The Best Free Online Graphic Design Software

Whether you are a professional designer or just looking for options for your business needs, finding the best free online graphic design software helps you save money and time. A single program may not meet all your needs, so don’t be afraid to combine different options to get just the look you desire. 

The average graphic designer rate is around $45 per hour, but you must consider overhead costs. If you’re a newbie, you may make even less. One way to save big bucks is by starting with free online graphic design software and only adding paid options as your revenue warrants. 

Small business owners sometimes have to do graphic design work out of necessity. Knowing what complementary options are out there leaves more room in the budget to take out ads and reach new clients. 

We’ve taken the time to sort through the best free online graphic design software available and narrowed the choices down to six we think will suit almost any purpose. 

1. Canva

Canva is a well-known free online graphic design software with time-saving templates and the ability to use their stock images or upload your own. While the software does feature some free photos and illustrations, others cost $1 each. While it’s free to sign up and use the platform, some of the advanced features cost a monthly fee. 

Some of the templates you can pull up include logos, social media posts, video, print products and posters. If you have an idea for some type of promotional design, you’ll likely find a few options available. Start with the template and change colors, images and fonts until it matches the tone of your business. 

If you wish to upgrade beyond the free options, Canva Pro runs $12.95 per month and gives you access to features such as resizing a design within the platform and transparent backgrounds. They also have an enterprise option for teams. However, you can work around most limitations by utilizing other free online graphic design software options. 

2. LunaPic

Do you need to make some basic adjustments to your images but don’t want to invest in Adobe Creative Content Suite? LunaPic is an excellent free option offering a lot of flexibility for beginners and pros.

Upload any image to the website, and you can fix things such as turning a solid background transparent. Think of LunaPic as a free extension for sites such as Canva. For example, you can easily create a logo and then upload the image and set the background to transparent. 

Although you’ll spend a bit more time going to a different site and uploading your file, you’ll also save money on monthly membership fees by utilizing multiple free online graphic design software sites. 

3. Design Wizard

Are you looking for free online graphic design software for beginners? Design Wizard is easy to learn and use and comes with a free package well-suited for small businesses and beginning freelance designers. 

The site offers a visual library and updates daily with graphics, illustrations, photos and videos. All the images are okay for commercial use. Similar to Canva, you may have to pay for some pictures, but some are free. 

They offer three levels, with the Basic being the free option. They also offer a Pro plan for $9.99 per month with 60 image downloads and a Business option for $49.99 per month with unlimited downloads. The free version is more of a pay-as-you-go model based only on what you use and is a great way to break into online design. 

4. BeFunky

BeFunky is more of a photo editing free online graphic design software. Some of the things you can do include fixing distortions, adding text and utilizing beautiful templates. 

They have a partnership with Pixabay and access to over a million free stock images. In addition, you can create banners, flyers, infographics and more. Another bonus of this particular free online graphic design software is their mobile app. The portability allows you to create promotions on the go and upload them to social media for instant attention boosters. 

Some of the free features include cropping, resizing, background remover, touch-ups, transition photo to cartoon and adding or editing text. 

You can upgrade to Plus to remove objects from photos, create collages, and edit multiple pictures simultaneously. The basic account is free, and the Plus accounts run $8.99 per month when billed every 30 days, or $4.99 per month if you pay for the year in advance. 

5. Piktochart

Do you need to create some infographics to add captivating content to your site and social media pages? Piktochart offers a free package, including templates to get you started. 

Some of the formats you can work on in this free online graphic design software site include infographics, posters, presentations, flyers and reports. They even have templates explicitly made for social media graphics. There is a watermark with the free plan, but it simply credits their site. 

With their free plan, you can access all their templates and use up to five active visuals and 40MB of storage. If you find you’re creating multiple infographics, their Pro plan runs $29 per month and lets you add unlimited visuals, 1 GB of storage in image uploads and the ability to export your images in high definition. 

6. Pixlr

Many people who use Adobe Photoshop find they stick with some basic features. Pixlr takes the most common uses and offers them in an online environment perfect for those on a budget. 

The site has more than 500 million users, showing how useful the tool is. You can use your internet browser or download the iPhone or Android app. In addition to uploading and editing your photos, you’ll gain access to free fonts, stock images, graphics and fonts. 

If you want to save even more time, you can upgrade to their premium features for $7.99 per month. You’ll gain access to some artificial intelligence tools to do the heavy lifting for you, additional overlays, icons and texts. They also regularly add new templates to their premium package. 

More Best Free Online Graphic Design Software

The six options listed above meet the needs of most small business owners and beginner graphic designers. If you find you need additional tools outside the scope of what these offer, there are many other free online tools out there. Try different ones and stick with the selections working best for you and your needs.