7 Best Fashion Design Software Programs 2024 (For Clothing)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

First-Person Perspective: We buy, test and review software products based on a 3-step rating methodology and first-hand experienceIf you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our rating methodology and how we make money.

Today there are 83 different fashion design software. We spent 95 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to design clothing and accessories.

What is the Best Fashion Design Software?

  1. EdrawMax — best of the best
  2. Adobe Illustrator — best for professional designers
  3. Fusion 360 — best for manufacturers
  4. Canva — best for beginners
  5. Glorify — best free plan
  6. CorelDRAW — best for Mac
  7. Rhino — best for Windows

Our Verdict — Best Of The Best

Price: Starts at $69/six months

EdrawMax is a user-friendly fashion design tool with innovative tools for amateur and professional fashion designers alike. We think it’s the best because of its customizable templates, sleek interface, and team collaboration tools.

The Best Part:

  • Customizable templates. EdrawMax offers a variety of fashion design templates, including templates for footwear, clothing, and accessories, as well as male and female body templates.

The Worst Part:

  • Steep learning curve. EdrawMax’s advanced features can be challenging to grasp at first, especially for beginners.

Get it if you want a user-friendly fashion design software with epic templates for every accessory or body type.

I recommend you start with the 15-day free trial, then get the Lifetime Plan for $198.

(15-day free trial)

Best For

EdrawMax is best for fashion designers who want a user-friendly tool to create and collaborate on innovative clothing designs.

Top Features

  • Multi-device compatibility. Design and edit your creations on Windows, Mac, Linux, or even your browser with EdrawMax's online platform.
  • Real-time collaboration. Collaborate seamlessly with your team and exchange design ideas with EdrawMax's cloud storage and integrated communication tools.
  • Drag-and-drop design elements. Create fashion designs faster by dragging and dropping pre-built elements, such as buttons, zips, and pleats, onto your canvas.
  • Infinite canvas. Let your creativity run wild with EdrawMax’s limitless digital design canvas.
  • Real-world dimensions. Export professional presentations showcasing your fashion designs with a click, including true-to-life measurements for garments, accessories, and footwear.

Pricing

EdrawMax offers three pricing plans:

  • Subscription Plan: $69 for six months, or $99/year, for fashion designers who want a budget-friendly option with regular updates, comprehensive fashion design tools, and 1 GB of cloud storage.
  • Lifetime plan: $198 one-time payment, for fashion designers who prefer a one-time purchase for long-term use, with lifetime upgrades and 10 GB of cloud storage.
  • Lifetime Bundle Plan: $245 one-time payment, for professional fashion designers who want to maximize their investment by gaining access to EdrawMax, EdrawMind, and EdrawProj for a comprehensive project management toolkit.

The annual plan provides a 28% discount.

Try EdrawMax today with a free 15-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For Professional Designers

Price: Starts at $31.49/month

Adobe Illustrator is the go-to software for professional fashion designers who want to stand out. We think it’s the best for professional designers because of its advanced drawing tools, vector-based graphics, and exceptional color management features.

The Best Part:

  • Robust drawing tools. Illustrator comes with countless brushes, patterns, and shapes, allowing you to bring your visions to life with precision.

The Worst Part:

  • Limited raster image editing. Illustrator is mainly a vector-based graphic design program. It falls short when it comes to editing raster images.

Get it if you want a versatile design program that empowers you to bring your fashion ideas to life, from detailed sketches to unique patterns and textiles.

I recommend you start with the 7-day free trial, then get the Yearly plan for $239.88/year.

(7-day free trial)

Best For

Adobe Illustrator is best for professional fashion designers who want to create detailed clothing designs that stand out.

Top Features

  • Vector-based graphics. Scale your designs up or down without losing quality to create infinitely scalable illustrations for any garment size.
  • The Pen tool. Sketch garments and create detailed fashion illustrations with precision by using Illustrator’s Pen tool.
  • Custom brushes. Craft unique textures and patterns for fabrics, accessories, and garment details with Illustrator’s custom brushes.
  • Saved design elements. Save reusable design elements like buttons, zippers, or patterns as symbols to incorporate into future designs.
  • Automated gradients. Use gradients to create depth and dimension in your fashion illustrations and pattern designs.

