If you’re looking for the best Adobe Photoshop alternatives in 2023, you’re definitely not the only one. Despite the fact that purchasing Adobe Photoshop has a number of advantages, many photographers and designers find it difficult to justify the expense of a Creative Cloud subscription. Fortunately, there are a number of additional image editing software choices that provide strong functionality and plugins to facilitate productivity. I’ll outline 10 of the top Photoshop alternatives, both paid and free, in this article.
Be aware that many of the paid solutions also include free plans. Additionally, we’ve made an effort to only recommend programs that run on both Windows and Mac OS; popular free Photoshop competitors like Paint.NET, Photo Pos Pro, and PhotoWorks are only available to Windows users. Read this guide if you’re seeking an alternative to Adobe Lightroom.
Best Alternatives to Photoshop (Paid)
1. Luminar Neo – The best Photoshop alternative overall
The popular photo editing program Luminar was developed by Skylum. Skylum, which was established in 2008, is renowned for creating Luminar as well as Aurora HDR, Snapheal, Focus, Tonality, FX Photo Studio, and Noiseless.
The most recent version of this application contains some notable upgrades over earlier versions. It may be installed as a plugin for Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CC or used as a standalone piece of software.
With Luminar, you can perform complex masking, non-destructive RAW picture editing, and even realistically add the sun and its rays to your photos.
The AI Sky Replacement, though, is without a doubt the most interesting element of all. It was advertised as the main feature of this software’s most recent version, and certainly, all the hype is justified. Many users claim that they are astounded by the precision and effectiveness of this new instrument.
(Read our review of Luminar Neo if you want to employ even more artificial intelligence-powered tools for your photo editing.) Although it falls well short of Photoshop’s sophisticated layer-based editing features, it does provide some great RAW photo manipulation that Photoshop does not.)
2. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is a capable and cost-effective Photoshop substitute. Although you can import RAW photographs, the program sadly does not provide a mechanism for you to organize your digital assets. If you need to do focus stacking, panoramic stitching or make HDR photos, this piece of software is fantastic.
Similar to Photoshop, Affinity Photo offers layers, enabling non-destructive picture editing, giving it a significant advantage over some other image editing programs. It can be used for somewhat complicated layered compositions as well as little local modifications. What a Favour Tools for import and photo management as a whole are lacking in the photo. Additionally, the program lacks the ability to design personalized workspaces, which can sometimes be a problem.
In conclusion, Affinity Photo is a solid Photoshop alternative. In terms of serious photo editing skills, Photoshop continues to be the more complex product, but Affinity does provide strong features and tools at a competitive price. There is also Affinity Publisher for print layouts and Affinity Designer, a fantastic Illustrator alternative, both belonging to the same brand.
3. Capture One Pro
Even though Capture One Pro is one of the greatest Photoshop alternatives (more of a Lightroom + Photoshop alternative), it feels a little strange to include it on this list. Capture One is essentially a program for experienced photographers, which is why I say that. It’s not really for beginners.
It’s a sophisticated piece of software all in all, with a learning curve that is undoubtedly steeper than that of tools like Darktable or GIMP. The complexity of it may initially startle you.
You’ll undoubtedly discover it to be a spectacular and also quite sensible application that is definitely worth investigating if you can get beyond this initial impression.
It’s now Capture One Pro 23 and you can select between a subscription plan and a one-time purchase. Capture One Pro recently announced a new version and a new batch of upgrades. Additionally, you can benefit from the free trial time to see what it offers.
4. Movavi Photo Editor
Movavi Photo Editor, an intelligent photo editor for PC and macOS, is another excellent choice in this list of the top alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.
Since it has many of the same capabilities as Photoshop, including a clone stamp, a variety of brushes, one-click effects and filters, and the most recent RAW image processing technologies, we’ve listed it here as one of the top Photoshop alternatives.
While it might not have many of the more sophisticated capabilities that Photoshop users are accustomed to, it can still handle most basic editing chores, and when combined with an easy-to-use interface and a wealth of powerful photo editing tools, it ought to satisfy the majority of photographers.
The default choices for novices that help you get a general idea of how you want your photographs to look and the wide variety of Instagram-worthy effects for quick fixes are some of our favorite photo editing features.
With its extensive features and retouching capabilities, such as red-eye removal, graduated filters, and a healing brush, Retouch is excellent for perfecting your portrait picture.
A one-time-purchase, subscription-free alternative to Photoshop is Movavi Photo Editor. All versions offer excellent value for the money and are far less expensive than some of the other top Photoshop alternatives we’ve discussed today.
5. Pixelmator – Photoshop alternatives for Macs
A simple Mac photo editing app is called Pixelmator. You can edit already-existing photographs or start a brand-new project from a blank document. The tool panel of Pixelmator resembles that of Adobe Photoshop, making the transition simple for both beginners and seasoned users. However, it lacks Photoshop’s sophisticated features.
