How To Open AI Files Without Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector design software used for things like image editing, graphic design, creating logos, and more. While it can be used for both hobbyists and professionals, the price tag is not cheap. At $22.99 a month, most people who use Adobe Illustrator are serious about art. When an Adobe Illustrator file is saved, the file name ends with a .ai, and so commonly, when referring to an Adobe Illustrator file, the abbreviation AI is used. That abbreviation has nothing to do with artificial intelligence, though Adobe is bringing its AI to Photoshop and other products for those who are fans of the latest artificial intelligence technology.

If you don't have Adobe Illustrator, you may still have a situation where you need to open AI files to either edit them or simply view them. You may work as part of a team where some members share AI files. Or you may work with clients or freelancers who use AI. The good news is that you don't need to download and pay for Illustrator to see or alter the files.

Inkscape is a free software for editing files. Both Affinity Designer and CorelDRAW allow you to edit AI files, but you must pay. You can view them for free in Dropbox or with an app called AI Illustrator File Viewer. Depending on whether you want a free or paid version, Adobe Acrobat will let you view AI files or edit them.

Inkscape is an image editing software with a specialization in vector images, the same type of image Illustrator uses. You can open AI files in Inkscape and edit them. It should go smoothly, though that can depend on the complexity of your AI file. Inkscape is free and can be downloaded on Windows or macOS 

The award-winning photo editing and graphic design software, Affinity Designer, can also edit AI files. It has three software versions in Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher. All of them cost a one-time payment of $69.99 to download on Windows or macOS. If you have a choice of either one, Windows 11 offers a Hey Copilot AI Feature that has functionalities Siri does not, providing you with more options if you want help brainstorming how to edit the AI file.

The software CorelDRAW, also available on Windows or macOS, lets you edit AI files. You can pay $9.99 a month for its CorelDRAW Go app. There is also the CorelDRAW Standard for a one-time download price of $299. If you plan to use the software a lot, the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is $329 to download, or $13.25 per month.

You can use Dropbox to view AI files. Dropbox connects to your email and allows you to share and view large files easily. If you just need it for basic personal use, then it is free. For business and professionals, though, they have pricing plans ranging from $9.99 a month to $24 per user per month. These offer advanced features like signing documents and password protection.

The Google Play Store has an app called AI Illustrator File Viewer. With that, you can preview and view AI files as well as save them in a PNG or PDF format. You must have an Android device to access the Google Play Store, such as a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. The app is free.

If you are an Adobe fan, you can view or edit AI files through Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat lets you convert AI files to a PDF. The free version allows you to view and comment on AI files, and even print them if you need to. However, to actually edit the image files, you will need Acrobat Standard. It is $12.99 a month. If you like Acrobat and want to take advantage of more of its functionalities, Acrobat Pro is $19.99 a month.