Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

1/18/2026
Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the undisputed king of photo editing. It's a powerful and feature-rich program that is used by professionals and amateurs alike. But it also comes with a hefty price tag. If you're on a budget, or you just don't need all of the bells and whistles of Photoshop, there are a number of great free alternatives available. In this guide, we'll show you the best free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.

1. GIMP

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the most well-known free alternative to Photoshop. It's a powerful and feature-rich program that is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. GIMP has a wide range of tools and features, including layers, masks, and filters. It also has a customizable interface that you can tailor to your own workflow.

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2. Photopea

Photopea is a web-based photo editor that is surprisingly powerful. It has a very similar interface to Photoshop, so if you're already familiar with Photoshop, you'll feel right at home. Photopea supports a wide variety of file formats, including PSD, and it has a number of advanced features, such as layers, masks, and smart objects.

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3. Krita

Krita is a free and open-source painting program that is also a great alternative to Photoshop for photo editing. It has a wide range of brushes and tools, and it's particularly well-suited for digital painting and drawing.

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4. Paint.NET

Paint.NET is a free photo editor for Windows. It's not as powerful as GIMP or Photopea, but it's very easy to use and it has a good selection of tools and features.

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5. Pixlr

Pixlr is a web-based photo editor that is very easy to use. It has a simple and intuitive interface, and it's a great choice for quick and easy photo edits.

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The Bottom Line

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a powerful and feature-rich photo editor. Whether you're looking for a full-featured desktop program like GIMP or a convenient web-based editor like Photopea, there's a free alternative to Photoshop that is perfect for your needs.