I would rather see Xara as an Illustrator alternative as it primarily a (great) piece vector editing software, even if it does some bitmap editing.

I would suggest a combination of Xara and a bitmap software to get the jobs done. I'm working with Paint Shop Pro X2 and Xara Xtreme 5 for technical illustration and graphical stuff at work and home. This is a fine combination of great and pretty cheap programs that does a fine job without emptying your account.

I should also mention the really fine Xara conditions of use: You are allowed to install one license on both your work and home PC compared to the non-flexible Adobe locked-to-one-PC license.

JimR