How to Get Adobe Illustrator for Students Free

By Ann Young 3 days ago, Software Reviews

Adobe Illustrator

  • Rank
    (4.5/5)
  • Reviews: 346
  • Price: Free trial version or 20,99$/month
  • Downloads: 25K
  • Version: 27.2
  • Compatible: Mac/Win

Are you studying at college or university and want to find out whether there is Adobe Illustrator for students free? Below, I will describe Adobe Illustrator in general, as well as touch upon legal ways of getting this program free of charge and the risks of using pirated versions.

how to get adobe illustrator for students free

Adobe Illustrator for Students Free Benefits

  • Lots of output options
  • Works on almost any computer system
  • Integrates with other Adobe products
  • Embedded design templates and presets
  • Multiple step-by-step tutorials
  • Optimized for iPad
  • Vector graphics editing with no quality loss

FAQ

  • • Is Adobe Illustrator free for students today?

Students can use the program for a week without paying a cent. For this, they need to choose a trial version of the CC All Apps plan. In addition to Illustrator, they will get access to free Photoshop, free Premier Pro, and many other feature-rich apps. Besides, they'll receive 100GB of cloud storage.

  • • How much do students have to pay for Illustrator?

The program is a part of the Creative Cloud All Apps plan and costs US$19/99/month for the first year of use. Thus, students can purchase it with a 60% discount.

  • • How can I verify my student status in the quickest way?

While making a purchase on the Adobe website, you need to enter a school-issued email address. If you do so, your student status is automatically verified. If you don't indicate a school-issued email address or it isn't verified by the company, you'll be asked to send other eligibility proofs.

  • • How does Adobe perform student verification?

The company has a dedicated educational status verification partner called SheerID agent. It automatically analyzes documents and confirms the status is everything is OK. The entire process usually takes no more than 20 minutes.

  • • Is Illustrator for students optimized for mobile devices?

Yes, this software and other elements of the CC All Apps packages can work on mobile devices. Besides, some applications were specifically designed for mobile platforms.

  • • Are there free templates and stock files in the CC plan?

The package includes access to a plethora of stock materials. Users can take advantage of stock photos, videos, illustrations, design templates, vector graphics, and 3D assets. All files are available for personal and commercial projects.

Another Way to Use Adobe Illustrator for Students Free

Adobe Fresco

  • Rank
    (4/5)
  • Reviews: 205
  • License: Free
  • Downloads: 10k
  • Version: 3.6.6
  • Compatible: iPad/IOS
adobe fresco mobile

Adobe Fresco for Students Benefits:

  • Granular typography control
  • Smooth Apple Pencil integration
  • Seamless CC synchronization
  • Over 1000K fonts
  • File syncing between desktop and mobile versions
  • Standard file format export

Adobe Fresco has a user-friendly interface that is optimized for mobile devices. The program is quick to master, which is great for novices, while more experienced artists will surely appreciate the availability of creative effects. Here you can find over 1000+ painting brushes, 1000+ premium fonts, video tutorials, and even live streams with famous artists.

If you install the program on iPad, you can connect an Apple Pencil and create fantastic drawings on the go. Moreover, you can fulfill your tasks in an offline mode. Unlike many similar products, it contains no ads. Thanks to instant cloud synchronization, you can keep track of changes your team members make to a joint project. 

adobe fresco mobile

Pirated Version of Adobe Illustrator

If you think about downloading Illustrator from a torrent site not to pay for the subscription, you should remember about serious risks awaiting unauthorized users. We have described the most frequent consequences of using a pirated program version, so make sure to study them before taking any further steps.

It’s Illegal

Anyone downloading pirated software commits a crime. Such action is categorized as copyright law breaking and entails either imprisonment or money penalty. A fine for illegal program usage can reach up to $150,000. As for prison restraint, it may equal 5 years.

When you open any site with free software download links, you are unlikely to see a warning that downloading these products is against the law. However, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Besides, if you use such a program for work-related tasks, the consequences may impact your company.

Viruses and Personal Information Leak

If you are tempted to download Adobe Illustrator for students free of charge and the security of the resource is neglected, you may end up having a very insidious tool on your computer. The installation file can not only damage your system, which entails huge expenses on recovery but also steal sensitive data, which will cause lots of troubles in the long run.

