What’s the Best Way to Buy Adobe Illustrator in 2026?

Adobe Illustrator is an industry-standard software application for anyone working in vector graphic design.

However, choosing how to buy Adobe Illustrator from the official website has always been a bit confusing – and now that you throw generative credits into the mix, well…

So, many users turn to Reddit to figure out which plan is most convenient when they’re looking to buy Adobe Illustrator. But things can get a bit confusing there, too, because users might reply with conflicting or outdated information.

I’ll try to clear things up for you in this article, so you can get the best value for money when buying Adobe Illustrator.

Of course, you should always check the official Adobe website before subscribing, as they can change the prices and conditions at any time.

Let’s start by clarifying that you can’t actually buy Adobe Illustrator outright. Back in 2013, Adobe announced that it would move on from selling lifetime licenses to offering subscriptions.

Then, in 2017, Adobe officially stopped selling Adobe Illustrator CS6, the last version available for purchase.

Since then, Illustrator has been subscription-based software within the Creative Cloud ecosystem.

Subscribing to Illustrator offers numerous benefits, such as online backups, cloud storage, cross-device sharing, free assets, Adobe Fonts, AI tools and more.

Let’s take a closer look at how to get your hands on this excellent vector graphics editor.

What is the Cheapest Way to Get Adobe Illustrator in 2025?

These are the six ways to buy Illustrator:

• Illustrator Plan
• Illustrator Plan for Business
• Creative Cloud All Apps
• Creative Cloud All Apps for Business
• All Apps Plan for Students & Teachers
• Illustrator for iPad

You can also download a free Illustrator trial here >>

Is Adobe Illustrator free?

You can use Adobe Illustrator free of charge for 7 days while you choose whether you want to enter into a subscription.

1. Illustrator Single App Plan – Best Value For Most Users

If you want to download Adobe Illustrator without any of the other major Adobe software, this is the best option – get it here >>

There are three billing options. The best value for money is the Annual Prepaid (US$263.88), which means that each month costs you US$21.99.

The other option is to get a yearly subscription billed monthly; in this case, each month costs US$22.99.

Lastly, you can get a monthly subscription for US$34.49, but this is only worth it if you know that you won’t use it for a whole year.

The Illustrator plan includes :

• Adobe Illustrator License: For all your illustration, drawing, painting, typography and graphic design needs.
• 25 monthly generative credits.
• 100GB of cloud storage: Backup and share your illustrations.
• Step-by-step tutorials: World-class artists showcase their creations and teach you new techniques.
• Adobe Express; Task-based web and mobile app allowing you to make multimedia content, social media posts and marketing materials.
• Adobe Firefly: Use standard generative AI tools for your design projects.
• Adobe Portfolio: Build a free website portfolio to show off your illustrations and designs.
• Adobe Fonts: Choose from a huge library of licensed fonts.
• Behance: Access to a thriving community of creatives to get feedback and sell your work.
• Creative Cloud Libraries: Download new assets for your illustrative projects.

The Illustrator Single App Plan doesn’t include Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, or any of the other Adobe Apps.

Most people won’t need any additional creative apps for their illustration and vector graphics requirements.

Purchasing Adobe Illustrator gives you all the tools for basic and advanced vector graphics manipulation. You can even download a free 7-day trial to try it out.

• Photoshop vs Illustrator

1.1 Illustrator Single App Plan – Business

If you have a business and want to purchase Illustrator for teams, it’s available for US$37.99. In this case, the free trial lasts 14 days, and this is what it includes:

• Adobe Illustrator License for desktop, iPad, and browser
• Adobe Express Premium
• 25 monthly generative credits
• 1TB of cloud storage
• Step-by-step tutorials
• Adobe Portfolio
• Adobe Firefly
• Adobe Fonts
• Behance – including unlimited job posts through Adobe Talent
• Admin console
• 24/7 Support
• Creative Cloud Libraries: Download new assets for your illustrative projects

2. Creative Cloud All Apps Plan – Best For Power Users

For users who need more than just Adobe Illustrator, the Creative Cloud All Apps plan is great value for money – get it here >>

Professional illustrators will likely need Adobe software, such as Photoshop or After Effects, so you’ll need the All Apps plan.

The cost is US$69.99 per month. As with the Illustrator plan, you can save some money by paying the whole year in advance (US$779.88, which comes to US$64.99 per month).

There’s also the option to subscribe monthly if you don’t need a full-year subscription. In this case, the cost is US$104.99 per month.

