Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's raster image editor for photo retouching, compositing, painting and generative AI edits. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's raster image editor for photo retouching, compositing, painting and generative AI edits.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Adobe Photoshop.
GIMP
The long-running free image editor for photo retouching, compositing and general pixel work.
GIMP is free and open source, runs on Linux, and has layers, masks and scripting, but Photoshop habits do not transfer cleanly and CMYK support is limited.
Photopea
Browser-based image editor that opens Photoshop, XD and Sketch files.
Photopea runs in any browser and opens native Photoshop files without installing anything, but it is ad-supported unless you pay for premium.
Pixelmator Pro
Apple's image editor for Mac and iPad with nondestructive layers, vector tools and AI features.
Pixelmator Pro offers nondestructive layers and a one-time purchase on Mac, but it works only on Apple devices and some AI features need Apple Intelligence.
Paint.NET
A fast Windows image editor that sits between Microsoft Paint and a full photo suite.
Paint.NET is free with layers, effects and a large plugin library, but it runs only on Windows and has no CMYK or print production features.
Luminar Neo
A desktop photo editor for Windows and Mac built around AI tools for skies, portraits and relighting.
Luminar Neo centres on AI tools for skies, portraits and relighting with a one-time purchase option, but gives less manual control than a traditional editor.
Pinta
A small painting and image editor modelled on Paint.NET 3, and the closest thing to it on macOS and Linux.
Pinta is a small MIT-licensed editor with layers and effects on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is nowhere near a full suite for serious editing.
PhotoLine
An all-purpose image editor for Windows and macOS covering photo editing, vector graphics and page layout.
PhotoLine runs on Windows and macOS and adds vector tools and page layout alongside photo editing, with CMYK, Lab and ICC color management up to 32 bits per channel.
Acorn
A one-time-purchase image editor for macOS covering photo editing, painting, text and graphics.
Acorn is a macOS-only one-time purchase instead of a subscription, with AI subject selection, a Live Text tool and Data Merge for bulk graphics from CSV files.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Adobe Photoshop as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Consumer photo editor from Adobe with AI fixes, guided edits and photo organizing.
Adobe Photoshop adds the full raster toolset for compositing, painting and generative AI edits, and also runs in the browser, but the full desktop version is subscription only.
Affinity
Free professional app from Canva that combines vector design, photo editing and page layout.
Adobe Photoshop covers the photo editing side with generative AI features and a browser version, but it requires a subscription and has no vector or layout tools of its own.
Affinity Photo 2
Raster photo editor for retouching, compositing and RAW processing.
Adobe Photoshop adds generative AI edits and a browser version, but the full desktop version is subscription only instead of a one-time purchase.
Cleanup.pictures
A web tool that removes unwanted objects, people, text and defects from photos using AI inpainting.
Adobe Photoshop is a paid desktop and browser editor with generative AI editing and full retouching tools, replacing a single-purpose web tool with a broad subscription application.
Krita
A free digital painting program built for illustrators, with over a hundred brushes ready to use.
Adobe Photoshop covers painting alongside retouching, compositing and generative AI, but it is closed source, subscription only and has no Linux version.
Photoroom
An AI photo editor for product photography with background removal, batch editing and marketplace-ready listings.
Adobe Photoshop gives full retouching, compositing and generative AI tools on desktop and web, but needs a subscription and lacks marketplace batch resizing built for sellers.
Pixlr
A browser-based photo editor with AI image generation, background removal and collage tools.
Adobe Photoshop is a subscription editor for Windows, macOS and the web with a broad professional toolset and generative AI features.
PortraitPro
Portrait retouching software for Windows and Mac that detects faces and adjusts them with sliders.
Adobe Photoshop is a subscription raster editor for retouching and compositing with generative AI, giving manual control rather than automatic face detection and sliders.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe's vector graphics application for logos, icons, illustration and typography.
Adobe Firefly
Adobe's generative AI app for creating and editing images, video, audio and designs.
Topaz Photo
Desktop image enhancement software that uses AI models to sharpen, denoise, unblur and upscale photos.
Clipdrop
A set of web-based AI image tools for background removal, cleanup, upscaling, relighting and generation.
remove.bg
A web tool that removes image backgrounds automatically and can generate new backdrops.
