Side by side
| 12pixa | Illustrator Image Trace | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, unlimited | $22.99/mo annual · $34.49/mo monthly |
| Install | None — it is a web page | Desktop app, multi-gigabyte install |
| Time to first SVG | Seconds | Launch, place, trace, expand, export |
| Is your file uploaded? | Never | No — it is a local app |
| Editing after tracing | Recolour or hide colour layers | Full vector editing — anchors, paths, type, effects |
| Tracing controls | 4 presets + colour precision, simplify, noise | Presets plus live threshold, paths, corners, noise |
| Export formats | SVG | AI, SVG, EPS, PDF, DXF and more |
| Batch processing | No | Yes, via actions and scripting |
| Works offline | Yes, once the page has loaded | Yes |
| Works on a phone or a locked-down work laptop | Yes — any modern browser | No |
| Interface languages | 6 (EN, AR, ES, FR, DE, TR) | Many |
Adobe pricing is the US single-app Illustrator plan as listed in August 2026 and varies by country and promotion — check adobe.com for your region.
The honest verdict
Use Illustrator when…
- The trace is step one of real design work — you are going to redraw curves, fix anchor points, set type and build a proper artboard.
- You need AI, EPS, PDF or DXF output, or CMYK and print colour management.
- You want to tune the trace live against a preview and iterate on threshold and corner settings.
- You are processing many files with actions or scripting.
Use 12pixa when…
- You just need a clean SVG of a logo and opening Illustrator for it is overkill.
- You do not have Illustrator — on a phone, a borrowed machine, or a locked-down work laptop.
- You want to drop the background or recolour a layer and export, without learning a vector editor.
- You are handing the file to Cricut, Silhouette or a laser cutter, which want plain SVG anyway.
The workflow that actually makes sense: these two are not really rivals. Trace in 12pixa, then open the SVG in Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma or Affinity to refine it. You get the trace in seconds without touching your subscription seat, and you still finish the job in a real editor. 12pixa's output is standard, un-encumbered SVG, so nothing is locked in.
In short
Image Trace is a feature of Adobe Illustrator, so using it means paying $22.99 to $34.49 a month for Illustrator in the US.
12pixa is a free browser tracer that produces a standard SVG in seconds with nothing installed and nothing uploaded.
Illustrator wins decisively once the trace has to be edited, exported to AI or EPS, colour-managed for print, or batched.
12pixa wins when you only need the SVG, or when Illustrator is not available to you at all.
The practical approach is to use both: trace in 12pixa, refine in a vector editor.
Get your SVG in seconds — free →
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Image Trace without paying for Illustrator?
Only during Adobe's 7-day trial. Image Trace is a feature inside Illustrator, not a separate product, so ongoing use means an Illustrator subscription.
Is 12pixa's tracing as good as Image Trace?
On clean logos, wordmarks and line art the results are comparable, and 12pixa is far faster to reach. Illustrator pulls ahead on difficult sources because you can tune threshold, corners and noise live against a preview, and then fix anything by hand.
Can I open a 12pixa SVG in Illustrator?
Yes. The output is standard SVG with no proprietary wrapper, so it opens in Illustrator, Inkscape, Figma, Affinity Designer and any modern browser, and every path stays editable.
Does 12pixa work on a phone or tablet?
Yes — it is a web page, so it runs in any modern mobile browser. Illustrator's desktop Image Trace does not.
Do I need to expand the trace like I do in Illustrator?
No. Illustrator's Image Trace produces a live tracing object that you have to Expand before the paths become editable. 12pixa gives you finished paths in the downloaded SVG straight away.