Is Adobe Still the King of Design Software in 2025?

After more than 15 years as a graphic designer and with significant time as an Adobe instructor under my belt (at one point, I believe I was the most certified Adobe instructor in the world), I've been watching the design software landscape evolve dramatically.

People constantly ask me, "Dan, what about this other software? Is it better? Is it worse? Should I switch?" Over the years, I've made it my mission to roll up my sleeves and explore these alternative products to see if they're worth switching to and if the industry is heading in that direction.

In this post, I'll compare Adobe's heavy hitters against their challengers to help you decide if Adobe still wears the design software crown in 2025. 

Photoshop vs. The Challengers

Adobe Photoshop

Strengths:

• Amazing at the hard stuff - photo compositing and retouching

• Great interoperability across all Adobe apps

• AI that's commercially safe (a big perk for client work)

• Still the industry standard when looking for work

Canva

Canva isn't a complete direct replacement for Photoshop, but people are using it for Photoshop-style tasks.

Strengths:

• Really easy to learn and use

• Free or cheap to use

• Comes preloaded with good-looking templates

• Strong brand kit functionality

• Versatility - does some Photoshop stuff, but also some video editing, print work, and web stuff

Weaknesses:

• Only does simple photo editing

• Limited to one-click selection (no refining options)

• Simplified layer system - more like "boxes of content" than Photoshop's complex layering

Would I switch to Canva? If you're primarily focused on social media and working with stock images and text, 100% yes! As a freelancer or business owner primarily doing digital and online work, I'd also be happy to switch. But as a professional designer working on complex compositing projects, no - Photoshop has the depth and breadth needed for serious work, especially when clients need commercially safe AI tools.

Affinity Photo (now owned by Canva)

Unlike Canva, Affinity Photo is a direct Photoshop competitor trying to do the same job.

Strengths:

• One-off cost of $70 - buy it and own it forever

• Easier to learn than Photoshop (they've kept only the most-used features)

• Very similar to Photoshop in UI and architecture, making it easy to switch

Weaknesses:

• AI selection tools aren't as advanced as Photoshop's

• Missing that crucial 20% of specialized features professionals often need

Would I switch to Affinity Photo? As a professional designer, I can't - I need all the bells and whistles. But if you're using Photoshop alongside other tools in your workflow, you could totally switch, as Affinity Photo covers about 80% of what most people do.

Illustrator and Its Alternatives

Adobe Illustrator

Strengths:

• Amazing typography controls

• Killer at prepress work (fold marks, crop marks, CMYK color separation)

• The Shape Builder tool is a game-changer for combining shapes

• Industry standard for professional vector work

Weaknesses:

• Intimidating interface for beginners

Affinity Designer

Strengths:

• Looks and feels like Illustrator but focuses on the 80% most people use

• Excellent vector and pixel workflow integration

• One-time $70 purchase (or bundle with Affinity Photo and Publisher for $180)

Would I switch to Affinity Designer? If you're a casual user or just getting started, either option would work well. As a professional doing general vector drawing, I could switch too. But for complex pre-press work or freelancers seeking agency jobs, you'll still need Illustrator.

CorelDRAW

Strengths:

• Slightly simpler interface than Illustrator

• Superior pre-press capabilities (even better than Illustrator for commercial print work)

Weaknesses:

• Expensive at $270/year or $550 one-time purchase

• Less automated features than Illustrator

Would I switch to CorelDRAW? If you're a logo designer or freelance illustrator, you could be happy with CorelDRAW, but there are probably features that would keep you in Illustrator. Small business owners should look at Canva or Adobe Express instead. The one area I'd definitely switch is for pre-press work in industrial printing settings.

Figma

Figma is primarily a UX design tool, but people are increasingly using it like Illustrator, making it impossible to ignore as a competitor.

