Design

Design software allows you to create, view, and edit various graphics and images. These can include the front-end for websites, 3D design, and photography. Finding the best software from a vast selection might be difficult. To make it simple, we have created a list below, which can help you find the right design software option for your needs.

Animaker
1. Animaker

— An easy-to-use animation software that can help you create stunning videos where you can choose from more… Read review

83%
Starting price$20/mo
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial30 day
Free VersionNo
Vyond
2. Vyond

— Vyond makes creating videos, MP4s, and animated GIFs an easy job with its training options and resources.… Read review

83%
Starting price$49/mo
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial14 day
Free VersionNo
3ds Max Design
3. 3ds Max Design

— 3ds Max Design is an animation software that offers modern tools for high-quality modeling and architectural renderings…

68%
Starting price$215/mo or $3/token starting at 500 token
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial30 days
Free VersionNo
Maya
4. Maya

— Maya is an award-winning 3D animation software that helps create real characters, scenes, amazing landscapes, and effects…

71%
Starting price$215/mo or $3/token starting at 500 token
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial30 days
Free VersionYes (students)
Adobe Animate
5. Adobe Animate

— Adobe Animate is worldwide famous as a photo editing and illustration tool, but it is also a…

80%
Starting price31.49/mo
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial7 days
Free VersionNo
Blender
6. Blender

— Blender is a comprehensive animation software that helps you easily create, transform, and edit your 2d &…

82%
Starting priceFree
Pricing modelFree
Free TrialFree
Free VersionOpen Source
Adobe Suite
7. Adobe Suite

— The Adobe Suite of Creative Cloud offers a complete package of over 20 apps. You get the…

86%
Starting price$52.99/mo
Pricing modelPer User
Free Trial30-day
Free VersionNo
Renderforest Video Maker
8. Renderforest Video Maker

— This video animation software offers many more services than the usual animation tools. Renderforest video maker lets…

86%
Starting price$12.99/mo
Pricing modelPer User
Free TrialNo
Free VersionYes (limited features)
Unity
9. Unity

— Unity is one of the most well-known animation tools worldwide for a reason. This animation software will…

87%
Starting price$399/yr
Pricing modelPer Seat
Free TrialNo
Free VersionYes (students and personal use)
Moqups
10. Moqups

— Moqups is streamlined design software that enables users to collaborate and create diagrams, mockups, prototypes, and wireframes…

89%
Starting price$17/mo
Pricing modelPer Seat
Free TrialFree (limited storage)
Free VersionYes

Overview of Design Software

It’s often difficult to choose the right design software for your company or brand. In fact, there’s no “best” software out there. Some people might do well to go with a big brand name, such as Microsoft or Adobe. Others might be looking for something specific, such as photo editing, illustrations, web design, and more. 

Generally, the best design software programs are those used in professional environments. Therefore, accessibility and value depend on where you work. If you’re a freelance designer, you might not have the budget for high-end software. Those who work in-house at a large company may access better products. 

Therefore, the best thing to do here is to choose your design software based on the task at hand. Software design includes many things, such as illustrations, photo editing, and drawing. Overall, we break down the features required for design software a little later.

We have listed the best design software, so it’s easier for you to choose one that meets your needs.

Explanation

SaasGenius has done extensive research when creating this list, so there should be no issues with the design software provided. 

To make sure that you’ve got the top options, we only list the best software to offer more value to the user. The goal here is to build your business, and design software can help you achieve your goals, whether you’re a graphic designer, photographer, CAD designer, animator, or web designer.

We never put design software on the list before analyzing it in-depth. That way, you know that we check each option thoroughly before presenting it to you as a viable product for your business. This often takes many months of research on our part, but it’s crucial!

What Is Design Software?

Design software lets you create visual files. Functionality can include digital illustration, image manipulation, and page layout. Most people in creative professions use digital tools to create designs and artwork instead of traditional multimedia because software solutions are faster. 

Even though you can’t create imagery by hand, you have more functions and tools to help with software design, which can enhance your technique and skill.

