Excellent

All of these tools support exporting to PNG format and to lossless scalable SVG files. Those who want to embed drawings in HTML documents will benefit from the fact that the W3C standard for SVG [5] includes effect filters as well as basic shapes. You can, for example, create soft drop shadows in Inkscape or Karbon. When saving, Inkscape users should be sure to select the Plain SVG format, which cuts a better figure in the browser than the native Inkscape SVG.

Inkscape is without a doubt the most powerful drawing program in the test (Table 1). Over the years the developers have implemented many features. For example, it's possible to insert kinks into otherwise smooth Bezier curves in a quick and effortless way that not even professional programs like Adobe Illustrator achieve. However, the numerous functions extend the learning curve.

If you want to sketch something quickly, however, you should turn to one of the less bloated applications. Karbon, like LibreOffice Draw, provides prebuilt shape templates, but there are far fewer of them. Instead, the KDE program scores points with a powerful freehand tool. Exchanging data with other Calligra components works well. Some deductions in scoring were made because of the inadequate documentation.

Draw impresses with a wealth of ready-made templates that leave nothing to be desired. Additionally, users can customize most templates to suit their own needs. The software is better suited than other candidates for flowcharts and pie charts – optionally with a sophisticated 3D look. Drawings created with Draw can migrate to other LibreOffice modules without a detour and without exporting. Anyone using the free office package for documentation should take a look at the drawing components.

sK1 is the leanest program in the test and is suitable for anyone who just wants to sketch or draw something quickly. It is a shame that the clear and handy software does not provide a freehand drawing tool, because drawing is often more intuitive with such a tool than with Bezier curves.