An Adobe Illustrator alternative that runs in your browser
Adobe Illustrator is the vector program most designers learn. OBSCURA Vector draws logos, icons, illustration and posters in a browser tab, using the keys Illustrator uses, with the drawing kept on your own computer. What each does, and when to stay with Illustrator. Adobe’s site could not be reached from here on 7 October 2026, so this page gives no Adobe prices and says only what is widely documented.
Written
If you work in print with colour profiles and spot colours, trade .ai or EPS files with others, or rely on brushes, symbols, effects, image trace or the perspective grid, stay with Illustrator: Vector has none of those. If you draw logos, icons and illustration with the pen, shapes, type, gradients and pathfinder, and send SVG, PDF or PNG, in a browser tab with nothing installed and the drawing kept on your computer, Vector does that as part of OBSCURA Pro.
What Illustrator is
Adobe Illustrator is the vector design program in Adobe’s Creative Cloud, for Windows, macOS and iPad, sold by subscription. It is the industry standard for logos, type, illustration and print artwork, with a native .ai format, a large set of brushes and effects, image trace, a perspective grid, and colour management for press.
Side by side
| Adobe Illustrator | OBSCURA Vector | |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | A Creative Cloud subscription, priced on Adobe’s site | US$2 a month or US$19 a year on its own, or US$5 a month or US$48 a year in OBSCURA Pro, with every other OBSCURA application |
| Runs on | Windows, macOS and iPad, installed | A current browser on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, with nothing to install |
| Files | .ai, EPS, PDF and SVG | SVG in and out, PDF and PNG out, its own .ovector; no .ai or EPS |
| Pathfinder | Yes | Unite, subtract, intersect and exclude, on fills |
| Brushes, symbols and effects | Yes | No |
| Clipping masks and image trace | Yes | No; masks in an SVG are kept as they were |
| Print colour | CMYK and spot colours with profiles | CMYK figures without a profile; PDFs are RGB |
| Where the drawing is kept | Where you save it, or Adobe’s cloud | In the browser on your computer, and nowhere else |
What Illustrator has that Vector does not
- Print production. Colour profiles, spot colours and CMYK PDFs for a press. Vector works out CMYK figures from RGB with no profile.
- Its own files. Vector opens SVG and its own files only; save from Illustrator as SVG to bring a drawing across.
- Brushes, symbols, effects, mesh gradients, the perspective grid and 3D.
- Type in depth. Vector has one face, size and colour for each text object, no type on a path and no columns.
- Clipping masks and image trace.
What Vector adds
- Nothing to install and no account. It opens in a browser tab, on Linux and ChromeOS too, and works offline once opened.
- The keys you know. Vector uses the keys Illustrator uses for its tools.
- SVG kept intact. What Vector cannot edit in an SVG from Illustrator, Inkscape or Figma is kept exactly and written back unchanged.
- Nothing leaves the computer. No cloud document and no AI.
- One subscription for several jobs. Pro also covers the Photo Editor, PDF Studio and the other paid applications.
What it costs
Vector on its own is US$2 a month or US$19 a year; all of OBSCURA Pro is US$5 a month or US$48 a year. Each comes with 7 days free first. Illustrator’s price is on Adobe’s own site; it is not given here because it could not be checked.
See it before you pay. Vector’s page shows it at work, lists the files it opens and saves, and says what it cannot do yet.
Questions people ask about An Adobe Illustrator alternative that runs in your browser
Is there an Adobe Illustrator alternative that runs in a browser?
OBSCURA Vector has the pen, shapes, type, gradients, pathfinder, layers and artboards in a browser tab, with SVG in and out and PDF and PNG out. The drawing stays on your computer.
Can Vector open an Illustrator .ai file?
No. Vector opens SVG and its own .ovector files. Save from Illustrator as SVG to bring a drawing across.
Is Vector suitable for print work?
For simple artwork, yes, as RGB PDF. It has no colour profiles or spot colours, so a press that needs CMYK with a profile needs the PDF converted in software that has one.
What does Vector cost?
Vector on its own is US$2 a month or US$19 a year, and all of OBSCURA Pro is US$5 a month or US$48 a year, each with 7 days free first; Pro covers every OBSCURA application.
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