Many people keep their financial data, health-related docs, and other important materials on their computers, and if this information gets into the hands of crooks, aftereffects may be very distressing.

Lack of Updates

Adobe frequently releases updates for its software but if you use a pirated version, you can forget about such goodies. Updates are indispensable if you want to take advantage of the latest features and have a program where various bugs are regularly fixed.

Another advantage of owning a legal and updateable program is the availability of security patches that are embedded by a developer. Without them, you can hardly deal with cyberattacks.

Free Alternatives

You can test Illustrator within a week for free. After that, you have either to purchase a full version or choose Adobe Illustrator for students free analogs. We have selected the most popular replacement for Windows and Mac computers.

1. Inkscape

inkscape how to get adobe illustrator for students logo
Pros
  • Open source
  • Many pro design tools
  • Feature-rich
  • Supports extensions
Cons
  • Difficult to master

Inkscape has much in common with Adobe Illustrator when it comes to a toolset. It contains instruments for sketching, illustrating, and editing. Besides, you can move and rotate objects with keys, perform bitmap tracing, color paint over elements, and edit gradients with handles.

If you are interested in making complex textures, the program is capable of that too. Unlike free software, Inkscape allows users to layer, group, and lock objects for a convenient workflow and a completely personalized outcome.

2. Corel Draw

coreldraw how to get adobe illustrator for students logo
Pros
  • Rich export & import format support
  • Intuitive dashboard navigation
  • Understandable keyboard shortcuts
  • Color customization
  • Collection of free wireframes and mockups
Cons
  • Freezes if too many fonts are installed

If you aren’t eligible for Adobe Illustrator free download for students, you may try this program instead. It is suitable for vector editing, illustrating, and page layout creation. Professional users will definitely like the LiveSketch feature and lag-free stylus/touchscreen support.

However, novices can also take advantage of the program and even experiment with vector graphics. The developers have embedded numerous instructions and tips, so you can master CorelDRAW step by step.

3. Vectr

vectr how to get adobe illustrator for students logo
Pros
  • Clear UI
  • Extensive format support
  • Direct import
  • Integrated tutorials
Cons
  • Entry-level functionality
  • No customer support

Vectr is a free vector graphics software that can work as a browser extension and a standalone desktop instrument.

No matter what option you choose, you will see a user-friendly interface with all tools neatly arranged. Though the program can’t stay on par with Illustrator in terms of tool variety, it is a perfect variant for beginners to get into the creative sphere.

Vectr’s notable feature is URL sharing, which is especially helpful for team projects. If you install the program on your computer, you may not worry about consumed memory as it will be minimal.

4. GIMP

gimp how to get adobe illustrator for students logo
Pros
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Allows making GIF files by leveraging multiple layers
  • Supports manifold formats
Cons
  • No customer support
  • Rather limited functionality compared to analogs

GIMP stands out with its terrific upgradability thanks to multiple plugins. In other words, you can add functions and tools that are currently missing but are required for your task. This open-source photo editing software for PC is a wonderful option for rookie users, who want to immerse themselves into the design world without haste.

Though the software is very intuitive, the developers decided to prepare various tutorials to make the getting-used-to phase absolutely stressful. GIMP can brag about extensive back-end vector capabilities but it still can compete with Illustrator in the majority of cases.

5. Vectornator

vectornator how to get adobe illustrator for students logo
Pros
  • Well-thought-out design features
  • Supports Figma-native designs
  • Allows exporting files as separate layers and in many formats
Cons
  • Quick action buttons lack tooltips
  • Occasional lags

This free graphic design software attracts users with a huge vector toolkit, Boolean features, and intuitive making functions.

It is a decent Adobe Illustrator student version free alternative for Mac users thanks to compatibility with the M1 chip. It has all sufficient instruments for designing interfaces and illustrations, so you don’t need to install third-party plugins.

If you need an app to work on the go, Vectornator is a nice option. It is compatible with iPads and iPhones.

Download Adobe Illustrator for Students Free

adobe illustrator for students free trial

If you are hesitant about whether Illustrator can meet your design needs, you should test it first. One-week trial period is sufficient to clear things out. Then, you can either purchase a subscription or use one of the listed alternatives.

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