2D Graphic Design Software

Adobe Illustrator can be a little difficult for beginners, and some advanced tools have a steep learning curve. It can also use a lot of system resources when working with large and complex files. Another limitation is that it is not ideal for creating realistic photo-based mockups, so I often need to use Adobe Photoshop for more advanced and realistic mockup designs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Adobe Illustrator helps me create professional logos, vector graphics, and brand identities with precision and flexibility. It allows me to create scalable designs that maintain high quality at any size, which is essential for branding, printing, packaging, and marketing materials. This saves me time and helps me deliver clean, professional, and high-quality designs to my clients. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As our architecture diagrams become larger, navigating different sections can take a little extra time. When several teammates review and update the same document, keeping every component organised sometimes requires manual adjustments. More intelligent auto-layout options and stronger filtering for large diagrams would make technical design reviews even smoother. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite helps us turn complex system designs into visual documentation that everyone can understand. We use it to map ride request processing, driver matching logic, and service interactions before development begins. Having a shared diagram reduces misunderstandings during design reviews, speeds up technical discussions, and makes it much easier to update architecture as requirements evolve. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Performance can drop significantly on complex boards with hundreds of objects, causing noticeable lag and slow rendering. Large boards can also become visually chaotic without strict organization, and export options sometimes mess up formatting. The pricing structure can quickly get expensive as you add more full-access team members. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Miro solves the challenge of distributed team alignment, context switching, and fragmented planning by consolidating disparate technical discussions into a single, real-time visual workspace. By replacing static text documents and isolated whiteboard photos with an infinite, interactive canvas, it bridges the gap between engineering, product, and design teams during complex system architecture reviews and sprint planning. For an engineering workflow, this benefits the team by turning abstract code concepts and system dependencies into clear, intuitive diagrams, significantly cutting down on meeting times, preventing misalignment before implementation begins, and accelerating overall feature delivery. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Something I find myself missing in Rebelle is the ability to turn on top and side rulers to help me easily add visual guides right where I want them. I prep print files that need bleed and margins, so I like to have a visual full-document ruler to quickly check those measurements. They have a ruler tool, which you can draw lines with and measure specific sections, but I'd love a static, full-document ruler I could toggle on and off, which I don't think is an option in my current version. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I paint traditionally (particularly with acrylics, watercolors, and inks), and the digital painting software options that I used before Rebelle never felt quite comparable to the real thing. When I first saw how Rebelle handled watercolor diffusion on the paper and the ability to control water amounts, it blew me away. It felt so much closer to real-life watercolors. For the oil and acrylic brushes, the ability to get visible, individual hair textures to show up in your digital brush strokes always feels like magic. Rebelle lets me capture real-life painting textures in the digital space like no other program I've used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The biggest drawback is output consistency. While Recraft produces high-quality graphics, I sometimes need multiple iterations to get the exact layout, colors, or visual style I'm aiming for. Generating the exact style or composition often requires several prompt refinements. Complex illustrations can occasionally contain inconsistent details or design elements that need manual adjustment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recraft solves the challenge of creating professional-quality graphics, illustrations, and vector assets without spending hours designing them manually. It enables users to generate editable visuals from text prompts, making the design process much faster and more accessible. Creates vector graphics, icons, illustrations, and marketing visuals in minutes. Eliminates the need to start designs from a blank canvas. Produces scalable, editable assets suitable for websites, presentations, and branding. Speeds up brainstorming by generating multiple design concepts quickly. Reduces dependency on manual design work for routine creative tasks. In my workflow, Recraft helps me create visuals for presentations, marketing materials, website graphics, and product concepts much more efficiently. Instead of spending time building every asset manually, I can generate a strong starting point and refine it as needed. The biggest benefit is faster design iteration and higher productivity. Recraft shortens the time from idea to finished visual, allowing me to experiment with different concepts and produce high-quality creative assets with much less effort. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only dislike I have about procreate is the fact that if i delete the app and reinstall it all my work will be gone forever Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Procreate has given me an elaborate, easy to use digital sketchbook. It feels like a trustworthy, highly functional app that I can rely on, and one I’ve stayed loyal to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nothing major. Early on, there were some limitations with schema filtering and support for larger tables, but the team has been super responsive and shipped fixes quickly. One thing still on our wishlist is better versioning support, though the current setup already works well for most of our needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It helps us quickly generate and share clear ER diagrams with the team, which is especially useful during onboarding and planning changes. Before ChartDB, we’d waste time explaining schemas manually or digging through SQL. Now we just share a link to the diagram, way faster and easier for everyone to understand what’s going on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

