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Adobe Illustrator vs Adobe Photoshop comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Adobe Illustrator
Ranking in Graphic Design Software
6th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Adobe Photoshop
Ranking in Graphic Design Software
2nd
Average Rating
10.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Graphic Design Software category, the mindshare of Adobe Illustrator is 4.1%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Adobe Photoshop is 4.5%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Graphic Design Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Adobe Photoshop4.5%
Adobe Illustrator4.1%
Other91.4%
Graphic Design Software
 

Featured Reviews

SuperSonic - PeerSpot reviewer
Experience Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Intuitive vector editing has improved illustration quality and supports smooth team collaboration
Learning and training new team members on Adobe Illustrator is quite easy. Adobe Illustrator integrates nicely with other tools or software I use, as it has most of the integrations. I manage version control or file management with Adobe Illustrator, and it is easy to keep files organized. I do not remember how often I receive updates or new features in Adobe Illustrator, but the frequency is acceptable. Adobe Illustrator handles large or complex files pretty well. My advice to others looking into using Adobe Illustrator is to use it and check if it fits you. I would rate Adobe Illustrator a 9 out of 10.
reviewer2814465 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Cloud Cost Over And Visibility Parts at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Managing complex editing workflows has required practice but has enabled fast, flexible image updates
The most useful features for me are the layers, selection tools, image adjustments, and the Content-Aware editing. This tool makes it easy for me to work non-destructively and quickly to improve image quality. In my daily work, when I am editing an image for a presentation, I keep the original image on one layer, background removal on another layer, and color and brightness adjustments on adjustment layers. If feedback comes later, I can quickly edit or turn off the layer instead of redoing the whole image. In the past, this was a time-consuming process. When someone asked for a change after I had already finished the image, I did not have to start from scratch. I just edited the relevant layers, such as turning off an adjustment layer or editing a text layer, which saved a lot of time and effort.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Adobe Illustrator's nodes and intuitiveness make my workflow smoother."
"Adobe Illustrator is a go-to software for us."
"The tool helps to do many things, like editing photos and designing logos."
"Adobe Photoshop, especially for professionals or teams that need advanced image editing and design capabilities, remains an industry standard for creative work."
 

Cons

"The only improvement I see is that Adobe Illustrator sometimes crashes, and even though we save our workflow, you cannot keep saving every second."
"My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing reveals that the cost is high, which is the biggest downside of Adobe Illustrator."
"Adobe Photoshop's interface needs to be user-friendly. The menus can be intimidating to a novice user."
"Adobe Photoshop can sometimes feel complex at first due to the number of tools and options available."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Adobe Photoshop is expensive. The licensing costs are monthly."
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Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Adobe Illustrator?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing reveals that the cost is high, which is the biggest downside of Adobe Illustrator.
What needs improvement with Adobe Illustrator?
I have no idea what could be improved within Adobe Illustrator because it is just working, and it would be nice if it still remains the same pleasant way of creating illustrations. I do not want to...
What is your primary use case for Adobe Illustrator?
My main use case for Adobe Illustrator is preparing vector designs. For example, I designed a poster for our latest party using Adobe Illustrator, mainly I'm preparing vector illustrations for larg...
What needs improvement with Adobe Photoshop?
Adobe Photoshop can sometimes feel complex at first due to the number of tools and options available. However, with practice and guided tutorials, this challenge becomes manageable.
What is your primary use case for Adobe Photoshop?
In my role, I use Adobe Photoshop mainly for image editing and basic design tasks. Typical uses include cropping, resizing images, adjusting colors and brightness, removing backgrounds and unwanted...
What advice do you have for others considering Adobe Photoshop?
In my daily work, when I am editing an image for a presentation, I keep the original image on one layer, background removal on another layer, and color and brightness adjustments on adjustment laye...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Photoshop
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Lush, Paper Moose, Nissin, Hugo & Marie
Lush, Paper Moose, Nissin, Hugo & Marie
Find out what your peers are saying about Adobe Illustrator vs. Adobe Photoshop and other solutions. Updated: July 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.