Beginners often spend too much money too early on software they barely understand. For print-on-demand, the smarter approach is to start with a lean toolset and upgrade only when your workflow demands it.
A practical starter stack
Canva Free is useful for quick layouts. Inkscape handles vector work. GIMP is a solid Photoshop alternative for raster editing. Krita is excellent for illustration. Photopea helps when you need PSD-style editing in the browser. Blender can cover mockup scenes if you want more control. Figma is underrated for brand system planning and storefront assets.
Choose by output, not hype
If your work is mostly text-based shirt graphics, Inkscape matters more than GIMP. If you draw by hand, Krita matters more than Canva. The right free tool depends on what you sell.
The goal is not to collect software. The goal is to build a workflow that gets ideas into clean, sellable files without friction.