DadakiFree alternatives to the vector editors you are paying for
Every comparison here says where the other tool wins, because you will find that out in an afternoon anyway and it may as well be from us.
Open the editorNo sign-up, no download. It opens on a blank canvas.
The comparisons
vs Adobe Illustrator
The same pen, pathfinder and Live Paint operations under the same names, with no subscription — and no CMYK, .ai import or image trace. Read the comparison.
vs Figma
No account, no file cap, files that stay in your browser — and none of Figma's interface-design suite or multiplayer depth. Read the comparison.
vs Inkscape
The same free and open-source premise with nothing to install, against Inkscape's deeper SVG coverage and extension ecosystem. Read the comparison.
At a glance
| Dadaki | Illustrator | Figma | Inkscape | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Subscription | Free tier, capped | Free |
| Open source | Yes, MIT | No | No | Yes, GPL |
| Runs in a browser | Yes | Limited web version | Yes | No |
| Account required | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Install required | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| CMYK and print | No | Yes | No | Partial |
| Image trace | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Files stay on your machine | Yes, signed out | Yes | No | Yes |
None of these is a commitment. All four read and write SVG, so artwork moves between them and using whichever is closest to hand is a perfectly sensible way to work.
What Dadaki does not do
Worth reading before you switch anything: no CMYK or print colour management, no .ai, .eps or .pdf import, no image trace, no type on a path, no brushes or symbols, no multiple artboards per document, and no plugin API. The full feature list has the complete version, including what is there.
Dadaki is free and the editor is open source under the MIT licence — the whole thing is on GitHub. There is no watermark, no export limit and no paid tier gating the drawing tools. An optional account adds cloud sync and shared team files; everything else works signed out.
Open the editorNo sign-up, no download. It opens on a blank canvas.
Questions
What is the best free vector editor?
Inkscape if you want the deepest feature set and will install a desktop application. Dadaki if you want to open a browser tab and draw immediately, with no install and no account. Both are free and open source, and both use SVG as their native format.
Is there a free vector editor that works in the browser?
Yes. Dadaki runs entirely in the browser tab with a Rust/WASM core, needs no account, and stores your documents locally. Figma also runs in a browser but requires an account and caps its free tier.
Can I open Illustrator or Figma files in a free editor?
Not their native .ai and .fig formats, which are proprietary. Export what you need as SVG from either one, and any SVG-capable editor will open it as editable geometry.