Pricing

Adobe Illustrator offers two pricing plans:

  • Illustrator: $31.49/month for professional fashion designers and illustrators who want full access to Adobe Illustrator's powerful tools and features.
  • Creative Cloud All Apps 100GB: $82.49/month for professional fashion designers who want access to the entire suite of Adobe applications, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Lightroom.

Annual plans provide a 36% discount.

Try Adobe Illustrator today with a free 7-day trial.

Our Verdict — Best For Manufacturers

Price: Starts at $56/month

Fusion 360 is a comprehensive CAD (computer-aided design) program for creating innovative fashion manufacturing designs. We think it’s the best for manufacturers because of its powerful parametric modeling features, integrated CAM capabilities, and robust freeform modeling.

The Best Part:

  • Seamless CAM integration. Fusion 360 streamlines fashion manufacturing with its integrated CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) capabilities, enabling you to automate processes, boost accuracy, and cut down on machining time.

The Worst Part:

  • System requirements. Fusion 360 requires quite the powerful Mac or Windows machine to run smoothly.

Get it if you want a comprehensive CAD/CAM solution to simulate, test, and refine your fashion designs.

I recommend you start with the 30-day free trial, then sign up for $56/month.

(30-day free trial)

Best For

Fusion 360 is best for manufacturers in the fashion industry who want to leverage cutting-edge design technologies to streamline processes and stay ahead of the competition.

Top Features

  • Parametric modeling. Generate precise and editable 3D models of garments, accessories, and hardware to make the manufacturing process a breeze.
  • Freeform modeling. Create complex and organic body shapes with ease using Fusion 360's freeform modeling tools
  • 2D documentation. Create detailed 2D drawings for measurements, annotations, and BOMs directly from your 3D models.
  • Rendering and visualization. Generate photorealistic renderings and animations of your fashion designs to effectively communicate your vision to clients and stakeholders.
  • Additive manufacturing. Fine-tune your fashion designs for 3D printing by adjusting settings, selecting specific printers, and choosing suitable materials.

Pricing

Fusion 360 offers a single pricing plan:

  • Fusion 360: $56/month for manufacturers in the fashion industry.

Annual plans provide a 35% discount.

Try Fusion 360 today with a free 30-day trial.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

  1. EdrawMax — best of the best
  2. Adobe Illustrator — best for professional designers
  3. Fusion 360 — best for manufacturers

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Tool

Entry Offer

Pricing

EdrawMax

15-day free trial

Starts at $69/mo

Adobe Illustrator

7-day free trial

Starts at $31.49/mo

Fusion 360

30-day free trial

Starts at $56/mo

Canva

30-day free trial

Starts at $12.99/mo

Glorify

Free plan

Starts at $29.99/mo

CorelDRAW

15-day free trial

Starts at $269/yr

Rhino

90-day free trial

$1,100

Here are the top 50 fashion design software we considered in this review:

  1. EdrawMax 
  2. Adobe Illustrator
  3. Fusion 360
  4. Canva
  5. Glorify
  6. CorelDRAW
  7. Rhino
  8. CLO 3D
  9. Blue Cherry
  10. Browzwear
  11. C-Design Fashion
  12. MarvelousDesigner
  13. Digital Fashion Pro
  14. EFI OPTITEX
  15. Maya
  16. PatternSmith
  17. Romans CAD
  18. The Smart Designer
  19. Tailornova
  20. TUKA 3D
  21. Virtuality.Fashion
  22. Wild Ginger Cameo
  23. ZBrush
  24. Sketchbook
  25. InPixio
  26. Design Suite
  27. AccuMark
  28. Idesignibuy tailoring solution
  29. Jaza Software
  30. Comprehensiv ERP
  31. STYLEtexpro CAD
  32. Evolution Textile Design
  33. iGarment
  34. Modaris 3D
  35. SnapFashun
  36. Fashion CAD
  37. eTelestia
  38. Stitchex
  39. Apparel Innovator
  40. Cutting Master
  41. Gemini Pattern Designer X17
  42. Techpacker
  43. Cochenille Design Studio
  44. Simplio3D
  45. Delogue PLM
  46. Flixstock
  47. Visme
  48. HandySeam
  49. Inference
  50. Valentina

Is there software for designing clothes?

