🎨 Design & Creative

Adobe Illustrator 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

Vectors, by subscription.

• Affinity Designer Vector and raster in one app, bought outright. 🇬🇧
• Linearity Curve Berlin vector design, formerly Vectornator, strong on iPad. 🇩🇪
• Penpot Madrid open-source design platform built on open standards. 🇪🇸

Adobe Photoshop 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

The industry standard, now rented monthly forever.

• Affinity Photo Nottingham-built professional editor; one purchase, no subscription. 🇬🇧
• Krita Dutch foundation's free painting and illustration studio. 🇳🇱
• darktable German open-source RAW workflow, a real Lightroom replacement. 🇩🇪
• Photopea Czech browser-based editor that opens PSD files directly. 🇨🇿

Adobe Premiere Pro 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

Timeline editing, tied to the same subscription.

• Kdenlive KDE's mature open-source non-linear editor, no subscription at all. 🇩🇪
• Blender Video Editor The Amsterdam foundation's suite includes a capable VSE and compositor. 🇳🇱

AutoCAD 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

The DWG format is the lock-in.

• BricsCAD Ghent-built CAD that reads and writes DWG natively; perpetual licences. 🇧🇪
• Archicad Budapest's Graphisoft, the original BIM authoring tool. 🇭🇺
• Allplan Nemetschek's Munich BIM suite for architecture and engineering. 🇩🇪
• CATIA / SOLIDWORKS Dassault Systemes' French engineering platform. 🇫🇷

Canva 🇦🇺 AU · non-EU

Design for people who do not design.

• Penpot Spanish open-source design and prototyping in the browser. 🇪🇸
• Photoroom French AI-assisted design for social and product imagery. 🇫🇷
• Freepik Malaga stock, templates and AI generation in one subscription. 🇪🇸
• Linearity Curve Berlin design tool with templates and animation. 🇩🇪

Figma 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

Collaborative design, single point of failure.

• Penpot The credible open-source Figma alternative; self-host the whole thing. 🇪🇸
• Linearity Curve German vector design with strong prototyping and export. 🇩🇪

Unity 🇺🇸 US · non-EU

The engine that tried to charge per install.

• Godot Amsterdam-based foundation; MIT licensed, no royalties, ever. 🇳🇱
• Defold Swedish foundation's engine, free with no revenue share. 🇸🇪