw fans online. They claim it to be the easiest software to learn due to its help and resources.
You can use it for all your vector projects including two-dimensional artwork, logo, and brochure designing.
They were also satisfied by its tools and the fact that you can change any unedited PDF as per your requirement to work on it. You can use Coreldraw to create professional results even if you are a novice.
Here are some reviews we came across:
Graphic Designer Approved
Coreldraw Technical Suite is graphic designer approved due to its wide range of tools for photo editing and creating vector graphics.
Adobe Illustrator vs Coreldraw – Buyers’ Guide
Price
It’s important to figure out your budget before you purchase graphic design software.
If you are new to online course creation, we imagine you won’t have a lot of money coming in.
There is a lot of free graphic design software in the market that you can choose from.
Collaborations
If you are looking to work on your online course as a team, choose illustration software with good collaborative features.
This will allow you to enhance and improve your course before you upload it.
Compatibility
Go for vector graphic software that is compatible with all operating systems.
This will allow you to work on any system without any interruptions and have a seamless workflow.
Support
It’s always important to choose software with strong in-app support.
The software should offer tons of tutorials and other resources to help you learn the app more quickly.
Take a look at our website to learn all there is to start an online course business.
Final Verdict
With that, we’ve come to the end of our Illustrator vs Coreldraw comparison.
Illustrator is an industry standard when it comes to design, illustration, and vector editing. We suggest you choose Adobe Illustrator if you are already an Adobe user or if you want software that can tackle everything.
On the other hand, Coreldraw is a great pocket-friendly option. It will be more suitable for you if you mainly work with print media and two-dimensional images.
Which software will you go for? Let us know in the comments below.