Photography · alternatives
Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop
5 photography tools sit alongside Adobe Photoshop in this directory. Below is what separates each from Adobe Photoshop on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 5
- With a free tier
- 3
- Cheaper to start
- 1
- Adobe Photoshop starts at
- $19.99/month
Why people look past Adobe Photoshop
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Adobe Photoshop entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Adobe Photoshop carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 3 of the 5 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Professional photo editing software
- Starts $50 a one-time dearer, at $69.99/one-time.
- 1 tier to Adobe Photoshop's 3.
Free and open-source image editor
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Photoshop cannot.
Free online photo editor
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Photoshop cannot.
Professional image editing for Mac
- Starts $30.000000000000004 a one-time dearer, at $49.99/one-time.
Photo editing and organization software for photographers
- Can be used without paying; Adobe Photoshop cannot.
- Starts $7.999999999999998 a month cheaper, at $11.99/month.
- 2 tiers to Adobe Photoshop's 3.
Every Adobe Photoshop alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Photoshop (this page) | $19.99/month | - | 3 | |
| Affinity PhotoProfessional photo editor with perpetual license model, offering similar editing capabilities without subscription requirement. | $69.99/one-time | One-time | 1 | vs Adobe Photoshop |
| GIMPFree, open-source image editor providing core photo editing features comparable to Photoshop's basic functionality. | Free | Open-source | - | vs Adobe Photoshop |
| PhotopeaWeb-based photo editor with Photoshop-compatible interface, eliminating need for installation while maintaining familiar workflows. | Free | - | - | vs Adobe Photoshop |
| Pixelmator ProMac-specific professional photo editor with one-time purchase model offering alternative to Photoshop's subscription. | $49.99/one-time | - | - | vs Adobe Photoshop |
| Adobe LightroomAdobe's own photo management and editing software, often bundled with Photoshop in the Photography plan at lower cost. | Free, then $11.99/month | - | 2 | vs Adobe Photoshop |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Adobe Photoshop badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (3)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- GIMP , Free
- Photopea , Free
- Adobe Lightroom , Free, then $11.99/month
Cheaper than Adobe Photoshop (1)
Entry price under Adobe Photoshop's $19.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Adobe Lightroom , Free, then $11.99/month
What you would be giving up
Adobe Photoshop is most often brought in for photo editing, digital art creation, graphic design, web design, print design, social media graphics. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Adobe Photoshop is broadly right and the question is cost, the Adobe Photoshop pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Photography category lists everything the directory holds, and best photography tools ranks them.
Adobe Photoshop runs on windows, macos, ipad, iphone, web, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Adobe Photoshop alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Adobe Photoshop?
- 5 other photography tools are listed in this directory, led by Affinity Photo, GIMP, Photopea, Pixelmator Pro. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Adobe Photoshop?
- 3 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: GIMP, Photopea, Adobe Lightroom.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Adobe Photoshop?
- Yes. 1 of the alternatives below start under Adobe Photoshop's $19.99/month: Adobe Lightroom at Free, then $11.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Adobe Photoshop?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Adobe Photoshop?
- Adobe Photoshop is most often brought in for photo editing, digital art creation, graphic design, web design, print design, social media graphics. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop?
- GIMP is recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Adobe Photoshop alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Photography, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Adobe Photoshop against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Adobe Photoshop covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every photography tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Photography category, 5 tools beside Adobe Photoshop. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.