Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator CC is the most well-known vector program on the market. For that reason, I've never used any other programs that might be considered similar to Adobe Illustrator CC. The other factor is that once you purchase one piece of Adobe software within a business, it makes sense to get Creative Cloud because of all of the other app options available. Having apps that all tie together so completely really makes the decision easy.

Adobe Illustrator is generally preferred to use over the use of InDesign and Photoshop mostly due to the nature of our work. It's usually the most efficient in getting what needs to be done, done. It's easier to use than Photoshop for a lot of things. InDesign also has a pen tool option but it doesn't work that great in comparison to Adobe Illustrator - which I find to be strange...why have it in the program if it barely matches up to Adobe Illustrator's pen tool?

I like to use Illustrator concurrently with PhotoShop and InDesign. Illustrator is better for working with vectors, whereas PhotoShop is better for using pixels, editing and creating raster-based art. When it comes to Illustrator in comparison to InDesign, the latter is better for multi-page printed documents. With InDesign, you can set up master pages for your documents, but you cannot do that in Illustrator. This is why I prefer to create any necessary scalable graphics in Illustrator and then import them into InDesign.

Macromedia Fireworks
Fireworks probably isn't available anymore as the parent company was bought out by Adobe, it's main selling point was it's seamless integration into FLASH animations which browsers no longer support. It wasn't a bad program but it's extremely dated at this point. Be wary of anyone still using it. There are other 'freeware' alternatives out there that you can easily find of Google but none of them have a fraction of the tools and features

I have only used Illustrator and to a lesser extent the basics of CAD. Illustrator is more efficient for the artistic end of my use, but CAD is more precise and expansive in scale.

When compared to other vector-based artwork programs, Adobe Illustrator CC is far more robust, feature-rich, and user-friendly. Other programs fail to deliver adequate exports of varied file types. With Adobe Illustrator CC, there are many workflow options, user tools, and file-type export options. These simple things combine to the most comprehensive vector-based design program available.

I have used Microsoft Paint, CorelDRAW. Neither compare to Adobe Illustrator at all. Not even a close comparison. Adobe has the accompanying Creative Cloud apps so it's a no brainer.

Adobe Illustrator always comes out on top compared to its competitors in many factors such as; recognition, efficiency, features, tools and more.
Affinity designer is a good competitor of Adobe Illustrator but lacks a few tools and features that Adobe Illustrator has. Both software require licensing even though Adobe Illustrator is slightly expensive, its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, thus making it the best product for Graphic Designing.

Affinity Designer is a very reasonably priced "dupe" (substitute) for [Adobe Illustrator CC], as it is a one-time price of $99 rather than a repeated cost. Affinity offers photo editing and publishing software that compete with other Adobe products as well, so it is something I value for personal use. However, my company relies on Adobe Illustrator [CC] because we are already invested in the Creative Cloud: the font library of TypeKit alone is vital to the organization to ensure all of publishing has the access to the same font rather than a slightly different version of the font from a different source. [Adobe Illustrator CC] also gives employees solid resources to grow their abilities with the software, thanks to Adobe-sponsored and non-sponsored video and web tutorials.

I own several versions of the CorelDraw Suite, which is decent, but not the industry standard. Adobe Illustrator CC just feels like a quality, top-shelf application. Though expensive, it works well and has the features that we use to get things done. If you are weighing vector design products, you would be advised to choose Illustrator in combination with InDesign and Photoshop for the best, most trouble-free experience. Additionally, most commercial printers won't be able to open CDR (CorelDraw) files.

Corel Draw is a vector creation program that I've used in the past and I can say definitively that Adobe Illustrator is incredibly more advanced. In addition, it works seamlessly with other Adobe programs. I don't know how many times Photoshop would have an issue opening a Corel file but it definitely slowed things down. Illustrator is just an industry standard tool so it's easy to pass files from one person to another without confusion or having to save as a different file type to open in a different program.

I used a previous version of Xara, but it just wasn't as intuitive, so I relied on my previous program bias and stuck with Illustrator.

You can make simple graphics in PowerPoint if needed, but it lacks the MANY capabilities of [Adobe Illustrator CC].

Adobe Illustrator is way more stable than CorelDraw and it can handle large files without issues. I was always scared of crashing the program whenever I was working with a large file on CorelDRAW.
It also manages multiple pages in a better way, having them all in a single space, where you can have an overall view of the project and design multiple-pages spreads easier.
Illustrator vector handles are way easier to work with and that makes a HUGE difference in workflow and productivity.
Illustrator integrates way better with other tools that I use, specially within the Adobe platform.

Like most people, I came from using Adobe PhotoShop and learned Adobe Illustrator CC later (in my case, in college as a required class for my digital media degree). I didn't realize the power of vector illustration until I took that class, and ever since I've been using Adobe Illustrator CC for anything beyond basic shapes (which Photoshop does just fine). I know there are Adobe Illustrator CC alternatives, but due to its tight integration with After Effects, its low subscription cost, and my long history using it--there is not a real alternative for me.

Adobe Illustrator CC stays ahead of the competition with their constant tweaks and updates. This is made possible by their subscription option, which allow users instant updates once they are available. Affinity Designer is a one-time purchase so users would have to wait until the next version of the software for updates.

I use the Adobe Suite in tandem with one another. They are all useful in their own ways.

There are not a lot of competitors that range an evaluation, likely because of the product's age and maturity. I’ve used only other Adobe products to do a few of the same things illustrator does, but really nothing really compares to it.

Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are very similar and have a lot of the same uses and features. The reason that we use Adobe Illustrator a little bit more is because we have some things that require really sharp edges and that is best accomplished when using Adobe Illustrator. This allows us to get a sharper image when printing materials.

In the mobile space, tablet applications like Procreate or Affinity Designer can compete with many of Illustrator's tools, and in some cases are more preferable.

I have not in recent years used another product like Adobe Illustrator to create vector artwork.

CorelDraw is a simpler tool and you'll find it used prevalently in the apparel business. It's buy once and also much easier to pick up, but Illustrator seems to have a more artistic slant to it. I spent 30 years working with Corel and have only started pushing myself to use Illustrator in the last 3, but I can already see areas where Illustrator just simply does things that Corel can't.

I have tried CorelDRAW in the past and it was great but can’t give a fair comparison of the 2 because I have used Adobe Illustrator the majority of the time and have more experience with it.

Adobe Illustrator is better for logo designs and high-quality graphics compared to anything else.

There are limited vector capabilities in InDesign.