Adobe Express vs. Adobe Illustrator CC

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark) is a task-based, web and mobile product used to create and share rich multimedia content – from social media posts and stories to invitations to marketing materials like logos, flyers and banners.
$0
Adobe Illustrator
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.
$20.99
per month
Pricing
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator CC
Editions & Modules
Free
$0.00
Premium
$9.99 / $99.99
per month
Teams
$9.99
per month per user
Yearly - Billed Monthly
$20.99
per month
Monthly
$31.49
per month
Yearly - Billed Upfront
$239.88
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsContact Adobe directly for Enterprise pricing plan details.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator CC
Considered Both Products
Adobe Express
Chose Adobe Express
It's very easy to generate images or graphics and find them on Adobe Express.In the application, in "Your stuff" > Files section, you'll find all the creations you've made with Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator, and you can use them directly in Adobe Express. No need to …
Chose Adobe Express
In addition to Adobe Express, I have also used Canva because both platforms are quite similar. Basically, the application that I use is typically based on the clients needs, however my personal preference is Adobe Express because I find it too intuitive to my creative persona.
Chose Adobe Express
I think they all have a different target audience and a different use for them. I love crafting posts with Figma but i think the "Figma look" is a bit cold and super recognizable for my taste. I think creating something with Illustrator still gives me the most options in terms …
Chose Adobe Express
I think Adobe Express is a bit behind Canva, but as an Adobe Community Expert, I try to provide as much feedback as I can to help improve Adobe Express. ADobe Express does a better job than InShot and a few other apps, but isn't quite there against Canva, I'm sorry to say!
Chose Adobe Express
In my opinion, Adobe Express blows it away. Canva is great and all and gets the job done. But it lacks the additional value offered by Adobe Express and Adobe. Canva's stock asset library doesn't come close to Adobe's stock asset library, and the Creative Cloud makes using …
Chose Adobe Express
Maybe because I use other Adobe products, but I find that Adobe Express is more intuitive than Canva, especially when trying to format text. As for Adobe Express versus other Adobe products, well I think there is a place for them all. There are just certain things that you …
Chose Adobe Express
I like them both equally, but Adobe Express is free because I have Creative Cloud, so I prefer it.
Chose Adobe Express
Software like Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects are indispensable for my needs. I used Canva to streamline the process of creating carousels, mainly, and Express effectively replaces Canva. The advantage of having everything under a single subscription was crucial for …
Chose Adobe Express
I hate Canva personally. The files I receive from people annoy me to death. At least if they were in an adobe product I could do more with them.
Chose Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a mighty little program. To be clear, it won't do everything you can do in Illustrator or Premiere, but it will do about 75% of it, which is plenty about 75% of the time. It's not going to replace the Creative Cloud programs for pro users, but it will allow pro …
Chose Adobe Express
Our organization chose to purchase Adobe Express because, in our opinion, Adobe Express is way easier and quicker
Chose Adobe Express
Pretty comparable, better in some areas. Canva has added some features that are better in certain spots.
Chose Adobe Express
Overall Adobe Express offers a more polished finished product but does take a little time to learn. But worth the time spent to have more unique content
Chose Adobe Express
I choose to use Adobe Express because to me it is stress free product I don't have to "invent the wheel" with what I am creating, with the features it has, it helps with the creative process. I also selected because you can add video to it and edit it out in a simple and easy …
Chose Adobe Express
I like to use express since it us easier with the adobe echo system which is my wirkflow
Chose Adobe Express
Adobe Express is incredibly similar to Canva. Both tools are something that makes design easy for anyone to do as well as provide templates and pre-made graphics to assist in the design process. However, Express still feels limited compared to Canva and Illustrator. Illustrator …
Chose Adobe Express
Adobe Express has better integration with other Adobe product I use, however it is lacking in the templates area.
Chose Adobe Express
I prefer adobe products but Canva for quick purposes seems to be a better UI and UX
Adobe Illustrator
Chose Adobe Illustrator CC
I have been using all of these tools for years. Illustrator is usually my go to tool. Once you learn Illustrator, it makes using all of the other programs easier to learn and it integrates with them beautifully. For the most part, each tool has it's own strengths - InDesign …
Best Alternatives
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator CC
Small Businesses
Pexels
Pexels
Score 8.2 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Pexels
Pexels
Score 8.2 out of 10
GIMP
GIMP
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Pexels
Pexels
Score 8.2 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator CC
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(233 ratings)
9.4
(109 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(15 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(27 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
4.6
(12 ratings)
5.0
(25 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.1
(2 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
9.5
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe ExpressAdobe Illustrator CC
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
Basically, I truly find that Adobe Express is pretty much great for all professional scenarios because it offers many creative options and comes with an extremely robust collection of assets (stock photos, videos, music, and graphics) all of which can be edited and enhanced within Adobe Express if needed. One project that it was quite helpful with utilizing was creating a logo for one of our clients. I was able to create the prototype and then offer several iterations of said logo to help the client quickly decide on its official branding. By having all of my assets neatly stored right on my Adobe Express project folder it was very easy for me to remain organized when creating various outputs.