File compatibility can sometimes require a few extra adjustments when enhancing projects with clients or collaborators who use Adobe software. I would like clearer guidance on export settings and color management. Sometimes the exported file doesn't perfectly match what I see in the application in terms of colors and quality. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Affinity Designer lets me handle vector, raster, and layout design tasks efficiently in one app, maintaining smooth workflows without subscription fees. It offers professional tools and runs smoothly on average laptops, making it cost-effective and reliable for complex designs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Honestly, there’s very little I dislike. As with most creative software, there can be a bit of a learning curve when you’re first exploring all the features, but the newer updates and the improved interface have made everything feel much smoother and easier to navigate overall. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SketchWow solves the challenge of creating engaging, professional-looking visuals quickly, without requiring advanced graphic design skills or expensive software. It lets me produce presentations, diagrams, charts, and other visual content much faster, which saves me time and helps my work look more polished and professional overall. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Well, I think the fluency in some aspects of using the tools could be improved a little, but I understand, since it's a tool that they are iterating, it will improve over time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SVGator makes animation easy for me without having to rely on other professionals or tools, saving me time by not needing many tutorials. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have a good experience with Creately because it does what I need it to do: create diagrams quickly, collaborate visually, and make complex ideas easier to explain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Before development even starts, product is thinking about the user flow, backend is focused on events, frontend is considering screen states, and support wants to know what happens when something fails. We open Creately and map out the entire flow: what happens when the user starts the action, which service receives the request, what validations run, which errors can appear, and what message the user should see in each case. Halfway through the session, we often spot an intermediate state where the user could be left waiting without knowing whether the process failed or is still pending. Catching that early lets us adjust the design before writing any code, so we avoid building an incomplete experience. That’s where Creately becomes genuinely useful for me: it doesn’t just help us draw what we already know, it helps us uncover the parts of the workflow we haven’t fully thought through yet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The tool offers many options, so first time users may spend a few minutes finding the right settings. Though the tutorials and live chat make that ramp up quick. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Maptive addresses the problem of turning raw location data into actionable visual maps quickly.

It simplifies territory management, sales tracking, and service area visualization for my businesses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It works really well for small and medium-sized projects, but larger boards can become difficult to manage. I would also like to see more customization options for templates and design elements, especially when creating detailed workflows. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Whimsical to turn rough ideas into visual diagrams before moving to design or development. Instead of long explanations, I can map workflows, user journeys, or page structures that everyone understands quickly. It reduces confusion during discussions, speeds up planning, and makes it easier to collect feedback before the final work begins. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What could be improved is, like, the different brush sizes and, like, the usability, you know, because, like, I have to select from the brush sizes, and, like, that could have been more intuitive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Sketchbook because it integrates well with my tablet and mobile devices, allowing for more creativity compared to other software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

File Sharing Friction: While CorelDRAW can import and export .ai and .eps files, complex gradients, proprietary effects, and text formatting often break or shift during the conversion.

Collaborative Bottlenecks: If you are collaborating with agencies, external marketing teams, or clients who expect native Illustrator files, the back-and-forth conversion process can quickly become a headache. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Scale Problem: Eliminating Math and Resizing Headaches

The Problem: Many standard vector illustration tools have a hard limit on canvas size. If you need to design something massive—like a large billboard, storefront signage, or architectural-scale graphics—you are forced to work in a 1:10 scale or do complex math to ensure your ratios remain correct when sent to production. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a free user, you cannot really modify the templates. Without a pro account, you cannot really do anything. The price. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Snappa to easily create images and collages. It simplifies making posts and ads for companies with its existing templates. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The tool works well for simple graphics, but I noticed that more detailed images or photos often require extra cleanup after conversion. Fine details can create unnecessary paths, and sometimes the output isn't as smooth as expected. I also think a better preview and more advanced editing controls before exporting would make it easier to get the desired result without opening another vector editor afterward. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It saves me time when I need a quick SVG version of a logo, icon, or simple graphic without opening heavy design software. Instead of manually tracing basic images, I can create a usable vector file in a few minutes. It's especially useful for preparing graphics for websites, basic branding materials, or projects where scalable images are needed. While I still use a vector editor for final refinements, SVGConverter helps me complete the initial conversion much faster. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some parts can feel a little slow when the project becomes larger, and I would like more flexibility in customizing and exporting certain diagrams. A few small UI interactions also take some time to get used to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It helps me avoid starting website designs without a clear structure. I can map out the pages and user journey first, review the idea, and then move into the actual design. This reduces unnecessary changes later and makes client discussions much easier because they can see the website structure instead of just hearing about it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The biggest limitation for me is that it is tied to the Apple ecosystem. Collaboration can become inconvenient when someone on the project is using Windows. Some features also take a little time to learn when you first start using them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sketch helps me organize the design stage before development. I can create wireframes, refine the UI, reuse components, and prepare assets without constantly rebuilding the same elements. It makes revisions faster and keeps the design more consistent across different screens. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A few common gripes from reviews: some users report formatting issues with certain fonts and trouble printing oversized images on a single page. Others feel it could be more user-friendly and want additional features, plus more business-specific templates (e.g., for meetings). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It mainly solves the problem of turning complex ideas into clear visuals — graphically representing abstract concepts you have in your head that you'd otherwise need to hire a design expert to draw. Users commonly use it to draw clean, professional diagrams for presentations and meetings, and it's also handy for practical use cases like dimensioned equipment layouts and specifications for installations.

The typical benefits: faster, more polished visual communication without needing a design background, reduced reliance on outside design help, and easier collaboration since diagrams can be shared and understood at a glance across technical and non-technical audiences alike. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.