Often people use software design patterns to make their lives easier. These unfinished code pieces make it faster to input designs that you use frequently. However, you must choose the best design software for that to happen.

Characteristics to Focus on for Design Software

Design software encompasses many software categories, so some of the features aren’t available with every tool. However, the ones we chose have most or all of these options, so you can use them in many settings and industries. 

That’s the goal here – you have most of the features necessary to complete your tasks. That way, you can create software design patterns that help you work quickly.

Generally, design software should include:

An Extensive Tool Kit 

Design solutions should provide many tools that mimic design using physical supplies. You may utilize a screen or tablet and a stylus to create on those platforms, but the stylus may act as various tools. 

For example, it could be a paintbrush, but you adjust the stroke width and opacity of it. Sometimes, you may use it as a pen to create anchor lines and then pull or push them in different directions. Regardless, you need tool kits that include drawing and editing options.

Significant Storage Space 

Working in the design industry requires you to upload various files, create new things, edit them, and possibly publish what you make. You may have to build from scratch on the platform, so the design software must allow users to save every edited version designed. That way, you can go back to previous options if needed. 

Some users want to make applications and images from pre-existing templates, so the software must have a template library available.

3D Objects 

Most design tools only allow you to work in 2D conditions, but some are specifically designed for 3D applications. Such products offer spaces to create 3D models and add details and depth to the objects, including texture and color.

While those are the primary three features you require, design software should offer robust capabilities. The ones listed below are common but not included with each product:

Surface Modeling 

You require this feature to design 3D objects. It lets you look at your product with solid surfaces and many angles.

Rulers and Guides 

Creating with design software lets you offer precision work. Therefore, designers and artists rely on features like guides and rulers for accuracy that isn’t possible by hand.

Layering 

Design tools for sketching allow you to work with many layers. That way, you can choose tools like pencils and paintbrushes and different colors for one image. It’s crucial to edit and blend those layers separately to come together later as a cohesive product.

3D Rendering 

This feature is vital for the 3D design process. The last step in designing the product is to render it. That way, you can see the product in a realized environment to point out flaws before taking it to market.

Benefits of Using the Software List from SaaSGenius

SaasGenius always researches everything thoroughly before recommending software, so you receive the convenience of appropriate design software that does most of the work for you.

Here are just a few benefits you should expect when choosing a design software recommendation from this list:

  • Easily Scalable – The design software options listed here use vector files to power the designs and artwork created on the platform. They scale easily to various sizes without losing your image quality, so you can duplicate the work and use it often.
  • Flexibility – If you make mistakes or change part of the drafted design, you don’t have to start over from scratch with design software. Such tools allow you to “undo” the action and “erase” design parts without losing everything.
  • More Precision – Drafting designs with software ensures more precise results compared to working by hand. The software included in the list focuses on tools like grids and dimensions to ensure accuracy. Plus, you complete the work faster and can modify files more easily.

How Do I Find Design Software on SaaSGenius?

We create our software lists by researching each option and analyzing it thoroughly. This often takes months to do. For design software, it’s not just enough to focus on the tools; the solution must also provide software design patterns so that software design engineers can work more quickly and add elements to what’s already there.

Beginners on SaasGenius might wonder how the website works and where to find the software recommendations. You must click “ Software” first, which takes you to the category page. Search for design software and consider the subcategories:

  • Graphic Design Software
  • Animation Software

Select the appropriate subcategory by clicking the link. That takes you to the webpage with top recommendations. Each software solution contains a summary of what it does and the user rating.

When selecting design software for the list, we:

1. Thoroughly analyze each option.
2. Think about what software design engineers require.
3. Ensure that each option allows users to create software design patterns.

Conclusion

Graphic designers, web designers, photographers, CAD designers, and animators require design software to make precise and accurate creations. It’s often hard to determine the best product, but the SaasGenius list of recommendations can help.

It includes the top design software options on the market and gives a summary of them. That way, you learn more about each one and can make an informed decision.

Get in touch with us if you have more questions or want to know what we offer. We’ve got social media handles or email ([email protected]).