Regardless of your billing choice, the Creative Cloud All Apps Plan includes:

• Adobe Premiere Pro: An excellent desktop video editing software for Mac and Windows.
• 100GB Cloud Storage: Allows you to backup, share, and edit across all your devices.
• Adobe After Effects: Used to create all types of visual effects and motion graphics, from animating movie titles to creating VR videos.
• Adobe Audition: Professional Adobe tools to record, edit, mix, and restore audio files for videos, podcasts, and sound effects.
• Adobe Behance: A social media site/app dedicated to creators who want to share and sell their creative work.
• Frame.io: A powerful review (feedback) and collaboration tool for lightning-fast media sharing, direct camera to cloud transfers and multiple consecutive projects.
• Adobe Firefly: Including premium features.
• Adobe Bridge: A media management program to categorize and edit files in conjunction with other Adobe apps.
• Adobe Lightroom: The number one image editing software for all your photo editing, organization and storage needs.
• Adobe Media Encoder: Used with Premiere Pro and After Effects to render videos, compressing and converting formats for universal use.
• Adobe Photoshop is the best graphic design software and image manipulation tool. Here’s how to download Photoshop for free.
• Adobe Portfolio: Free online portfolio and website building software that you can use to showcase your creative work.
• Adobe Fonts: An online service that gives you access to an enormous font library with fonts you’re free to use commercially or for personal projects to use under a single licensing agreement.
• 4000 monthly generative credits.

The All Apps plan is a perfect choice for power users and solo-preneurs who require more than just Adobe Illustrator for their creative needs.

If you consider that you’re getting 20 more useful apps and software for less than twice the price of the Illustrator (Single App) Plan, it’s really good value for money.

Also, if you’re a videographer and want to buy Adobe Premiere Pro, it makes sense to upgrade to the All Apps plan so you can also use Adobe Illustrator.

2.1 Creative Cloud All Apps Plan – Business

Just like for the Illustrator plan, you can also get the Creative Cloud All Apps for teams – this is a great option for media agencies. The cost is US$99.99 per month. This option also includes a 14-day free trial and includes:

• 20+ apps, including Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, Acrobat Pro, Adobe Express, Firefly, After Effects, InDesign, InCopy, Character Animation, Media Encoder, and others.
• 4000 monthly generative credits
• 1TB of cloud storage
• Step-by-step tutorials
• Adobe Portfolio
• Adobe Firefly
• Adobe Fonts
• Behance, including unlimited job posts through Adobe Talent.
• Admin console
• 24/7 Support
• 1-to-1 sessions with Adobe Experts
• Creative Cloud Libraries: Download new assets for you.

3. Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for Students & Teachers

This plan includes all the same 20+ apps as the regular All Apps plan – the key difference is that you get a big discount – get it here >>

If you’re a student or a teacher, you can get all the desktop software, mobile apps and web services for US$24.99 per month. This is just a couple of dollars more than the Illustrator membership, but you get everything else included.

Keep in mind that the discount is valid only for the first year. That said, buying Adobe Illustrator as part of the All Apps plan is a no-brainer for anyone in education!

Click here to check whether you’re eligible to get the discount.

4. Illustrator for Ipad

When buying an Adobe Creative Cloud plan that includes Adobe Illustrator, you can use it on your desktop and your iPad, seamlessly connecting both.

However, it’s also possible to buy Adobe Illustrator for iPad as a standalone product. This certainly is the cheapest option at US$9.99 – but it’s only useful if you work exclusively on iPad.

For a hybrid workflow, you’ll need the Illustrator Individual plan or the Creative Cloud All Apps plan.

Best Way to Buy Adobe Illustrator – FAQs

How Much Does it Cost to Buy Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator costs US$22.99/month for individuals and US$37.99/month per license for teams if you get an annual subscription billed monthly. The cost per month is lower if you pay the entire year upfront, and higher if you get a monthly subscription.

Illustrator is also available as part of the Creative Cloud All Apps plan, which includes more than 20 other creative apps, including Photoshop.

If you’re a teacher or a student, you can get the same All Apps plan at a discount.

How much does Adobe Illustrator cost a year?

If you pay for an annual subscription upfront, Adobe Illustrator costs US$263.88.

This works out to US$21.99 per month, which is a dollar less than if you paid monthly.

Can I just buy Illustrator?

Since Adobe Illustrator is subscription software, it’s not possible to buy it outright. Adobe doesn’t offer Lifetime Licenses anymore.

Is there a free version of Illustrator?

Illustrator doesn’t offer a free or freemium version, but Adobe does offer a 7-day free trial of Adobe Illustrator. Here’s how to get it:

1. Click on the Free Trial option on the Adobe Website here.
2. Select any plan (don’t worry, you won’t be charged provided you cancel before the trial period ends).
3. Enter your email ID and payment details.
4. After your 7-day free trial ends, your Adobe Creative Suite membership will continue unless you cancel before the trial ends.

