Best SVG Editors Online in 2026: 9 Free & Paid Tools Compared

Looking for the best SVG editor online? Whether you need to change a logo color, adjust icon strokes, or do full vector illustration in your browser, there's an SVG editor built for your workflow. This guide compares 9 of the best SVG editors available in 2026 — from lightweight browser tools to full-featured desktop applications with web versions.

Quick Comparison: Best SVG Editors Online

Editor	Price	Best For	Browser-Based	Full Vector Drawing
Inkscape	Free	Full vector editing on a budget	No (desktop)	Yes
Boxy SVG	$10/year	Clean browser-native SVG editing	Yes	Yes
SVG Genie Editor	Free	Quick color/stroke edits	Yes	No
Method Draw	Free	Simple shapes & basic editing	Yes	Yes
Figma	Free–$15/mo	Collaborative UI/vector design	Yes	Yes
Vectr	Free	Beginners learning vector design	Yes	Yes
Pixelied	Free–$5/mo	Quick edits with templates	Yes	No
Mediamodifier	Free–$15/mo	Mockups with SVG editing	Yes	No
SVG Viewer	Free	Inspecting & previewing SVGs	Yes	No

What to Look for in an SVG Editor

Before diving into each tool, here's what matters when choosing an SVG editor:

• Editing scope — Do you need to draw new paths, or just tweak colors and strokes on existing files?
• SVG code quality — Some editors bloat output with unnecessary metadata. Clean code matters for web performance.
• Privacy — Does the tool process files locally or upload them to a server?
• Cost — Many editors are free for basic use. Paid tiers typically add collaboration, export options, or advanced features.
• Platform — Browser-based tools work anywhere. Desktop apps often have more features but require installation.

Detailed Reviews

1. Inkscape — Best Free Desktop SVG Editor

Inkscape is the gold standard for free, open-source vector editing. It handles everything from simple path modifications to complex illustrations with boolean operations, text on path, gradient meshes, and extensions.

Strengths:

• Full vector creation and editing — draw, modify, and combine paths
• Extensive extension ecosystem (trace bitmap, generate barcodes, etc.)
• Reads and writes clean SVG natively
• Active open-source community with regular updates
• Completely free with no feature restrictions

Limitations:

• Desktop-only — requires download and installation
• Steeper learning curve than browser editors
• UI can feel dated compared to Figma or Illustrator
• Performance degrades with very complex files (1000+ paths)

Best for: Designers and developers who need a full vector editor without paying for Adobe Illustrator. Ideal for complex SVG work like illustrations, detailed icons, and print graphics.

Price: Free (open-source)

2. Boxy SVG — Best Browser-Native SVG Editor

Boxy SVG is a modern SVG editor built specifically for the browser. It supports full vector drawing — pen tool, shapes, text, gradients, filters — with a clean interface that feels native to the web.

Strengths:

• True browser-based vector editor with pen tool and shape tools
• Clean SVG output with minimal bloat
• Supports SVG filters, masks, and clip paths
• Available as Chrome extension, PWA, and desktop app
• Affordable at $10/year

Limitations:

• Smaller community than Inkscape or Figma
• No real-time collaboration
• Some advanced features (like mesh gradients) are missing
• Limited import support for AI/PSD files

Best for: Web developers and designers who want a dedicated SVG editor in the browser without the overhead of Figma or a desktop app.

Price: Free (basic), $10/year (full features)

3. SVG Genie Editor — Best for Quick SVG Edits

SVG Genie's SVG editor is a free, browser-based tool designed for fast visual edits to existing SVG files. Upload any SVG, click elements in the sidebar, and adjust fill colors, stroke colors, stroke width, and opacity — all without leaving your browser.

Strengths:

• Zero setup — upload and start editing immediately
• 100% client-side processing — files never leave your device
• Clean element tree showing every editable shape in the SVG
• Color picker + hex input for precise color matching
• Completely free with no signup, watermarks, or usage limits

Limitations:

• No path drawing or creation tools
• Focused on visual properties (color, stroke, opacity) rather than geometry
• No text editing or gradient creation
• Single-file editing only

Best for: Developers and marketers who need to quickly recolor a logo, adjust icon strokes, or tweak SVG element properties without opening a full design application. Pairs well with the AI SVG Generator for a generate-then-refine workflow.

Price: Free

4. Method Draw — Best Free Minimalist SVG Editor

Method Draw is an open-source web-based SVG editor forked from SVG-edit. It offers basic drawing tools — rectangles, circles, paths, text — in a minimal interface.

Strengths:

• Simple, distraction-free interface
• Basic vector drawing tools built into the browser
• Open-source and self-hostable
• Exports clean SVG files
• No account required

Limitations:

• Very basic feature set — no layers, no boolean operations
• No active development (last significant update was 2020)
• Limited path editing capabilities
• No import of complex SVG files with groups/defs

Best for: Quick sketches or simple SVG creation when you don't need a full editor. Good for creating basic shapes and icons from scratch.

Price: Free (open-source)

5. Figma — Best for Collaborative Vector Design

Figma is primarily a UI design tool, but its vector editing capabilities make it a capable SVG editor. The free tier supports up to 3 projects with full vector tools.

Strengths:

• Powerful vector tools (pen, pencil, boolean operations)
• Real-time collaboration with teammates
• Excellent for UI design workflows that include SVG assets
• Large plugin ecosystem
• Free tier is genuinely usable

Limitations:

• SVG export quality varies — often adds unnecessary wrappers and transforms
• Requires account creation
• Not purpose-built for SVG — some SVG features (filters, animations) aren't supported
• Can feel heavyweight for simple SVG edits
• Cloud-based — files are uploaded to Figma's servers

Best for: Teams already using Figma for UI design who occasionally need to edit SVG files as part of their design workflow.

