5 best product packaging design software

Radu Tyrsina
by Radu Tyrsina

CEO & Founder

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an… Read more

  • Looking for the best software for packaging design? Our thorough selection cannot disappoint you.
  • Create unique and original art with our feature-rich packaging design software choices.
  • CorelDraw’s intuitive interface will make designing ideas easier than ever.
  • We’ve also selected Inkscape as a free alternative for those who are just starting out with designing.

software for packaging design

Although not everyone wants to admit it, we all look for the packaging when deciding whether to buy a product or not.

It has to be attractive, yet to the point, and it needs to subconsciously make the customer buy it over any other product.

Designing such packaging is thus no easy task, as you not only need a good sense of style but also a good graphic design tool to go with it.

Since a sense of style is not something you can download, you can choose what tool to use when creating your product’s packaging. Depending on your choice, you can eventually make your job a whole lot easier.

As such, we’re going to be listing a few software tools that are to be the best of the best when it comes to designing the packaging or pretty much any product imaginable.


Topping out our list is a world industry-standard and best software for packaging design that has dominated the market for years now.

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based graphic design program that allows you to unleash your wildest imaginations when it comes to visuals.

It doesn’t matter if you are interested in designing a simple 2-color logo or a banner the size of a stadium with all the colors of the rainbow, Illustrator has everything you need.

The program comes with an extensive library of tools, brushes, and extensions that can be used to enrich your experience using it.

That being said, even a task such as designing the packaging of a product is a piece of cake with Adobe Illustrator.

The software features layer support, so your packaging can contain all the elements that you can ever dream of.

One great thing about is that it features plenty of tools that automate the creative process in an intuitive way, so less time focusing on doing basic tasks and more time focusing on what truly matters.

Here are some of Adobe Illustrator’s main features:

  • 24/7 Customer Support
  • An almost unlimited supply of resources
  • Plenty of tutorial guides
  • A complete toolset
  • Familiar UI for those used to Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator

Create awesome product packages that will attract customers and help your business with Adobe Illustrator

Are you wondering which software is used for packaging design? If you’re not all that versed with graphic design tools, then maybe Adobe Illustrator’s UI might seem a bit scary.

As such, if you are willing to part with a few of the tools and features, you could always choose a program like CorelDRAW.

While still a solid vector-based graphic design tool, CorelDRAW is far more user-friendly thanks to the cleaner and more intuitive UI.

However, unlike Illustrator, CorelDRAW is far more limited in terms of what it can do, as it is mostly directed towards those that want to make simpler designs, such as logos, or infographics.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot use it for packaging designs, just that you won’t be able to do everything you want with it just as easy.

Here are some of CorelDRAW’s main features:

  • Intuitive interface
  • A solid set of tools and features
  • Full layer control
  • Not too resource-intensive
  • Great for designing logos as well
CorelDraw

CorelDraw

Create amazing graphic designs for your work by using the plethora of features included with CorelDraw

This next product is probably new to you since it hasn’t been on the market for all that long as compared to the other entries, but that doesn’t mean it is not a good choice.

However, do not get fooled by its short time, because this doesn’t mean that it is bad since it comes with quite an impressive toolset.

Graphic Design Studio from Summitsoft boasts what many would argue as being an entry-level interface that pretty much anyone can handle.

By using this program you can create your own professional looking graphics with easy-to-use design tools that make your projects look like you paid a graphic designer.

This is all thanks to the menus that are arranged in a way that is both logical and intuitive, as you can almost tell where you can find a certain feature even if it is your first time using the program.

More so, if you’re a fan of the hands-on approach, you will be happy to know that Graphic Design Studio also supports pencil and pen tools to their full extent.

Here are some of Graphic Design Studio’s main features:

  • Beginner-friendly UI
  • Wide range of tools
  • Can be used for plenty of graphic design projects
  • A wide library of Inspirations (templates) to choose from
  • The price tag
Graphic Design Studio

Graphic Design Studio

Design your own creations and put your ideas on paper by using a plethora of features with Graphic Design Studio

This next entry is probably one that many Adobe Illustrators have heard. Affinity Designer was originally designed for use on the MacOSX but has slowly migrated to the Windows platform as well.

Those of you with prior Photoshop or Illustrator experience will find the UI to be very familiar, but those of you that are hard-core Windows fans may not like the macOS-inspired look.

However, if you love designing on the go, such as on a tablet, then you’ll love how Affinity Designer integrates itself with the device.

Regardless of which, if packaging design is what you are looking for, then Affinity Designer has all the tools that you may ever need, including font bundles, illustration kits, brush packs and more.

All in all, these bonuses are meant to help you bring some extra creativity and polish to your projects, thus creating quality products.

Here are some of Affinity Designer’s main features:

  • Plenty of bonus features such as brushes, fonts, and more
  • Full layer support
  • Vector-based design
  • Portable device compatibility
  • Photoshop and Illustrator-inspired look
Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer’s interactive and awesome UI will make binging your ideas to life easier than ever

If you’re on a budget and are not bothered by the occasional bug here and there, then Inkscape is definitely the tool that you should be looking at.

Taking into consideration the fact that it is completely free, the sheer number of features and tools that Inkscape has is amazing.

More so, the fact that it is open-source makes it an ideal candidate for a large number of plugins that can add even more functionality to the base program.

As far as graphic design goes, Inkscape is perfectly capable of creating pretty much anything, from tiny logos to digital art and even billboards and banners.

Unfortunately, being free means that technical support is non-existent, but if you browse their forums, you are bound to find a solution at some point.

This product is completely free, without any hidden costs, although you can contribute through donations if you wish to support its developement.

Here are some of Inkscape’s main features:

  • High-quality vector-based graphics
  • Great support forums
  • Highly customizable with plug-ins
  • Free
  • Open-source

Download Inkscape


Designing your packaging in a way that will draw the attention of potential customers is basically winning half the battle.

Thus, it is always good to invest in a very good software tool when it comes to designing your product. Therefore, make sure that your final choice suits your needs.


Frequently Asked Questions