You don't need an expensive Adobe subscription to open Illustrator files. Here's are three free or low-cost alternative ways to open AI files.

The latest version of Xara Designer Pro X is a comprehensive design tool that can work with both bitmaps and vectors with ...

Adobe Illustrator is available in three different versions – for individuals, teams, and educational organizations. No matter which version you choose, you can opt for the free trial version.

A full-featured drawing program for Windows and Mac from Adobe. Originally developed for the Mac in 1987 and Windows in 1989, Illustrator has been the most widely used vector graphics editor.

Commercial and proprietary software like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and CorelDRAW let you view and edit AI files. However, to edit AI files for free, there are not many options.

Adobe Community forums – Do check out forum solutions for other Creative Cloud extension problems. Since CEP Adobe Illustrator has limited documentation, these solutions can sometimes be applicable.