Vector Treasure Trove for Illustrators: 5 Websites Providing Awesome Resources

In the field of graphic design, especially when working with Adobe Illustrator , vector resources play an important role in helping designers complete products quickly and professionally. However, not everyone has the time and tools to create vectors from scratch, especially when complex designs are needed or require style consistency.

That is why websites that provide vector resources have become indispensable tools for designers. These websites not only save time but also provide rich, high-quality resources, supporting AI, EPS, SVG formats, making it easy for you to edit on Illustrator. This article will introduce the Top 5 websites that provide vector resources to help you find the right vectors for your project.

1. Basic information about Vector

In graphic design, a vector is a type of image created from points, lines, and shapes defined by mathematical formulas. Unlike raster (bitmap) images, which are made up of pixels, vectors can be enlarged or reduced without losing quality or becoming pixelated.

Vector has several important characteristics that make it an ideal choice for design:

Consistent quality: No matter how big or small you resize the image, it stays sharp.

Easy to edit: Elements in vector files can be easily separated, edited, and recolored without affecting the entire image.

Lighter than bitmaps: Because they are made of lines and points, vectors are typically smaller in size than raster images of the same detail.

Suitable for many types of designs: Vectors are commonly used in logos, icons, banners, posters, infographics, and many other types of designs.

Vectors are widely used in many fields of graphic design such as:

Logo design: Since logos need to be used at different sizes, vectors help ensure quality when printed or displayed on screen.

Advertising design: Banners, posters, and flyers often use vectors to ensure sharpness when printed at large sizes.

Infographic: Charts and information diagrams often use vectors for easy editing and to ensure beautiful display.

Web & app interface design: Icons, buttons, illustrations on websites or mobile apps often use vectors to ensure sharpness on all screens.

2. Criteria for evaluating a website that provides quality vectors

Before we get into the list of sites, let's go over some important criteria when choosing a vector resource:

Rich resource warehouse

A good website should have a diverse resource base, including a variety of vectors such as:

Icon, symbol
illustration
Background, pattern
Infographic, banner design, poster
The more resources, the more options a designer has to suit their project.

Vector file quality

A good vector file must have high resolution, clear lines, and no errors when enlarged. The most popular formats are AI, EPS, SVG, because these are formats that support flexible editing in Illustrator.

Free or paid?

Some websites offer vectors completely free, while others charge a fee to download high-quality files. The choice depends on your needs. If you need vectors for personal projects, free may be a good choice. But if you need professional resources, you should invest in paid websites.

Easy to search and download

A good website should have an intuitive interface, allowing easy searching by keyword, filtering by theme, style or color. Fast loading speed is also an important factor.

Copyright

Not all free vectors are available for commercial use. Some sites require attribution or allow personal use only. So, before downloading a vector, check the license carefully.

3. Top 5 websites providing vector resources for Illustrator

3.1. Freepik

When it comes to websites that provide graphic design resources, Freepik is definitely a name that cannot be ignored. Freepik operates on a Freemium model, which means it provides both free and paid resources. Users can download free vectors with the condition that the source is credited or choose to register for a Premium account to access unlimited premium resources.

Advantage:

Rich resource warehouse, diverse topics: There are millions of free and paid vectors suitable for all design needs.
Supports multiple formats: AI, EPS, SVG, PNG for easy editing in Illustrator and other graphics software.
Easy to use interface: Quick search, filters by theme, color, style.
Free download or Premium upgrade option: Suitable for both professional designers and non-professional users.

Disadvantages:

The free version requires attribution when used: If you download a free vector, you must credit "Designed by Freepik".
Some files are only available for Premium accounts: Some beautiful or high quality vectors can only be downloaded if you are a paid member.

3.2. Vecteezy

Vecteezy is a website that specializes in providing free and paid vectors for designers, marketers, content creators and anyone who needs to use design resources. What makes Vecteezy different from other websites is its smart search filter. You can easily search for vectors by color, style, file format, and license, saving time and optimizing the design process.

urrently, Vecteezy operates on a Freemium model, meaning users can download vectors for free with attribution or sign up for a Pro account to download premium resources without any limitations.

Advantage:

Rich vector warehouse, diverse styles: From simple to professional vectors, suitable for many types of designs.
Support downloading AI, EPS, SVG files: Easy to edit on Illustrator, CorelDRAW.
Advanced search filters: Helps find vectors by color, style, file format.
Free and Pro versions available: Suitable for both professional designers and non-professional users.

Disadvantages:

Some vectors require attribution when used for free: If you don't want to attribute, you must upgrade to a Pro account.
Not all free vectors come in AI format: Some only come in PNG or JPG format, which can be inconvenient if you want to edit them.

3.3. FreeVectors.net

FreeVectors.net is a free vector platform that aims to support the worldwide designer community. Unlike many websites that require users to sign up for an account or purchase a Premium plan, FreeVectors.net allows you to download free vectors without any strings attached.

This website is based on the aggregation and sharing of the design community. The vectors on the website come from a variety of sources, including contributing designers or resources available from other free platforms.

Although not as rich as Freepik or Vecteezy, FreeVectors.net still has many useful vectors for personal design projects or small jobs. If you need a 100% free solution, without worrying about copyright issues or Premium accounts, this is an address not to be missed.

Advantage:

100% Free, No Account Required: No registration required, no hidden fees.
Many different vector categories: From logos, icons, backgrounds to illustrations.
Fast Downloads: No limit on the number of downloads per day.

Disadvantages:

Uneven file quality: Because it is a composite platform from many different sources, some vectors may not be of high quality or not optimized.
No advanced search filters: Users cannot filter vectors by color, style or file format like on Freepik or Vecteezy.

3.4. VectorStock

VectorStock is a platform that specializes in providing high-quality vectors on a paid model. However, the site also has a Free Vectors section where you can download thousands of free vectors after signing up for an account.

Unlike 100% free vector sites like FreeVectors.net, VectorStock focuses on quality over quantity. The vectors on this platform are carefully moderated, ensuring sharpness, accurate colors, neat files and easy editing on design software like Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Inkscape.

Advantage:

Over 30 million high-quality vectors: Suitable for all professional design needs.
Support multiple formats AI, EPS, SVG: Easy to edit on Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW.
Rich resources for commercial projects: Especially useful for businesses, marketers, professional designers.

Disadvantages:

Need to register an account to download free vectors: Cannot download instantly like other free websites.
Premium Vectors are quite expensive: If you want to download high quality vectors without watermarks, you need to buy individual files or subscribe to a paid plan.

3.5. Pixabay

Pixabay is known as one of the largest free image resources in the world, but few people know that this platform also offers thousands of free vectors in many different styles.

Unlike vector-based websites like Freepik or VectorStock, the number of vectors on Pixabay may not be as large, but in return, all vectors on this platform are 100% free and do not require attribution. This makes it easy for users to use for personal and commercial projects without worrying about copyright.

In addition, Pixabay also supports many popular file formats such as SVG, AI, EPS, PNG, making it easy for you to edit as you wish.

Advantage:

100% Free, No Attribution Required: No copyright restrictions, easy to use for any project.
High quality vector resources: Carefully selected, suitable for many design purposes.
Support multiple file formats: Including SVG, AI, EPS, PNG, easy to edit.

Disadvantages:

The number of vectors is not as rich as that of vector-specialized sites: Since Pixabay is not a vector-specialized platform, its vector library is not as diverse as Freepik or VectorStock.
Using available vector resources helps designers save time and improve product quality. Hopefully, through this article, you have found the right resource for your work. Try exploring the above websites and find the most suitable vector warehouse!