3.8/5
All-apps suite covering InDesign (page layout), Illustrator (vector), Photoshop (image compositing), and Acrobat Pro (PDF) -- the industry-standard toolchain for print-ready project proposals and competition boards.
Vendor Lock-in
Presentation & Graphics
Graphic design and layout tools for proposal boards, marketing sheets, and project presentations -- the standard creative stack for the sole-practitioner architect.
6 tools reviewed, sorted by composite score.
3.8/5
Browser-based vector design tool with real-time multiplayer collaboration, a native Slides mode, and a REST API -- increasingly used by architects for presentation layout, competition board compositions, and client review decks.
3.8/5
Industry-standard slide presentation application included in Microsoft 365, with a Slide Master system, Morph transitions, and Copilot AI slide generation -- the universal client-meeting format for architecture deliverables.
3.4/5
Browser-based graphic design platform with 1.6M+ templates covering presentations, proposal boards, marketing sheets, and social graphics -- drag-and-drop editor, no design experience required.
3.2/5
Free professional suite from Serif (now Canva-owned) combining Publisher (InDesign-class page layout), Designer (Illustrator-class vector), and Photo (Photoshop-class image editing) in one desktop application with CMYK and PDF/X output.
3.0/5
Free Apple presentation app with polished motion themes, Magic Move transitions, and 700+ editable shapes -- natively available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad; accessible with reduced features via iCloud web on any browser.
Comparison Table
| Tool | Composite | Maturity | Agent | Integration | Evidence | Value | Pricing | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Cloud | 3.8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | Subscription | Vendor Lock-in |
| Figma | 3.8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Freemium | none |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 3.8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | Subscription | none |
| Canva | 3.4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Freemium | none |
| Affinity Studio | 3.2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Free | none |
| Apple Keynote | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Free | none |
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