Every tool starts at zero and earns points for what it does and what it costs. Here is exactly what earns them.
The short version
These tools do different jobs, so each kind has its own checklist: image editors on 4 things and vector editors on 4 things. Each checklist is worth 100 points, and a tool is only ranked against its own kind.
The final score is those points out of 10. A tool with 84 points scores 8.4.
Everything comes from the tool's own website. We don't take payment for points.
Image editors
What it adds beyond the basicsWorkflow and outputPricingPrivacy and trust
What earns points
1. What it adds beyond the basics
35 of 100 pointsEvery editor here does layers, masks, raw files, non-destructive edits and batch processing, so none of those earn a point. What is left is what separates them: opening and saving layered Photoshop files, generative fill, selecting a subject by itself, upscaling, removing a background, working in CMYK for print, pressure from a tablet, and a template library.
Opens and saves layered Photoshop filesup to 1.7
Generative fill and expandup to 1.4
Generates images from a promptup to 1.2
Selects a subject or sky by itselfup to 1.2
AI image editing (erase, relight)up to 0.9
One-action background removalup to 0.9
Works in CMYK for printup to 0.9
Pressure sensitivity from a tablet or stylusup to 0.5
Template libraryup to 0.4
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 35 of the 100.
2. Workflow and output
22 of 100 pointsGetting work out: the file formats it exports, how many platforms it runs on, whether you can install third-party plugins, and the apps it connects to.
File formats it exportsup to 3
| 2 export formats | +1 |
| 3 to 4 export formats | +2 |
| 5 to 6 export formats | +2.5 |
| 7 export formats or more | +3 |
Where it runsup to 3
| 1 platform | +0.5 |
| 2 platforms | +1.5 |
| 3 platforms | +2.5 |
| 4 platforms or more | +3 |
Third-party pluginsup to 2
Apps it connects toup to 2
| None | 0 |
| 1 to 3 integrations | +1 |
| 4 to 8 integrations | +1.5 |
| 9 integrations or more | +2 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 22 of the 100.
3. Pricing
25 of 100 pointsWhat the cheapest plan you can actually edit in costs each month, and whether you may use the results commercially. Free software scores the top of the band, because free is a price.
Cheapest plan you can edit in, monthlyup to 7
| Up to $10 | +7 |
| Up to $15 | +5.5 |
| Up to $25 | +4 |
| Up to $40 | +2.5 |
| Over $40 | +1 |
Commercial use allowedup to 3
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 25 of the 100.
4. Privacy and trust
18 of 100 pointsDoes it train AI on what you open, does it hold SOC 2 and state GDPR, is the source published under an open licence, and how many ways are there to reach support? Software you install and run yourself is not asked the first three: there is no service holding your work, and answering no would read as a failed audit rather than a question that does not apply.
Does not train AI on what you uploadup to 3.5
| Yes | +3.5 |
| Only if you opt out | +1.8 |
| No | 0 |
Source published under an open licenceup to 2
Ways to reach supportup to 2
| 1 support channel | +0.5 |
| 2 support channels | +1 |
| 3 support channels or more | +2 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 18 of the 100.
A real example: Adobe Photoshop
Here is how Adobe Photoshop got its 8.5.
| Section | Points |
|---|
| What it adds beyond the basics | 34.1 of 35 |
| Workflow and output | 18.7 of 22 |
| Pricing | 17.5 of 25 |
| Privacy and trust | 14.4 of 18 |
| Total | 84.7 of 100 = 8.5 out of 10 |
See every fact behind Adobe Photoshop's score.
Vector editors
What it adds beyond the basicsWorkflow and outputPricingPrivacy and trust
What earns points
1. What it adds beyond the basics
35 of 100 pointsGradient meshes, type on a path and artboards are in all of them and earn nothing. What counts is opening Illustrator .ai and .eps files, generating artwork from a prompt, tracing a raster into vector paths, spot colour and CMYK for print, boolean operations on shapes, AI image editing and a template library.
Opens Illustrator .ai and .eps filesup to 1.7
Generates artwork from a promptup to 1.7
Traces a raster image into vector pathsup to 1.4
Spot colour for printup to 1.4
Works in CMYK for printup to 1.4
Union, subtract and intersect on shapesup to 1
AI image editingup to 0.7
Template libraryup to 0.7
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 35 of the 100.
2. Workflow and output
22 of 100 pointsThe file formats it exports, how many platforms it runs on, the apps it connects to, third-party plugins, and comments and approval.
File formats it exportsup to 3
| 2 export formats | +1 |
| 3 to 4 export formats | +2 |
| 5 to 8 export formats | +2.5 |
| 9 export formats or more | +3 |
Where it runsup to 3
| 1 platform | +0.5 |
| 2 platforms | +1.5 |
| 3 platforms | +2.5 |
| 4 platforms or more | +3 |
Apps it connects toup to 2
| None | 0 |
| 1 to 3 integrations | +1 |
| 4 to 8 integrations | +1.5 |
| 9 integrations or more | +2 |
Third-party pluginsup to 1.2
Comments and approvalup to 0.8
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 22 of the 100.
3. Pricing
25 of 100 pointsWhat the cheapest paid plan costs each month, whether anyone will still sell you a licence you own outright rather than rent, whether there is a free plan, and how long the trial runs. The monthly figures here sit within a dollar of each other, so owning the licence counts for more than the difference between them.
Cheapest plan you can edit in, monthlyup to 5
| Up to $10 | +5 |
| Up to $15 | +4 |
| Up to $25 | +3 |
| Up to $40 | +2 |
| Over $40 | +1 |
Sells a licence you own outrightup to 2.5
Free trialup to 1
| None | 0 |
| 1 to 7 days | +0.5 |
| 8 days or more | +1 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 25 of the 100.
4. Privacy and trust
18 of 100 pointsDoes it train AI on your work, does it hold SOC 2 and state GDPR, is the source published under an open licence, and how many ways are there to reach support? Software you install and run yourself is not asked the first three.
Does not train AI on what you uploadup to 3.5
| Yes | +3.5 |
| Only if you opt out | +1.8 |
| No | 0 |
Source published under an open licenceup to 2
Ways to reach supportup to 2
| 1 support channel | +0.5 |
| 2 support channels | +1 |
| 3 support channels or more | +2 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 18 of the 100.
A real example: Adobe Illustrator
Here is how Adobe Illustrator got its 7.7.
| Section | Points |
|---|
| What it adds beyond the basics | 33.8 of 35 |
| Workflow and output | 20.9 of 22 |
| Pricing | 8.8 of 25 |
| Privacy and trust | 13.1 of 18 |
| Total | 76.6 of 100 = 7.7 out of 10 |
See every fact behind Adobe Illustrator's score.
When a tool doesn't say
If a tool's website doesn't answer a yes-or-no question, it gets half the points for that item. Not zero, because a missing answer isn't the same as a no, and not full marks, because silence shouldn't beat a vendor who answers honestly. For a number, like a price, it gets the typical value of the tools that do publish one. Every item scored this way is marked on the tool's scorecard.
If a tool leaves out more than a third of what we check, we don't show a score for it at all. A number built mostly on guesses wouldn't be fair to you or to the tool. Right now 7 of the 7 tools we checked have enough information to be scored.
What the score doesn't tell you
We score what a tool offers and what it costs, as its own website describes it. That's not a hands-on test. The score can't tell you whether a tool is easy to use, whether its data is accurate, or whether support answers quickly. The review covers that.
See the design software ranked or read how we review tools in general.