Comparison

Adobe Illustrator vs darktable

On the evidence we track, darktable leads this comparison with a composite score of 52/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Adobe Illustrator full profile →darktable full profile →

Machine formatsJSON Markdown GraphQLor send Accept: application/json

Adobe Illustrator27

★darktable52

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Adobe Illustrator	darktableLeader
Vioscale score	27 / 100low · 38%	52 / 100medium · 60%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✗	✓
Modelpricing.model	commercial	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	unknown	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	✗	✓
Security
Disclosure policysecurity.disclosure_policy	✓	-
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	-	5.3
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	-	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fdarktable-org%2Fdarktable&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0
Reliability
Status pagereliability.status_page	✓	-
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	-	0
Github starsadoption.github_stars	-	12,992
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	-	100
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	-	76
Historyrelease.history	-	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	-	GPL-3.0
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	-	C
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	-	Available worldwide

Score

Vioscale score

Adobe Illustrator27 / 100low · 38%

darktable52 / 100medium · 60%

Pricing

Free tier

Adobe Illustrator✗

darktable✓

Model

Adobe Illustratorcommercial

darktableopen_source

Price level

Adobe Illustratorunknown

darktablefree

Transparent

Adobe Illustrator✗

darktable✓

Security

Disclosure policy

Adobe Illustrator✓

darktable–

Scorecard

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable5.3

Vulnerabilities

Adobe Illustrator–

darktableCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fdarktable-org%2Fdarktable&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Reliability

Status page

Adobe Illustrator✓

darktable–

Adoption

Dependent repos

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable0

Github stars

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable12,992

Activity

Commits last 30d

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable100

Release

Cadence days

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable76

History

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable20 items

License

Spdx

Adobe Illustrator–

darktableGPL-3.0

Language

Primary

Adobe Illustrator–

darktableC

Market

Availability

Adobe Illustrator–

darktableAvailable worldwide

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for design & creative software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for Design & Creative Software
Capability	Adobe Illustrator	darktable
Discipline
Raster / photo editing	-	✓
Vector illustration	✓	✗
DTP / page layout	-	✗
Digital painting	-	✗
Platform
Platform breadth	Part of Adobe Creative Cloud	Linux, Windows (10+), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD
Output
CMYK / print production	-	✓
Interoperability
PSD / AI import	-	-
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration / cloud	-	✗
AI
Generative AI features	✓	✓
Extensibility
Plugin / template ecosystem	-	Lua API for scripting and extensibility
Pricing
Pricing model	-	Open-source (free)
Free / open-source available	-	✓

Discipline

Raster / photo editing

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✓

Vector illustration

Adobe Illustrator✓

darktable✗

DTP / page layout

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✗

Digital painting

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✗

Platform

Platform breadth

Adobe IllustratorPart of Adobe Creative Cloud

darktableLinux, Windows (10+), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD

Output

CMYK / print production

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✓

Interoperability

PSD / AI import

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable-

Collaboration

Real-time collaboration / cloud

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✗

Generative AI features

Adobe Illustrator✓

darktable✓

Extensibility

Plugin / template ecosystem

Adobe Illustrator-

darktableLua API for scripting and extensibility

Pricing

Pricing model

Adobe Illustrator-

darktableOpen-source (free)

Free / open-source available

Adobe Illustrator-

darktable✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Adobe Illustrator

Not documented yet.

darktable

Leader

Darktable is a free, open-source photography application providing non-destructive raw image development and editing. It functions as a virtual darkroom and lighttable, managing photos in a database with professional color management, GPU acceleration, and optional AI-powered features.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Adobe Illustrator

Subscription

as of 2026-08-01verify ↗

darktable

Leader

Open sourceFree tier

Free, open-source

darktableFree
- Non-destructive raw image editing
- Virtual lighttable and darkroom interface
- Digital negative database management
- Professional color management for print output
- GPU-accelerated processing
- +3 more

as of 2026-08-16verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Adobe Illustrator	darktable
macOSPlatforms	-	✓
WindowsPlatforms	-	✓
LinuxPlatforms	-	✓
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✗
Self-hostedDeployment	✗	✓

Platforms

macOS

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable✓

Windows

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable✓

Linux

Adobe Illustrator–

darktable✓

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Adobe Illustrator✓

darktable✗

Self-hosted

Adobe Illustrator✗

darktable✓

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.