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Design · head to head

Photopea vs RawTherapee

Photopea logo

Photopea

Design

Free online photo editor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RawTherapee logo

RawTherapee

Photography

Open source raw developer with selectable demosaicing algorithms and floating point processing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Photopea performance becomes sluggish and prone to crashes with high-resolution images or multi-layered files; RawTherapee there is no catalogue, only a folder browser, so any library management, keywording or search has to happen in a separate application.
  • They diverge on capability: Photopea covers Photo editing, RawTherapee covers Selectable demosaicing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Photopea and RawTherapee actually diverge.

Attributes where Photopea and RawTherapee differ
AttributePhotopeaRawTherapee
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebLinux, Windows, macOS
CategoryDesignPhotography
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Photopea

  • Photo editing
  • PSD compatibility
  • Layer support
  • Selection tools
  • Filters and effects
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • Adobe fonts

Only in RawTherapee

  • Selectable demosaicing
  • Floating point pipeline
  • Local adjustments
  • Wavelet levels
  • Processing profiles
  • Colour management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Photopea

  • Quick photo editsnot RawTherapee
  • PSD file editingnot RawTherapee
  • Web designnot RawTherapee
  • Social media graphicsnot RawTherapee

RawTherapee

  • Difficult raw files where the demosaicing algorithm visibly changes the result, such as fine fabric, foliage or architectural detailnot Photopea
  • Archive and restoration work where a free tool with strict colour management is preferable to a subscriptionnot Photopea
  • Photographers who want to understand and control each processing stage rather than accept a vendor renderingnot Photopea
  • Producing a high quality sixteen bit TIFF to hand to GIMP or another editor for compositingnot Photopea

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Photopea

  • Performance becomes sluggish and prone to crashes with high-resolution images or multi-layered files
  • Risk of losing work due to browser crashes or save failures
  • Aggressive advertising that can slow down the entire computer
  • No local installation option, always requires browser access
  • Basic file organization and version tracking compared to professional tools

RawTherapee

  • There is no catalogue, only a folder browser, so any library management, keywording or search has to happen in a separate application.
  • The default rendering is deliberately neutral and looks flat next to the camera JPEG, which means every user has to build their own processing profiles before the tool is pleasant to use.
  • Support for new camera models and for Fujifilm X-Trans sensors arrives later than in commercial converters because it depends on volunteer work and upstream library updates.
  • The interface presents several hundred controls across many tabs with little guidance about which ones interact, and the learning curve is measured in weeks rather than hours.
  • Batch export is slow compared with commercial converters and there is no GPU acceleration, so processing a large wedding shoot ties up the machine for a long time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Photopea

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Photopea review.

RawTherapee

Free
  • RawTherapeeFree
    • GPL licensed with no seat limit
    • All processing features included
    • Documentation and support through RawPedia and the community forum

Which should you pick?

Choose Photopea if

  • You need photo editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want psd compatibility.
Photopea review

Choose RawTherapee if

  • You need selectable demosaicing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want floating point pipeline.
RawTherapee review

Questions people ask

Is Photopea or RawTherapee better?
Neither clearly leads. Photopea starts at Free and RawTherapee at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Photopea or RawTherapee?
Photopea starts at Free and RawTherapee at Free.
Does Photopea or RawTherapee run on more platforms?
Photopea runs on Web. RawTherapee runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Photopea for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Photopea best used for?
Photopea is most often used for quick photo edits, psd file editing, web design, social media graphics. Of those, quick photo edits and psd file editing are not what RawTherapee is typically brought in for.
What can Photopea do that RawTherapee cannot?
Photopea covers Photo editing, PSD compatibility, Layer support, Selection tools. RawTherapee covers Selectable demosaicing, Floating point pipeline, Local adjustments, Wavelet levels.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Photopea: Is Photopea free to use?

Yes, Photopea is completely free and supported by ads displayed within the browser. No subscription or payment is required to use the full feature set.

Source
RawTherapee: Does RawTherapee support Fujifilm X-Trans files?

Yes, but support arrived later than in commercial converters and results on fine detail still trail Capture One and Adobe on some bodies.

Photopea: Does Photopea support Photoshop PSD files?

Yes, Photopea fully supports Photoshop PSD files including layers, masks, text, and effects. It can read and export files back to PSD, PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, or GIF format.

Source
RawTherapee: Can it replace Lightroom entirely?

It replaces the develop side. It does not replace the catalogue, so you will need digiKam, darktable or something similar alongside it.

Photopea: What platforms does Photopea run on?

Photopea is a web-based editor accessible through any modern browser including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. It can be added to desktop as a shortcut or Chrome extension.

Source
RawTherapee: Are my edits stored in the raw file?

No. Edits are written to sidecar profile files next to the raw, so originals are untouched and profiles can be copied between images.

Photopea: Does Photopea upload my files to servers?

No. Photopea processes images entirely within your browser and does not upload files to external servers, keeping your work private and secure.

Source
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