There is no doubt that Adobe Suite is great, even in some case it's probably the best. But you can be mad at Adobe for many reasons, expensive monthly subscribtion method, bad stability, useless features, paying for tools you don't use. Here is my list with the best way to ditch Adobe monopoly in my opinion. I tried to add Open Source alternatives too as some are really good.
I only covered Adobe softwares that I've used so I'm sorry if you don't find what you came for...
Browser-based editing supports complex layers, masks, and adjustment tools, opens PSD, XCF, Sketch files, and exports in over 40 formats, all client-side for privacy.
Basically a freemium
Adobe Photoshop clone in your web browser !
Worth mentioning :
Pixlr simpler
Real-time raster graphics editor with non-destructive edits, unlimited layers, and workspace for RAW editing, supporting major colour spaces and formats.
The Affinity Suite is my go to as a professionnal alternative suite to Adobe's one. Affinity Photo can replace Photoshop AND Lightroom simultaneously. Even tho I personnaly prefer Lightroom's workflow, I've manage the switch. You will need some re-learning as it's a bit different to Adobe photography softwares. Worth the attention as the license is not expensive at all.
Image editing app featuring nondestructive, GPU-powered tools with machine learning enhancements for editing on macOS and iOS platforms.
If you're on macOS Pixelmator is a decent option with one time payment
Free open-source suite with advanced photo retouching, composition, batch processing, plugin extensibility, custom scripting, and wide file format compatibility.
If you want to go free and open source GIMP3 is the king ! In my opinion the UI is not as intuitive but you can install an open source plugin called
PhotoGIMP that will change the interface of GIMP to looks more like Photoshop. Those combine gives you a really powerful free alternative to Photoshop.
If you use Photoshop for painting try theses
A free, open-source painting program for professional artists offering customizable UI, 9 brush engines, layer support, and color management.
If you use Photoshop as a painting app STOP, Krita is the way to go, free and open source you won't find better app.
Multi-award winning app offers professional tools and flexibility for creative illustration on iPad and iPhone with features like layering and brushes.
If you're on iPad, Procreate seems to be the way to go
Essential digital tool for comic and manga artists, offering specialized tools for shortcuts like panel layouts, inking, vector support, and 3D model import.
A professionnal solution for almost every device you can own and paint on !
Conversion software for Mac and PC that automatically corrects optical flaws, extends dynamic range, and seamlessly removes digital noise from images.
For a Lightroom alternative this one is probably the closest as a full package. Easy to use, clean almost modern interface, amazing processing and snappy. It's a one time paiement that is profitable in only 2 years if you compare it with the subscription of Adobe Lightroom. It's probably the best RAW editing software I've found.
Capture One is a leading raw converter and workflow software which enables photographers to reduce the time and effort required to deliver astounding ready-to-use images with excellent color and detail.
A more expensive solution but well known with tons of ressources, tutorials, presets etc... available online
ON1 Photo RAW is the lightning fast raw processor, photo editor and plug-in collection all in one app photographers have been asking for. Unlike the current class of raw-based photo editors requiring catalogs, bouncing between apps for editing, and a subscription ecosystem, ON1...
You will need paid plugins to match Lightroom but still a great option.
The new Exposure X7 combines professional grade photo adjustments, a huge library of gorgeous photo looks, and an efficient design that is a joy to use.
A cheaper option but well worth buying
Mobile app featuring 30+ pro color tools, AI upscaling, RAW editing, smart object removal, batch processing, deep Photos integration, and film-inspired presets.
A really great option for mac users with both subscription or one-time payment !
Open source non-destructive RAW photo editor and image database with lighttable and darkroom views, real-time editing, HDR and scientific image support.
GIMP is the open source alternative to Photoshop and Darktable the open source alternative to Lightroom. It's really powerful and complete but it does need a lot of relearn as the UI is not the more polished and intuitive. Still a great alternative and it's free so what are you waiting to download ? I would recommend this guide if you are used to use Lightroom https://mathiashueber.com/darktable-settings-for-lightroom-user/
Worth mentioning
RawTherapee as a FOSS alternative to Lightroom but Darktable is in my opinion more fun to use even if it's slightly not as powerful and feature rich than Raw Therapee.
