Need to complete a graphics-heavy project but unsure where to start? An online graphic tool can make it simple to create stunning visuals. Many of these online tools come with templates for standard uses like social media graphics to help you get started quickly.
Both amateurs and pros alike can find benefit in using online graphic tools. And you don’t have to break the bank, either. Pick a tool that fits both your needs and your budget using our guide to the best online graphic tools.
We’ll review the benefits of these tools, what to look for in an online graphic tool and provide a list of the best options on the market.
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What are the Benefits of an Online Graphics Tool?
Graphic design is a fast-paced industry where small details matter. Online tools can help speed up the design process.
Use online tools, like those provided by MyCreativeShop, to design anything from a flier for your child’s school play to product packaging for your new product launch. These tools help both professional designers and amateurs create great-looking visuals with ease. Here’s a look at the top benefits online graphics tools provide.
Easy Access from Anywhere
Online tools allow you to make minor edits from any device at any time. You could be in line at the grocery store and access your account to make small tweaks and send a graphic off to a client.
If you don’t have your laptop with you on a trip, just find a computer anywhere to make changes to that design you’ve been working on.
Collaborating on Projects is Simple
Design beautiful social media graphics and then share them with the copywriter to proofread and add the text. Collaborating on design projects is incredibly simple through an online platform.
And you don’t need a separate cloud drive subscription to house all those large files. You can just share the files directly from the online service.
Affordable Way to Get Started in Graphic Design
Many plans are free, but you can also get paid subscriptions for just a few dollars a month with most online tools. If you’ve always wanted to become a graphic designer, this is an easy way to do so.
You can learn a great deal from using the tools and get started in the industry without breaking the bank.
What Factors Make a Good Online Graphic Tool?
There are so many online graphic tools on the market today. It can feel overwhelming to compare them and find what’s best for you. Here are some important factors to consider as you review your options.
Team Collaboration
Whether you’re collaborating with your entire marketing team or just with a few clients you provide work for, easy collaboration is a great feature for online graphic tools. Look for an online tool that allows you to share designs by adding an email address for a collaborator.
Templates
Custom designs are great, but the availability of templates can help speed up your design process. Additionally, the option to add custom templates can provide a new service offering for graphic designs. Create custom templates for your clients to use for standard designs, such as social media graphics.
Security
You need peace of mind that your designs are secure. Anytime you log into online software, you could be putting your computer and all its data at risk. Make sure that the tools you use have effective security to avoid becoming the victim of phishing, hacking or malware.
Price
Look for tools with the greatest value. Many offer free programs to allow you to experience the service and see if it’s right for you. But before you get too ingrained in these services, make sure the premium plan prices are affordable if you find the tool to be really useful.
Ease-of-Use
Some online graphic tools try to get too fancy in their icons or descriptions of tools. A gradient tool should be labeled as such because people recognize that terminology. Look for a tool that makes it simple to adjust templates or create custom designs with great ease.
The Best Online Graphic Tools
Ready to start exploring some of the best online graphic design tools? This list will help you get started in shopping for the best tool for you.
1. Best for Beginners: Canva
Canva has made graphic design as simple as dragging and dropping elements into place. Customize verbiage, colors and images to get the look and feel that matches your vision or company branding.
You can create everything from infographics to color palettes using the online tool. You’ll find tons of free templates, fonts and design elements as part of the free version. And you can download the mobile apps to use the tools on-the-go.
Pricing: Canva offers a free version for anyone. The Pro version costs $119 per year but is free for nonprofits and educators. You can add additional users to your plan for an additional $4.99 per month. Enterprises can get access to Canva for $30 a month per person on your team.
2. Best Library of Inculded Photos, Videos and Illustrations: Design Wizard
Design Wizard is a robust graphic design tool with a free option to help you get started. But upgrading from the free account will give you access to more than one million premium images, videos and illustrations to speed up the design process.
Pricing: Get started with a free plan, which offers standard design features and templates. You’ll be paying for images and videos you need to complete your designs, but if you only need some graphics here and there, the free plan might be great for you.
Upgrade to Pro to get 60 image design downloads per month and the ability to upload images and fonts. There’s also a Business tier for $49.99 per month, which gives you unlimited video downloads and access to 1 premium video per month.
3. Best for Quick and Simple Designs: BeFunky
BeFunky offers 3 tools: photo editor, collage maker and graphic designer. You’ll have access to tons of free images through a connection to Pixabay. But you won’t find as many design templates as some other tools offer.
Pricing: You get access to the templates and standard image editing tools for free. But to add more in-depth effects like a transparent background or to reshape objects from your photos, you’ll need to upgrade to Plus.
Billed annually, it’s $59.88. Or you can subscribe monthly for $8.99 to have the option to cancel at any time.
4. Best Free Alternative to Adobe Photoshop: Pixlr
Pixlr’s menu bar of image editing tools looks much like those you’ll find within Adobe Photoshop, but for free. You can edit photos like a professional without the large price tag. Edit from any web browser or download the mobile application to edit photos directly from your camera roll.
Pricing: The basic editing tools within Pixlr are free. Upgrade to a paid account to get access to extensive editing tools, including 3,000 overlays, 7,000 icons and stickers and 5,000 decorative texts, templates and other assets.
If you buy an annual plan, it’s only $4.90 a month. Or monthly plans start at $7.99.
5. Best for Free Graphic Design Collaboration Tools: Vectr
Vectr is a completely free graphic design tool. There are no paid options for this software. But one of the best features it boasts is the ability to collaborate in real-time on graphic design projects.
Other users can watch live as you edit and change a design to offer their thoughts and feelings on that design. You can edit from your web browser or using the desktop app and the designs will sync across the platforms.
Pricing: Vectr is completely free and does not have any paid options at this moment. The website does state that it plans to create a Pro option later and offer a marketplace for users to purchase images, fonts, illustrations and more.
6. Best for Social Media Managers: Stencil
You’ll find an incredible library of templates within Stencil, which makes it ideal for social media managers, small business owners and bloggers looking to create simple visuals quickly.
There are more than 1,125 templates available on Stencil. Plus, for social media managers that use Buffer, Stencil integrates seamlessly to allow you to schedule content with ease.
Pricing: The free plan allows you to save up to 10 images a month. To upgrade to 50 images a month, you’ll need to subscribe to a Pro plan for $9 a month.
Find an Online Graphic Tool Now
There are many online graphic design tools on the market today that make it affordable and simple for anyone to create great-looking visuals. With so many outstanding options, the first step is creating a list of criteria for what you want in graphic design software.
With the right tool, you can collaborate with others and send designs directly to customers for review with incredible ease.
See More:
- BEST SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT TOOLS
- CANVA REVIEW – Canva is an online platform that puts the tools of graphic design in your hands