There are numerous filters available to rapidly enhance any photograph, and the interface is clear and simple to use. Other photo editing programs don’t have the same number of digital painting tools as Pixelmator does.
There is just a Mac version of Pixelmator. After the free 30-day trial, you’ll have to shell out a one-time $30 cost. The price of a more recent version, Pixelmator Pro, is $40. Users of Pixelmator can only work on one project at once, and RAW files are not supported.
Best free Photoshop alternatives
6. Canva
Canva is an easy-to-use, entertaining, and feature-rich web design platform that enables you to make content for all types of social media that looks professional.
It is free to use online without having to download anything, and it also has a more feature-rich pro edition that you can purchase for $9.95 per year or $12.95 per month.
When it comes to mixing images and text, which is frequently required when creating content for Instagram and other social media sites, Canva is the greatest option because all the necessary sizes are already accessible as templates and ready for you to utilize.
So how does it compare to Photoshop as a replacement? Although it lacks some of Photoshop’s more sophisticated retouching functions, there are still enough one-click tools to enable you to alter photographs and produce custom graphics.
There are a ton of free, modern-looking icons, badges, design grids, stickers, and photo frames available on Canva. You won’t find that in the original version of Adobe Photoshop.
Although it lacks Photoshop’s fancy AI tools, the free version of Canva is frequently used by photographers and other creative professionals to quickly and easily create graphics. Its straightforward interface and minimal learning curve make it ideal for beginners to create eye-catching graphic designs.
7. GIMP – The best free Photoshop alternative for image editing
Many people believe that GIMP is one of the greatest free Photoshop alternatives available. This free, open-source photo editor has been around for a while—its initial release was in 1996, 24 years ago.
The editing software contains a wide range of expert tools that are easily comparable to Photoshop’s own functionalities. GIMP’s user interface is also very simple, so getting used to the program won’t take long.
You can build layers and masks in GIMP, and you can also modify colors as needed. The platform’s ability to be customized to fit your individual preferences is another fantastic benefit.
8. Darktable
A free, open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop that can handle RAW file processing is called Darktable. It was developed by photographers for photographers and is here to address the fundamental difficulties associated with image processing.
A potent export system, tethered shooting for some camera brands, non-destructive editing across the entire workflow, and sophisticated color management are some of its primary features at the moment.
This program has various drawbacks considering that it is a free piece of software. Users remark that it frequently crashes and generally operates a little slower than its competitors. Darktable doesn’t have a mobile app, and using it online is currently not an option either.
Overall, it’s a passable Photoshop alternative for newcomers and amateurs, but it’s not the best choice for experienced photographers or those of you looking for more complicated capabilities.
9. Photopea – The best Photoshop alternative that works in your browser
One of the more well-known web-based Photoshop alternatives is PhotoPea. An online image editor is an excellent solution if you ever need a free version of your preferred image editor while using someone else’s PC.
We adore that the most recent edition of PhotoPea also doesn’t demand registration; you can go to the homepage, click “New Project,” and begin creating.
Similar to Photoshop, it provides the essential tools for altering images in a clean column along the workspace’s edge. The operation is very smooth for an online program, however obviously this depends on the speed of your connection.
The majority of Photoshop’s features are available, including applying filters, adding text, cropping, resizing, and so on, but sadly no content-aware tools or lens correction is available.
Although PhotoPea lacks several of Camera RAW / Lightroom’s features, it does offer some basic RAW capabilities. It’s uncommon for a free editing tool of this caliber to have a developer who is responsive to user feedback and appears active.
10. Pixlr
Many people believe Pixlr Editor to be the best online substitute for Photoshop. This photo editor is free to use; no download or trial period is necessary.
Layers, masks, and an overall non-destructive image editing process are all fully supported by Pixlr.
Pixlr’s configurable interface, which you can tailor to your own needs and which can make the photo editing process more convenient, is another thing to highlight as a plus. In addition to uploading your photo, you can use this photo editor to open it directly from a URL or start from scratch with a new image.
Pixlr will display a sizable number of advertising as you use it, much like every other free software, so be ready for this aspect of the deal. This particular tool will require you to download and install Flash, so be prepared when you see the alert straight away. This is another crucial point to note.
You’ll recognize a lot of the tools in Pixlr, including Crop, Move, Lasso, Wand, Brush, Erase, and many others that are identical to those in Photoshop. Pixlr is definitely a great nice choice if you’re seeking a free Photoshop alternative. Just keep in mind that minimal to moderate photo editing is better.
Photoshop alternatives: final thoughts
Although Photoshop is a fantastic program, many people find the high cost to be unjustifiable. There are several free Photoshop alternatives available, whether you require a basic photo editor or more advanced features. You will undoubtedly receive the resources you need to hone your craft from one of these 10 programs.