If you just want basic editing and just organized your pictures
digiKam is a great option, you can also integrate it with darktable worflow and probably RAW Therapee too.
ART, a free, open-source, cross-platform raw image processing program. ART is a derivative of the popular RawTherapee , trading a bit of customization and control over various processing parameters for a simpler and (hopefully) easier...
A fork of the popular
GPU-accelerated RAW photo editor with non-destructive workflow, AI-powered masking, advanced color and tonal tools, batch processing, and cross-platform support.
A lightweight free and open source RAW manipulation software worth trying.
Worth mentioning :
Ansel
OM Workspace features a customizable screen layout and high-speed RAW preview, supporting various styles of photography workflows.
A free but really great option, probably the best bang for your bucks out there with a modern UI and a UX similar to Lightroom. You need to enter a OLYMPUS camera Serial Number to download the app but it's easy to find.
Advanced desktop publishing software with real-time collaboration, high-performance architecture, seamless Affinity suite integration, and custom typography.
The Affinity Suite is my go to as a professionnal alternative suite to Adobe's one. Affinity Publisher is in my opinion the only good alternative to Adobe InDesign. You can't open .indd but .imdl (InDesign MarkUp) which is really good to transition from your old project to the new software you just acquired.
QuarkXPress looks good but I never tried it.
Versatile design tool integrating photo, video editing, and AI-powered features for creating graphics, logos, and social media content efficiently.
Canva is a easy to use tool to replace many Adobe software. It is more oriented to template based creation and for semi professional or amator content creator. It is a freemium subscription based service.
Worth mentioning :
Polotno A really cool online open source tool that might suits basics usage.
Open-source DTP tool with flexible layouts, typesetting, CMYK support, and interactive PDFs, ideal for creating newspapers and brochures.
If you want to go free and open source Scribus unstable build on 1.7.X has a brand new UI with modern icons and layout. It can become a decent option even for new not-really-nerdy users. If you want/need stable build you can try Scribus 1.6.X but it have a really outdated UI. It can suites you if you do 2 flyers a year or a small book, but if you ever used InDesign go with Affinity Publisher.
Fast, smooth vector graphic design software with curve precision, vibrant colors, live gradients, and dynamic drawing tools, ideal for professionals.
The Affinity Suite is my go to as a professionnal alternative suite to Adobe's one. Affinity Designer is not perfect (yet), but in my use case completly replace Illustrator easily. It's intuitive and powerful. It can open .ai files with no to little issues.
Free vector graphics editor with real-time collaboration, browser and desktop support, multi-format import/export, scalable designs, and intuitive tools.
A 100% free web based alternative.
For
macOS users check
Linearity Curve it's free, has a great UI and pretty powerful. As a paid alternative
Pixelmator .
Expressive Canvas makes creating eye-catching vector illustrations, pixel-perfect icons, and other digital assets more straightforward than ever before.
I haven't tested this new tool yet but promising one-time payment sofware.
Open source vector graphics editor supporting SVG with features like custom brushes, pressure sensitivity, and layer management across multiple platforms.
If you want to go open source, Inkscape is your go to. Free and really powerful it will suite most of your needs. The UI is a bit outdated but it's still simple and intuitive. Give Inkscape a try :)
Worth mentioning :
Dotgrid that is more basic.
Amadine, a macOS vector graphics tool, offers user-friendly precision for creative design with versatile tools and seamless workflow experience.
A really great option for mac users
Free, open source vector graphics and animation tool with nondestructive editing, node-based design, layer compositing, and browser access in alpha.
Another free and open source solution that is newer. It's still in early development (public alpha) but promising project.
Automatically convert bitmap images to vectors with Vector Magic. Supports JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, outputting SVG, EPS, PDF. No install needed.
A feature that Illustrator has is to vectorify bitmap images. This tool makes that too !
Advanced video editing and color correction with integrated visual effects, motion graphics, and audio post-production tools, used by professionals.