Price: Free (3 projects), $15/month (Professional)

6. Vectr — Best for Beginners

Vectr is a free vector editor aimed at beginners. It provides basic shapes, text, pen tool, and layers in a browser-based interface with a gentler learning curve than Figma or Inkscape.

Strengths:

• Beginner-friendly interface with guided tutorials
• Real-time sharing via URL
• Cross-platform (web, desktop, Chromebook)
• Free with no feature restrictions

Limitations:

• Limited advanced features (no boolean operations in free tier)
• SVG export can include extra metadata
• Smaller community and fewer resources
• Development pace has slowed

Best for: Non-designers who need to create or edit simple vectors without learning complex software.

Price: Free

7. Pixelied — Best for Template-Based SVG Editing

Pixelied combines an SVG editor with a template library. It's designed for marketers who want to customize existing SVG templates rather than create from scratch.

Strengths:

• Large template library for social media, logos, and icons
• Simple property editing (colors, text, sizing)
• Built-in export to multiple formats
• Background remover and other image tools included

Limitations:

• Many templates are raster-based, not true SVG
• SVG editing is basic — no path manipulation
• Free tier has watermarks on some exports
• Templates can feel generic

Best for: Marketers and social media managers who need to customize SVG-based templates quickly.

Price: Free (limited), $5/month (Pro)

8. Mediamodifier — Best for Mockups with SVG

Mediamodifier focuses on mockup generation but includes basic SVG editing capabilities. Upload an SVG, change colors, and place it on device mockups.

Strengths:

• Thousands of device and product mockups
• Basic SVG color editing
• Quick mockup generation for presentations
• API for automated mockup creation

Limitations:

• SVG editing is very basic — mainly color swaps
• Primary focus is mockups, not SVG editing
• Paid plan required for full mockup library
• Not suitable for detailed SVG modifications

Best for: Designers and marketers who need to edit SVG colors and immediately place them on mockups.

Price: Free (limited), $15/month (Pro)

9. SVG Viewer — Best for SVG Inspection

SVG Viewer is a developer-focused tool for inspecting, optimizing, and previewing SVG files. While not a traditional editor, it lets you view SVG source code, optimize with SVGO, and convert to React/JSX.

Strengths:

• Source code view with syntax highlighting
• Built-in SVGO optimization
• SVG to React/JSX conversion
• Clean, developer-friendly interface

Limitations:

• No visual editing (color pickers, property panels)
• Code-only workflow
• Limited to single-file operations

Best for: Developers who want to inspect SVG structure, optimize file size, and convert to code.

Price: Free

Which SVG Editor Should You Use?

The best SVG editor depends on what you're trying to do:

"I need to change colors or strokes on an existing SVG" Use the SVG Genie editor. It's instant, free, and your files stay on your device.

"I need to draw vectors from scratch in my browser" Use Boxy SVG ($10/year) or Method Draw (free). Boxy SVG is more capable; Method Draw is simpler.

"I need a full professional vector editor" Use Inkscape (free) or Adobe Illustrator (paid). Inkscape matches most of Illustrator's features at zero cost.

"I'm working with a design team" Use Figma. Real-time collaboration is worth the trade-offs in SVG export quality.

"I want AI-generated SVGs that I can then edit" Use SVG Genie's AI generator to create the vector, then refine it in the SVG editor or import into Inkscape for complex modifications.

Tips for Editing SVGs Online

Regardless of which editor you choose, keep these best practices in mind:

1. Keep a backup — Save the original SVG before editing. Most online editors don't have undo history that persists across sessions.
2. Check the output code — After editing, open the SVG in a text editor and look for unnecessary metadata, empty groups, or bloated path data. Run through SVG minification if needed.
3. Test at multiple sizes — SVGs should look crisp at any size. Verify your edits work at both small (16px favicon) and large (hero banner) scales.
4. Validate after editing — Use an SVG validator to catch syntax issues that could cause rendering problems across browsers.
5. Optimize before shipping — Even well-structured SVGs benefit from minification. Removing comments, shortening path data, and collapsing groups can reduce file size by 30-60%.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free SVG editor online? For quick edits (colors, strokes, opacity), the SVG Genie editor is the fastest free option — no signup, fully browser-based. For full vector drawing in the browser, Boxy SVG's free tier or Method Draw are solid choices. For desktop, Inkscape is the most feature-complete free SVG editor available.

Can I edit SVG files without downloading software? Yes. Browser-based SVG editors like SVG Genie, Boxy SVG, Method Draw, and Figma all work directly in your web browser. Upload your SVG file and start editing immediately.

Is it safe to edit SVG files online? It depends on the tool. Editors that process files client-side (like SVG Genie) never upload your data to a server — your files stay on your device. Cloud-based editors like Figma upload files to their servers. Check the tool's privacy policy if you're working with sensitive assets.

What's the difference between an SVG editor and a vector editor? An SVG editor works specifically with the SVG file format. A vector editor (like Illustrator or Inkscape) works with multiple vector formats (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) and typically offers more drawing tools. All SVG editors are vector editors, but not all vector editors specialize in SVG.

Can I convert edited SVGs to other formats? Most SVG editors export SVG files. To convert to PNG, use an SVG to PNG converter. For React components, use an SVG to React converter. For other formats like PDF or EPS, Inkscape or Illustrator can handle the conversion.