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Adobe
It is the only tool that I use to create logos. It gives me the flexibility to create sharp text and marks and they can then be resized at will, color changes in a second and perfect way to export. I know that some people use Illustrator for document layout, it is not ideal. While I can easily create documents here, it really is InDesign that is the perfect tool.
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Pros
Adobe
  • Brand Kit: provides quick access to approved fonts, logos, colors, and other assets
  • Libraries: syncs will with other Adobe Tools
  • Animation: provides a decent collection of modifiable motions for objects in the design
  • Social Media-ready Layouts: being able to design graphics of multiple sizes/Layouts within the same document is a GOD-SEND
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Adobe
  • Vector graphics for scaling to large sizes
  • Filling an object with a texture
  • Easily adjusting and expanding an artboard to fit the size of the content (especially for infographics)
  • Compatibility with other Adobe CC programs, but also exporting for PPT graphics
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Cons
Adobe
  • It could have a search bar which searches through other Adobe products (esp for Stock images, videos, audio) from within Adobe Express.
  • It could make it so switching between Adobe products from within Adobe Express almost like a tab function is smooth.
  • It could partner with other companies to allow for company specific events in exchange for valuable products or programs.
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Adobe
  • It's tough to master. If you haven't used Adobe products like Photoshop or Illustrator before, there is a lot to take in.
  • It would be great to have some better options to preview the final product if you're creating a multiple page document.
  • Better integration and pricing points with Adobe Stock for the useful stock images to complete your projects.
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
I foresee Adobe Express becoming the "go-to" platform for everyone except professional, high-level designers. It is a relatively easy-to-use tool that allows users to create a wide variety of visuals quickly. Because it is a template-driven tool, the in-house design team has the ability to make brand kit available to keep visuals on point
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Adobe
While Adobe Illustrator CC is one of the only true design software out there, it really stands heads above the other products. It's clean UI and menu structure is easy to navigate.
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Usability
Adobe
The user interface is pretty straightforward to use. It has easy to navigate navigations, and the canvas UX is also pretty good. One thing i would like to add it to use shortcuts to add elements on canvas. Like if I am on canvas and I press 'T' on my keyboard the text box should be added automatically
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Adobe
There's a bit of a learning curve to this software vs other similar tools that can take some time to learn and get familiar with but the amount of functionality that Adobe Illustrator CC offers is quite large compared to simpler tools.
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Support Rating
Adobe
Overall, the Adobe Creative Cloud Express is worth a try and may be a good fit for many organizations and businesses. At a monthly rate, the cost is not prohibitive, but the tools are somewhat limited and not necessarily worthwhile when compared to standard applications and software that are often available free or through a package of services commonly found on workplace computers.
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Adobe
I normally already know how to do whatever I'm trying out, but the documentation (as well as a simple Google search) makes any question quick to resolve. The Adobe boards themselves are a fantastic resource, especially for resolving questions between new programs and iterative releases.
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Implementation Rating
Adobe
No answers on this topic
Adobe
It was very easy to purchase and download.
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Alternatives Considered
Adobe
I think Adobe Express is a bit behind Canva, but as an Adobe Community Expert, I try to provide as much feedback as I can to help improve Adobe Express. ADobe Express does a better job than InShot and a few other apps, but isn't quite there against Canva, I'm sorry to say!
Read full review
Adobe
I chose Rhinoceros 3D because it is accurate to make drawings in it and it is better to make drawings in Rhinoceros 3D and then put them in Adobe Illustrator. But while printing or scaling it is much easier to put it in Adobe Illustrator. This makes the whole printing aspect of it much easier.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
Adobe Creative Cloud Express is included with an Adobe Creative Cloud account. Our company has a corporate team membership so it is nice to have a professional and powerful tool that anyone on our team can use for free. The pricing structure of giving the tool away for free will be fundamental to users utilizing the tool. Similar tools, such as Canva, cost significantly more but do not offer the same features
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Adobe
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Adobe
The professional services for Adobe Creative Cloud Express is top notch and should be highly commended. I am thoroughly impressed with how far Adobe has come. In the past, I had several issues with how something were handled, but in the past few years things have been better than ever and they get no complaints from me
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Adobe
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Positive: Time and working for a nonprofit with minimal staff this is essential.
  • Negative: There are certain features that I need to find in other Adobe products like layer masking.
  • Positive: It makes content creation less intimidating for our newer staff.
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Adobe
  • Helps us quickly and easily create and manage numerous logos
  • Cloud libraries allow us to access commonly used colors, fonts, logos and other design elements quickly
  • We are able to provide high-quality, scalable college logos for print and digital which give us a more professional, credible look.
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ScreenShots

Adobe Express Screenshots

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