Can I download Adobe Illustrator without Creative Cloud?

You’ll need to download Adobe Illustrator and then uninstall Creative Cloud (see this guide). However, Creative Cloud is required for stable use of the Adobe software.

Are there any Adobe Illustrator Discounts?

There are currently two ways to get a discount on Illustrator. The first is to check here on the Adobe special offers page, which occasionally features Adobe Illustrator discounts. The other option is to sign up for the Students & Teachers Creative Cloud Apps plan if you qualify.

Where can I download Illustrator CS6?

Adobe Illustrator CS6 is now a discontinued software version and is no longer available to download. All Adobe products are now part of the Creative Cloud Apps ecosystem, a mix of free software and apps, and those available only on a subscription plan. The subscription model means you get all the latest graphic design features, advanced functions, AI-powered tools and regular updates.

Do I need Photoshop and Illustrator?

No, you can use Illustrator without having Photoshop. However, if you’re starting with a photograph, Photoshop is generally recommended.

Illustrator can then be used in conjunction with Photoshop to add things like logos, vector graphics, and hand-drawn lettering.

Which is Better: Photoshop or Illustrator?

Illustrator is best for graphic design, while Photoshop is better suited to photo-based work. Their features overlap slightly, but it’s best to use both together for a complete creative editing experience. See here for Illustrator alternatives.

Is Illustrator on iPad?

Yes – you can download the Illustrator for iPad app here and design anywhere, working seamlessly across your devices while keeping everything in sync. You can also bring in images from Adobe Photoshop on the iPad and easily access your colour palettes in Creative Cloud Libraries.

What are Adobe generative credits?

The generative credits you get with your Illustrator subscription allow you to use generative AI features powered by Adobe Firefly. You can use them in Illustrator or directly in Firefly.

How many generative credits do I get?

Depending on your plan, you get a different allotment. If you subscribe to the Illustrator plan for individuals, you get 25 credits per month, while subscribing to the Creative Cloud All Apps plan gives you 4000. Note that the 4000 credits you receive for this plan are shared across all apps, not 4000 per app.

If you start a free trial, you’ll receive 10 complimentary credits.

Do generative credits roll over?

No, if you didn’t use all your generative credits by the end of the month, you’ll lose them as the allotment resets each month.

What can I do with generative credits?

The 25 credits from your individual subscription allow you to use standard features such as text-to-image or text-to-vector tools. However, premium features require a Creative Cloud Pro plan or a Firefly Premium plan.

Further information can be found on the Adobe Generative Credits FAQ page.

What happens if I run out of credits?

If you need more credits, you can get credit add-on plans from the Firefly website.

How to install Adobe Illustrator on Windows 10?

First, you must create an Adobe account and have the Creative Cloud app on your computer. To install Adobe Illustrator, follow these steps:

1. Head to the Adobe Illustrator product webpage
2. Click on Free trial or Buy now (it’s your choice)
3. Choose the plan and subscription you’d like
4. Click Continue and follow the instructions
5. Launch the Creative Cloud desktop app
6. Locate Adobe Illustrator and click Install

How to get Adobe Illustrator for free forever?

You can’t get Adobe Illustrator for free forever. The best-case scenario is getting the 7-day free trial for individuals or the 14-day trial for businesses.

How to get Adobe Illustrator for cheap?

The cheapest way to get Adobe Illustrator is if you’re a student or teacher. If you have an iPad, you can buy Illustrator just for iPad, which costs less than the desktop version.

Otherwise, you can check Adobe’s special offers and promotions for a reasonable deal.

Can I buy Adobe Illustrator permanently?

No, there isn’t a one-time purchase option for Adobe Illustrator, as it’s subscription-only software.

Recent Adobe Illustrator Updates:

Illustrator 30.1 (December 2025)

• Generate with Partner models in Text-to-Vector Graphic

Illustrator 30 (October 2025)

• Enhanced fonts browser
• Apply dither to gradients
• Use perceptual interpolation
• Enhanced color picker
• Gradient presets
• Snap line endpoints in tangents
• Use perpendicular snapping
• Lock artboards
• Colored artboards
• Export specific artboards
• Turntable feature (Illustrator Beta)
• Create shared spaces
• Access Firefly generation history from inside Illustrator
• Use Adobe Express templates
• Generate with Firefly models in Text-to-Vector Graphic
• Access AI generative features centrally

If you want to see a complete history of updates, please see Adobe’s What’s New website.