6 Free Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop (2024)

Not everyone wants to invest in an expensive Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, just to use Photoshop. If you’re looking for free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop that offer similar editing controls and user experience, consider one of the following options.

1. Best for Digital Art: GIMP

Availability: Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac

One of the iconic abilities of Photoshop lies in its collection of brushstroke features, which allow amateur artists to create unique, photorealistic artwork. However, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) stands out as a close contender and is absolutely free to use.

From sketching ideas to applying colors, contrasts, shadows, and filters, GIMP is capable of recreating the same stunning visuals that Photoshop offers. GIMP recreates many of Photoshop’s brushstroke features, including the Free Select tool, the Unified Transform tool, Warp Transform, and, of course, multiple layers to bring it all together.

Clearly, if you’ve been a long-time Photoshop user, transitioning to GIMP should be relatively easy, as the menu options are intuitively designed for Photoshop enthusiasts. It’s quite easy for drawing and painting and has a MyPaint brush set that does a good job of coloring. It takes a bit of practice to get the coloring as perfect as Photoshop, so you may want to check another free Photoshop alternative, Krita.

Tip: why switch over from Adobe products? The hidden charges and unannounced fees are a big reason.

2. Best for Drawing: Krita

Availability: Windows (installer and portable), Mac, Linux, ChromeOS

With a tagline that says, “have fun painting,” Krita feels like a natural tool for original drawings. Whether you’re into sketching, cartoons, painting, or advanced animation, it provides an outlet for your best creative ideas. Krita consistently ranks as one of the most popular tools among freeware enthusiasts. The tool now integrates AI capabilities into the final image.

Krita boasts a customizable and extensive brush engine, aiming to recreate the same user experience as Photoshop. For starters, you can work with a large collection of design templates and brush presets. This makes Krita one of the best alternatives to Photoshop in terms of advanced features. However, unlike Photoshop, it’s very lightweight, putting minimal strain on your PC, and runs smoothly, even with lower RAM specs and older operating systems.

When it comes to image retouching, Krita offers similar capabilities to Photoshop. You can transform, resize, use mask tools, and adjust colors and shadows quickly. Like Photoshop, it also provides drawing assistants, such as rulers. Moreover, Krita boasts a full-color management system to create more photorealistic images. In our opinion, Krita is one of the best freeware alternatives, to not only Photoshop, but just about any professional image editing software.

Good to know: check out some of the best free photo-editing apps.

3. Best Web-Based Alternative: Pixlr Express

Availability: Web

If your main task as an artist involves basic editing, you don’t need a full-fledged image editing software. In such cases, freeware tools like Pixlr Express come in handy. It allows you to perform basic Photoshop editing functions, including background removal, adding text, creating images with multiple layers, and applying transforms and filters. Its beautifully designed interface makes it one of the best web browser-based alternatives to Photoshop.

While the software may appear basic, it works flawlessly with Ultra-HD (1080p) and Full HD (1920p) images. It offers numerous customizable and preset templates, closely resembling the Photoshop user interface. Whether you need to retouch or enhance photos, add layers, apply masks, or use tools like the lasso or magic wand, you’ll feel right at home.

Another advantage of Pixlr Express is its AI editing features. These include generative filling, where you simply enter a prompt for a descriptive background around your core image. Additionally, you can expand the image in any direction, perform face swaps, and quickly enhance its size and sharpness.

Related: learn how to detect deepfake images.

4. Best Easy-to-Use Alternative: Canva

Availability: Web, Android and iOS

It’s no secret that Adobe Photoshop has a steep learning curve. You need to invest time in familiarizing yourself with each menu placement, then practice repeatedly until you master every feature. This is where Canva makes a significant difference. The entire Web-based software is designed to assist you with preset templates and elements. Preview each addition and fine-tune it until you’re satisfied with the quality.

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After a simple sign-in, search for the specific design you want within the tool. Whether it’s a flyer, brochure, logo, phone wallpaper, desktop wallpaper, or even a comic strip, the tool guides you through the process. At each step, Canva presents visual elements you may need for your design, including different shapes, graphics, arrows, and lines. Additionally, a new AI image generator allows you to create anything you can imagine using text prompts.

As Canva is designed for users with little or no design experience, its extensive collection of graphics caters precisely to your needs. For instance, when creating an infographic that includes a company’s social media profile, you’ll find instant access to elements for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and other social media tools. While Canva remains free for all design activities, consider a Canva Pro subscription to unlock more features.

FYI: use Canva to create your own unique QR codes for any purpose.

5. Best AI Photo Editor: Freepik Retouch

Availability: Web

The latest version of Photoshop includes numerous AI editing tools, signaling the software’s future direction. Among the free Photoshop alternatives headed in the same direction, Freepik Retouch stands out with its extensive features. With Freepik Retouch, you can reimagine, retouch, and expand your creative ideas, and the results are instantly visible on your screen.

In addition, the software also includes an AI image generator under its Picasso feature. To create a high-quality, photorealistic AI image, input a classic prompt. Once generated, seamlessly integrate it as an additional layer on the main canvas. No matter how outlandish your idea may be, there’s an AI image that comes close to helping you bring it to life.

Other than its capability to create complex AI images, one of the standout features of Freepik Retouch is its beginner-friendly interface. Additionally, you can export your images at any scale, making it suitable for both print media, websites, and digital art. Freepik also offers a Sketch to Image feature for traditional sketching that includes all the essential tools you’d expect to find in Photoshop.

Tip: check out the keyboard shortcuts for Inkscape.

6. Best for Graphic Design: Inkscape

Availability: Windows, Mac, Linux

One of the standout features of Photoshop is its support for an extensive vector graphics program. This includes processing RAW images and compatibility with software like Adobe Illustrator. In that sense, Inkscape stands out as one of the best freeware tools that closely resembles Photoshop’s graphics illustrations and features. Like Photoshop, it boasts its own dedicated community of graphic artists who find it highly useful for their demanding tasks.

As a free-to-use tool, Inkscape is a true designer’s ally. It boasts a full roster of features that closely mirror what you’d find in Photoshop. However, this also means that if you’re not accustomed to using such tools frequently, there may be a learning curve. Additionally, Inkscape is not a lightweight software due to its extensive feature set.

Another excellent feature of Inkscape is its high compatibility with Photoshop file standards. For instance, it primarily uses the SVG format, which is readable in Photoshop. Additionally, Inkscape supports Photoshop’s native PSD format. If you’re working on a design team with some members having access to Photoshop, you can still cooperate on the design using Inkscape.

Along with these free alternatives to Photoshop, you may want to consider finding substitutes for other Adobe products. For example, there are suitable Adobe InDesign alternatives as well.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.