Strengths:

• Super easy pen tool (much easier than other vector programs)

• Great for digital ads, YouTube thumbnails, website graphics, hero graphics

• Streamlines workflow by eliminating the Illustrator-to-Figma step

Weaknesses:

• Completely lacks pre-press capabilities

Would I switch to Figma? For logo design, freelance graphic design, or small business ownership - 100% no. But if you do any UX design work, absolutely yes! Figma is far better than Illustrator for UI/UX design now. Personally, I need both - Illustrator for complex logos and icons, Figma for simpler stuff and UI work.

InDesign and Its Contenders

Adobe InDesign

Strengths:

• Very complex typography controls

• Excellent digital publishing formats

• Strong automation and database connectivity

• Perfect for large, complex documents (catalogs, manuals, books)

Weaknesses:

• Like other Adobe products, the accumulation of features makes it intimidating for beginners

Affinity Publisher

Strengths:

• More approachable interface (without decades of feature accumulation)

• One-time purchase

Weaknesses:

• Limited digital publishing and interactive PDF capabilities

• No grid styles or data merge functionality

Would I switch to Affinity Publisher? For casual users or designers making newsletters, annual reports, or similar documents, Affinity Publisher works great. But for larger documents with complex database connections, InDesign still wins.

QuarkXPress

The original desktop publishing software that InDesign eventually displaced.

Strengths:

• Excellent with complex documents

• Strong dynamic content features (databases, libraries, real-time updates)

Weaknesses:

• Expensive at $220/year

• Tricky user interface

• Being left behind in the industry

Would I switch to QuarkXPress? As a freelancer or casual user, definitely not - it's too complex and expensive for occasional use. As a professional designer, it's still a no - InDesign has comparable or better features and much wider industry adoption. But if you end up at a job that uses QuarkXPress, it's totally capable software.

When it comes to desktop publishing, it's basically InDesign or nothing for most people.

Adobe Express vs. Canva

Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark)

Strengths:

• Relatively affordable ($9.95/month)

• Great connectivity with other Adobe tools

• Strong AI tools

• Excellent brand asset management

• Good basic publishing capabilities

Canva

Strengths:

• Very similar feature set to Adobe Express

• Widespread adoption and familiarity

Would I switch between these? It honestly doesn't matter - they do basically the same job. I use Canva simply because it's more popular, and I'm more likely to find clients who already know how to use it.

As a professional designer, these tools are invaluable for client relationships. I can set everything up professionally, then empower clients to make their own simple updates without calling me every week for minor text changes. It makes my life easier and lets me take on projects I might otherwise turn down.

The UX Design Crown: Adobe Lost

Adobe has completely lost its position in UX design. Remember Adobe XD? They had it, it was pretty good, and they were competing with Figma, Invision, Sketch, and others. Then Adobe decided to discontinue XD because they planned to buy Figma for $20 billion. When that acquisition was blocked on antitrust grounds, Adobe was left with nothing.

If you're looking for a UX design tool in 2025, there's basically only one choice - Figma. Sketch is fine, but Figma dominates the market now.

Final Thoughts: Is Adobe Still King?

Adobe's biggest advantage is its ecosystem. While individual competitors may match or even exceed specific Adobe products, none offer the comprehensive toolset that Creative Cloud provides. For someone like me who works across many different projects and needs Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, plus video and 3D tools, Creative Cloud delivers tremendous value through connectivity and integration.

Yes, Adobe's pricing is a pain point for many. But as a professional, I look at what I need to do my job: myself, coffee, a laptop, and Adobe software. Considering what I get from Adobe and the value I can create with it, I feel I'm getting a good bargain.

The verdict? If you're a casual user utilizing small parts of Creative Suite, look for cheaper alternatives that meet your specific needs. But for professional designers juggling diverse projects and needing that full toolkit, Adobe still wears the crown in 2025.

Looking to learn more about the software I’ve mentioned in this blog post? When you become a BYOL member, you gain access to my 30+ courses on Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Figma, and more. As a BYOL member you will also enjoy personalized support, earn certificates, and tackle exciting community challenges. Head here to sign-up!