How Much Does Adobe Illustrator Cost?

Last Updated on May 19, 2024
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Adobe Illustrator is the most popular design tool among artists and graphic designers. This software is based on vector graphic design and editing, being able to create all types of drawings, illustrations, logos, and artwork.

Adobe Illustrator is developed by Adobe Inc. And is a part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite platform.

How much does Adobe Illustrator cost?

The cost of the latest version of Adobe Illustrator, now Adobe Illustrator CC (Creative Cloud) is anywhere from $19.34 to $38.99 (≈2.6 hours at the office earning $15/hour) per month. This version can be purchased only subscription-based, and the cost range may vary based on different subscription and payment plans.

Adobe Illustrator prices

As of today, these are the subscription plans for different categories:

SUBSCRIPTION CATEGORY	MONTHLY	ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION BILLED MONTHLY	YEARLY BILLED UPFRONT
Individuals	$34.49 (≈2.3 hours of your life traded for $15/hour)	$22.99 (≈1.5 hours of continuous work at a $15/hour job)	$263.88 (≈2.2 days of consecutive work at a $15/hour job)
Students and teachers (Creative Cloud All Apps)		First year:$19.99 (≈1.3 hours of your life traded for $15/hour) After the first year: $29.99 (≈2 hours of labor required at $15/hour)	First year:$239.88 (≈2 days of consecutive work at a $15/hour job) After the first year: $359.88 (≈3 days of non-stop labor at a $15/hour salary)
Teams and businesses		Single App: $37.99 (≈2.5 hours at the office earning $15/hour) Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps: $89.99 (≈6 hours of your life traded for $15/hour)	Single App: $455.88 (≈3.8 days of desk time at a $15/hour wage) Creative Cloud All Apps: $1,079 (≈1.8 weeks trading your time for $15/hour).88
Schools and universities		1. Per Named-user License - Creative Cloud All Apps: $34.99 (≈2.3 hours of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour) per user - Single App: $14.99 (≈1 hour of uninterrupted labor at $15/hour) per user 2. Per shared device: $330 (≈2.8 days working to pay for this at $15/hour) per year/device 3. Per Student Pack: $142 (≈1.2 days working without days off at $15/hour) per year/user	$419.88 (≈3.5 days of continuous work at a $15/hour job)

These costs are subject to change. For more accurate costs, consult the official Adobe.com website.

Even though Adobe Illustrator is now subscription-based, you may still find older versions to purchase from websites such as eBay.com. We researched the costs of several versions of Adobe Illustrator and we listed them in the table below:

OLDER VERSIONS	AVERAGE COSTS FOR ILLUSTRATOR
Adobe Illustrator CS2	$30 (≈2 hours of labor required at $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator CS3	$70 (≈4.7 hours to sacrifice at work earning $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator CS4	$135 (≈1.1 days working to pay for this at $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator CS5	$600 (≈1 week of salary time at $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator CS6	$995 (≈1.7 weeks of your career at a $15/hour job)
Adobe Illustrator 10	$200 (≈1.7 days working without days off at $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator 9.0	$130 (≈1.1 days of your career at $15/hour)
Adobe Illustrator 8.0	$50 (≈3.3 hours of labor required at $15/hour)

These versions may no longer have updates and access to the latest features. In order to benefit from regular updates you must pay a monthly or yearly subscription.

You might also like our articles on the cost of Adobe Marketing Cloud, Amazon Prime, or MidJourney.

Adobe Illustrator overview

As stated above, the one-time purchase of the Adobe Illustrator program with future updates is no longer available. Older versions used to come as a hardcopy CD, packed in a case, featuring a distinctive serial number and a user guide.

However, with this monthly or yearly subscription for the single app, Adobe Illustrator comes with several handful benefits. Not only you will have access to the software and its latest features and updates, but there is also a portfolio website, with 24/7 technical support, premium fonts, and up to 100GB of cloud storage.

Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard in vector drawing and editing for professional design and artwork. Users will be able to create virtually anything ranging from websites to video games. The software enables graphic designers to work with sketches, typography, and illustrations for print, video, web, and mobile.

Illustrator comes with thousands of royalty-free stock art and all projects can be integrated with Animate CC, After Effects, and Premier Pro.

What are the extra costs?

To learn how to use the software, there are a lot of self-help books and courses all around the internet. Expect to spend between $20 and $50 (≈3.3 hours of labor required at $15/hour) for the cheaper ones, depending on their type. You can also take one of the classes or seminars. These are optional but if you choose to take them, they will come at a price.

How can I save money?

If you spend enough time browsing around, you will come across one of these several coupon codes available, which will help you cut down the price.

You can also consider going for a used copy. When you get an older version of the software that is still capable of doing most of the tasks, you will probably be able to get it considerably cheaper. eBay is one of the places where people go to find older copies for just a few dollars.

Alternative to Adobe Illistrator

The market offers other alternatives to Illustrator as well. Some popular names are GIMP, SK1, Skencil, SVG-Edit, Inkscape, and Corel Draw. Most of these platforms are open-source and don't require monthly fees or up-front investments.

You can take advantage of the 30-day free trial that Illustrator offers. Before you buy the software, especially if you never used it before, you should download it to see if it meets your needs and expectations.

Go for the "All apps" package if Illustrator isn't the only Adobe tool you want to use. This will include over 20 apps, among which, XD and Adobe Photoshop.