Photography · alternatives
Alternatives to Pixelmator Pro
23 photography tools sit alongside Pixelmator Pro in this directory. Below is what separates each from Pixelmator Pro on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 23
- With a free tier
- 12
- Cheaper to start
- 1
- Pixelmator Pro starts at
- $49.99/one-time
Why people look past Pixelmator Pro
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Pixelmator Pro entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Pixelmator Pro carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 12 of the 23 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.
The world's best imaging and graphic design software
- Starts $30.000000000000004 a month cheaper, at $19.99/month.
Professional photo editing software
- Starts $19.999999999999993 a one-time dearer, at $69.99/one-time.
Free and open-source image editor
- Can be used without paying; Pixelmator Pro cannot.
Selfie and portrait retouching app from Lightricks, sold on a subscription with a short free trial
- Can be used without paying; Pixelmator Pro cannot.
AI photo and design editing app combining Photoshop-style tools, templates and a paid Gold subscription
- Can be used without paying; Pixelmator Pro cannot.
Google's photo backup and organisation app, now billed against shared Google account storage
- Can be used without paying; Pixelmator Pro cannot.
Every Pixelmator Pro 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixelmator Pro (this page) | $49.99/one-time | - | - | |
| Adobe PhotoshopIndustry-standard image editor with more features, though higher cost and subscription-only. | $19.99/month | - | 3 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Affinity PhotoOne-time purchase alternative to Photoshop with comprehensive editing tools for professionals. | $69.99/one-time | One-time | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| GIMPFree open-source image editor for Mac, Linux, and Windows with similar core features. | Free | Open-source | - | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Facetune | Free | Free download with a short free trial, most tools require a Facetune Pro subscription that auto-renews annually | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Picsart | Free | Free with a watermark on export and limited AI credits; paid Gold subscription removes both | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Google Photos | Free | Free tier plus paid storage add-on | 3 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Adobe Lightroom Mobile | Free | Free for local, single-device editing; cloud sync and some tools require a Creative Cloud Photography plan | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| VSCO | Free | Free with a limited preset and tool set; paid annual membership unlocks the full library | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Remini | Free | Free download with a short free trial, most features require a recurring subscription | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Lensa | Free | Free download with a short free trial, Magic Avatars and most tools require payment | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Snapseed | Free | Fully free with no ads, subscription or in-app purchases | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| PhotoDirector | Free | Free tier, one-time purchase or annual subscription | 3 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| RawTherapee | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Aftershoot | On request | Per module per month, unlimited images | 4 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Exposure X | On request | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Corel PaintShop Pro | On request | One-time purchase, paid upgrades | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| NightCap | On request | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Nik Collection | On request | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| ACDSee | On request | One-time purchase or per-user subscription | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Narrative Select | On request | Per user per month, tiered by editing depth | 4 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Imagen AI | On request | Per image, with annual volume tiers | 3 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Photo Mechanic | $139/one-time | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
| Adobe Bridge | Free | Free with an Adobe account | 1 | vs Pixelmator Pro |
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 Pixelmator Pro badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (12)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- GIMP , Free
- Facetune , Free
- Picsart , Free
- Google Photos , Free
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile , Free
- VSCO , Free
- Remini , Free
- Lensa , Free
Cheaper than Pixelmator Pro (1)
Entry price under Pixelmator Pro's $49.99/one-time. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Adobe Photoshop , $19.99/month
What you would be giving up
Pixelmator Pro is most often brought in for photo editing, graphic design, digital art, image retouching. 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 Pixelmator Pro is broadly right and the question is cost, the Pixelmator Pro 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.
Pixelmator Pro runs on macos. 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 Pixelmator Pro alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Pixelmator Pro?
- 23 other photography tools are listed in this directory, led by Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, GIMP, Facetune. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Pixelmator Pro?
- 12 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: GIMP, Facetune, Picsart, Google Photos, Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Pixelmator Pro?
- Yes. 1 of the alternatives below start under Pixelmator Pro's $49.99/one-time: Adobe Photoshop at $19.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Pixelmator Pro?
- 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 Pixelmator Pro?
- Pixelmator Pro is most often brought in for photo editing, graphic design, digital art, image retouching. 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 Pixelmator Pro?
- GIMP is recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Pixelmator Pro 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 placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Pixelmator Pro against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Pixelmator Pro 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, 23 tools beside Pixelmator Pro. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.