Inkscape

Inkscape allows complete productivity without paying. The software is easy to use if someone has experience with Illustrator.

I haven't found any features about Inkscape that I do not like at this point!

Cross-platform and open source. This has several big advantages:

a) No need to worry about proprietary file formats and vendor-lock because it saves files in the open SVG format. Drawings that you create today will still be easily opened and used 10 years from now in either new versions of Inkscape, or in one of many other applications that can also open SVG files.

b) No economic barriers to use- our members can easily download and use Inkscape without worrying about license costs. This helps encourage teamwork and sharing responsibility of creating drawings.

c) No barriers caused by using different operating systems: Our organization members can use Inkscape on our computers regardless of which operating system. Some members Linux, others use Mac or Windows 10). Inkscape performs flawlessly on all installations.

Can import Adobe Illustrator (AI), CorelDraw (CDR), EPS, PDF, VSD files and allow modification and edits.

The way Inkscape handles docker panels is somewhat confusing. Dockers are sidebar panels that display information about layers and objects in the drawing. Currently, the user must navigate to the software menu, click on OBJECT and then click on "Object" to turn on the Object docker panel. The same slow procedure must be repeated for Layers: navigate to the software menu, click on LAYER, and then click on "Layer" to turn on the Layer docker panel. A more convenient option would be to list all docker panels in the software menu VIEW drop-down list or perhaps somewhere else.

In CorelDraw, I used to organize objects in my drawings by placing them in different layers. Inkscape does not seem to be able to do this. This is immensely useful for creating maps as each layer can be turned on or off depending on the type of map you want to create. ie) having a Road Layer, Water Layer, Houses Layer, Vegetation Layer, etc allow me to turn on only the layer I want to display. I can then create separate image files /diagrams for roads, river systems, housing, and vegetation for use in documents or academic articles.
Inkscape developers stated several years ago that this feature would be implemented. Perhaps it was implemented, but I have not been able to get Inkscape to work this way

When working on very large and complex diagrams with many layers, Inkscape can become quite slow to respond. For this reason, I tend to use CorelDraw for complex large diagrams

Its free! That means I don't need approval from the man with the card to use it!

It also has almost all the functionality of Illustrator and exports all the standard vector file types. If you're in a pinch and need to edit vector art without shelling out BIG BUCKS to Adobe, this is the standard solution.

If you're used to Illustrator GOOD LUCK. Nothing works the way you think it should. Getting anything done gives me empathy for my Roomba. Sure it gets my floor vacuumed eventually, but its does it by banging into every obstacle.

As a free software, this program is great for anyone looking to do graphic design work but especially for beginners. I started using Inkscape as a way to design vector files for use with my Cricut machine. The Cricut Design Space software had a lot of limitations and was very slow for working with text, so I turned to Inkscape for almost all of my project designs. I can then easily save my vector files in .svg format to upload into Cricut Design Space for making my projects.

Inkscape will occasionally crash and close while I'm using it, so be sure to save often. As a free software, this is a mild annoyance but not a deal breaker.