Yes, there are various software options for designing clothes, such as 3D fashion design software, Clothing Design Software, and Digital Fashion Pro. 

EdrawMax is a versatile and user-friendly tool best suited for both amateur and professional fashion designers. It offers creative designs, unlimited possibilities, and advanced features, such as 3D designs and real-life design processes. With tools like flat sketches, true-motion fit, online platform, and modular design, EdrawMax is an excellent choice for creating innovative clothing designs. The software comes with different pricing plans, starting at $69/six months, with a 15-day free trial available.

What software do fashion stylists use?

Fashion stylists often use graphic design software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, for creating beautiful designs. 

Adobe Illustrator is a popular choice for professional designers due to its advanced features, vector illustration capabilities, and key features like fabric simulation and fabric patterns. It offers advanced drawing tools, Fabric Matching, and exceptional color management features. With tools like the Pen tool, custom brushes, saved design elements, and automated gradients, Illustrator allows designers to create stunning, detailed clothing designs. Pricing starts at $31.49/month, with a 7-day free trial available.

What is CAD for fashion design?

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) for fashion design refers to the use of computer software and technology to create, modify, analyze, and optimize fashion designs. 3D clothing design software and 3D fashion design tools are examples of CAD software used in the industry. Fusion 360 is a comprehensive CAD program ideal for creating innovative fashion manufacturing designs, thanks to its powerful parametric modeling features, integrated CAM capabilities, and robust freeform modeling. Fusion 360 is best suited for manufacturers in the fashion industry, with pricing starting at $56/month and a 30-day free trial available.

Is Photoshop or Illustrator better for fashion design?

Illustrator is generally considered better for fashion design, as it is a vector-based graphic design program that allows designers to create precise, scalable designs for patterns and textiles. Photoshop, while useful for editing raster images and creating photorealistic renderings, is not specifically designed for fashion design. Illustrator provides a more comprehensive toolset for fashion designers, including custom brushes, vector illustration, and fabric simulation.

What Adobe do fashion designers use?

Fashion designers typically use Adobe Illustrator for creating detailed clothing designs, as it offers advanced vector-based graphics, custom brushes, and exceptional color management features. They may also use Adobe Photoshop for editing raster images, creating photorealistic renderings, and designing promotional materials. Both Illustrator and Photoshop are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which offers a wide range of graphic design tools and applications.

Can you design clothing in Adobe Illustrator?

Yes, you can design clothing in Adobe Illustrator. As a vector-based graphic design program, Illustrator is ideal for creating precise, scalable designs for garments, patterns, and textiles. The software offers advanced drawing tools, custom brushes, saved design elements, and automated gradients, which enable fashion designers to create stunning, detailed clothing designs. Additionally, Illustrator's Pen tool and vector illustration capabilities allow for the creation of functional sketches and the development of complete fashion collections in a digital environment.

What Adobe product is like Canva?

Adobe Spark is the Adobe product most similar to Canva. Like Canva, Adobe Spark is a user-friendly graphic design tool designed for creating social media graphics, web pages, and short videos. It offers a range of customizable templates, fonts, and design elements that make it easy for users to create visually appealing content without needing extensive design experience. Adobe Spark is available on web and mobile platforms, making it accessible for users to create and edit their designs on the go.

Can I use AutoCAD for fashion design?

AutoCAD is primarily a drafting and modeling software used in architecture, engineering, and construction industries, and it is not specifically designed for fashion design. However, AutoCAD can be used for fashion design, as it allows for the creation of 2D technical drawings, detailing the dimensions and shapes of clothing patterns.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best fashion design software to try this year:

  1. EdrawMax — best of the best
  2. Adobe Illustrator — best for professional designers
  3. Fusion 360 — best for manufacturers
  4. Canva — best for beginners
  5. Glorify — best free plan
  6. CorelDRAW — best for Mac
  7. Rhino — best for Windows

Make Your First $100K Per Month

Learn how to leverage a blog + smart AI to make $100k per month. Includes examples, illustrations, and step-by-step instructions.

>