Inkscape review: logos that stay on your computer

Inkscape is a free open-source vector graphics editor for logos, diagrams and illustrations. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 1.4.4, released on 6 May 2026, is the current stable download. The usual save format is SVG, an open standard that web browsers can open. The program does not collect or transmit personal information, so the artwork stays on your computer. ¹ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ²

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

What it is: A desktop editor for logos, diagrams, type and illustrations. ¹

Works on: Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 1.4.4 is the current stable release. ¹ ⁷

Price: Free, including commercial use. ⁸

Licence: GNU GPL. Finished builds are GPL-3.0-or-later; most source code is GPL-2.0-or-later. ⁴

Best for: Sharp artwork you can keep editing in a file on your own computer.

Official site: inkscape.org

What Inkscape does (and how it protects your privacy)

People use Inkscape for cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagrams and flowcharts. A drawing is not tied to a fixed number of pixels, so it stays sharp when you scale it. The main file is SVG, a World Wide Web Consortium standard that browsers and other programs can open. Inkscape can also import and export PDF, AI, EPS, PostScript and PNG. ¹ ⁸

You install Inkscape and draw on your own computer. Its privacy policy says the program does not collect or transmit any personal information. A shared SVG can still contain your username and a folder path, which Optimized SVG removes. ²

Files you save or export, such as SVG, PNG and PDF, belong to you, or to the original authors if you built on their work. Inkscape can place a raster image in the layout and move, transform or clip it. When you need a picture someone else made, start from a library with a clear licence, such as Openverse. ³ ⁸

Key Inkscape features

Shapes and lines. Rectangles, circles, stars and spirals, a pencil for freehand lines, and a pen for curves. ⁵
Text. Multi-line text you edit directly on the page. ⁵
Layers. Hide, lock and rearrange objects so a logo and its background stay separate. ⁵
Colour. Palettes, a colour picker, and gradients with more than one stop. ⁵
SVG in, other formats out. The working file is SVG. Export includes PNG, PDF, EPS, AI and PostScript. ¹ ⁵
Pictures and a calmer screen. You can embed a bitmap, or import from online image libraries (that step uses the internet). Themes include a dark mode, and zoom runs from 1% to 25600%. ⁵

Pros and cons

Pros

Free to use and share for any purpose, including paid client work. ⁸
The drawing stays in a file you own, in a format other programs can open. ¹ ³
The program does not collect or transmit personal information. ²
Official 1.4.4 builds cover Windows, macOS and Linux, and that version is the current stable release. ⁶ ⁷
Many authors develop it. The project is a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy, a US non-profit. ¹
Shapes stay editable, so a logo can be revised later without redrawing a flat picture.

Cons

Inkscape can place a raster image in a poster and move, transform or clip it. ⁸ Developing the photograph itself is separate work.
The 1.4.4 downloads are desktop packages for Windows, macOS and Linux. That list has no iPhone or Android app. ⁷
An SVG you share can contain your username and a folder path unless you save Optimized SVG. ²
The project website is separate. If you register or upload files there, it may ask for a name and email. ²
A planned version 1.5 stores multi-page files in a new way. Inkscape older than 1.4.3 cannot read those pages. Version 1.4.4 can convert them back. ⁶

Is Inkscape safe and private?

The software privacy policy says Inkscape does not collect or transmit personal information. A logo or diagram is a normal file you save, such as SVG, PNG or PDF, in a folder you choose. A shared SVG can still carry your username and a local path; Optimized SVG removes them. The online image-library import is the feature that reaches the web, and only when you choose it. ² ⁵

The website has separate rules, last updated on 28 June 2016. You may visit without giving your name. If you register, fill in a form or upload artwork, the site may ask for a name or nickname and an email address. It says it does not sell, trade or rent that information. ²

Contributors build Inkscape, and each author keeps their own copyright. The project is a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy, a US non-profit. The website publishes GNU GPL version 2 for the program, its packages, extensions and source code. The COPYING file for 1.4.4 is more specific: most source code is GPL version 2 or later, and the complete finished program is covered by GPL version 3 or later. You may use and distribute Inkscape for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial. If you distribute a modified version, you must offer its source code. ¹ ³ ⁴ ⁸

Version 1.4.4, released on 6 May 2026, is a maintenance and bugfix release, and it is the current stable download. ⁶ ⁷

How to get started with Inkscape

Open the official Inkscape 1.4.4 release page and the download list for 1.4.4. Take the installer from there.
On Windows, use the 64-bit exe or msi, or the Windows Store build on the same list. On a Mac, use the Intel dmg or the arm64 dmg, matching your chip. On Linux, use the Flatpak, AppImage, Snap or Ubuntu PPA from that list. ⁷
Open Inkscape and draw a rectangle or a simple curve. The program does not collect personal information while you work. ²
Save the document as SVG, Inkscape’s main format, and keep that file if you want to edit the shapes later. ¹
Export a PNG for a website or a slide, or a PDF for a print shop. Both are on the export list. ⁵
If you will email the SVG or publish it, save a copy as Optimized SVG so your username and folder path are removed. ²

Who should use Inkscape (and who might prefer something else)

Inkscape fits people who design logos, icons, posters, diagrams and illustrations and want the original to stay editable on their own computer. Commercial work is allowed, and the file you save is yours to licence, unless it includes someone else’s artwork. ³ ⁸

If the job is developing raw photographs, darktable is the closer match. Inkscape can still place the finished photo into a poster. For a quick diagram you want to sketch with other people, Excalidraw is a lighter shared whiteboard. For screen and interface design, with a choice of where the files are hosted, Penpot is built for that job.

Frequently asked questions

Is Inkscape free?

Yes. The FAQ says you are free to use and distribute Inkscape for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial. If you share a modified copy of the program, you must also offer that copy’s source code. ⁸

Is Inkscape safe?

The program does not collect or transmit personal information, and drawings stay in files on your computer. Save Optimized SVG before you share a file, so your username and folder path are removed. The website is separate and was last updated on 28 June 2016: browsing can be anonymous, while an account or upload may ask for a name and email. ²

Does Inkscape work on iPhone, Windows and Mac?

It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 1.4.4 offers a Windows 64-bit installer, a Windows Store build, Mac disk images for Intel and Apple silicon, and Linux packages including Flatpak, AppImage and Snap. That download list does not include an iPhone or Android app. ¹ ⁷

Can I use Inkscape for a business logo?

Yes. Commercial use is allowed, and a file you save or export belongs to you, unless you started from someone else’s artwork. Keep the SVG so you can edit the logo later, and export a PNG or PDF when a printer or a website needs a finished picture. ³ ⁵ ⁸