DaVinci Resolve is the top recommandation as a professional colorist tool. But now it is a complete video editing software with awesome features. Also the free version is almost identical to the paid one, so there is no reason not to try it. It will need some relearning as it's not like Premiere Pro but you can choose at the insatllation to have a more Premierish UI.
It even can replace
Adobe After Effects with
Blackmagic Design Fusion built-in and
Adobe Audition with
DaVinci Resolve Fairlight also built-in.
Final Cut Pro provides non-linear, non-destructive editing of any QuickTime-compatible video format including DV, HDV, P2 MXF (DVCProHD), XDCAM (via plug-in), and 2K film formats. It supports a number of simultaneously composited video tracks (limited mainly by video format and...
Only for mac user Final Cut Pro X is a good and powerful alternative to Premier Pro that I think I don't have to mention here as it is really popular.
For Windows users
Corel VideoStudio is a great Final Cut alternative as it's inspired by that Apple UI.
Mastershot’s intuitive web-based video editor will have you churning out high quality videos in no time at all. And best of all, it's 100% Free
A free online video editor, signing-up is required but no watermarks or paid feature
Worth mentioning :
Omniclip Free and Open Source
wide.video Freeware
Free, open-source video editing with multi-format timelines, frame accurate seeking, and robust capture support up to 4k for diverse projects.
For open source video editing Shotcut is my recommandation as it's powerful and quite simple to learn and use.
Worth mentioning:
Nugget Video Editor
Intuitive multi-track video editor with robust hardware-accelerated support; offers chroma key, color grading, and extensive audio/video format compatibility.
A more feature packed foss video editor
Worth mentioning :
Olive Video Editor and
Flowblade
Klap is a web application that converts YouTube videos into short clips for social media platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Users can upload a video, add captions, and share the clips on social media.
This one is an AI tool to create (and edit) vertical shorts from long horizontal videos.
Fusion is the world’s most advanced compositing software for visual effects artists, broadcast and motion graphic designers and 3D animators.
I said that DaVinci Resolve was a complete video editing software with awesome features ? Fusion is one of them. It's really professional and powerful. But as it's not layer based like
Worth mentioning :
NUKE
Maxon Autograph is a digital compositing and motion graphics software used in the post-production industry of movie-making or motion-graphics design video making. It covers a wide range of functionnalities such as 2D animation, Keying, Tracking, 2D and 3D compositing, Audio...
For VFX and 2D/3D motion graphics this freemium tool rocks !
Natron is an open source, cross platform nodal compositing application. It is built around industry standard open source tech such as OpenFX, OpenEXR, OpenColorIO and OpenImageIO. The feature set includes realtime playback/RAM cache, multi-threaded rendering, 2d tracking...
Natron is a really powerful and open source
Probably one of the most advanced Free AfterEffects alternative for Motion Design
Worth mentioning :
Jitter
Friction is a powerful and versatile motion graphics application that allows you to create vector and raster animations for web and video platforms with ease.
The FOSS motion design app
An open-source multithreaded video transcoder, HandBrake compresses and converts digital media, supporting MP4, MKV formats, and offers hardware-accelerated conversion.
Handbrake is a must-have if you're in the video industry. It's free and open source.
Tahoma2D is a powerful program for 2D and stop motion animation. Tahoma 2D is based on OpenToonz.
Based on
OpenToonz
For drawing animation check
Pencil2D For Stop-Motion animation look at
Boats Animator
Animation app for iPad with over 300 textured brushes, frame-by-frame tools, multi-track timeline, keyframes, real-time rendering, video, audio, and effects.
One time purchase for iPad only !
Animate SVGs with advanced keyframe control, custom paths, text and shape tools, boolean operations, gradient editing, and export to multiple formats.
I haven't tested this new one-time payment SVG animator tool but looks like a decent option.
And that's it my list of Adobe free creating tools. Hope you find something interesting. Please like and share ^^ Also comment the one that you use !
Comments
I want to add some alternatives:
RawTherapee - Lightroom,
Flowblade - Premiere Pro,
Wavacity and 
AudioMass - Audition.
Great list!
Addition of Clip Studio Paint as alternative for Photoshop for painting might be great. CSP itself is considered as industry standard software in webtoon or comic making, especially in Asia region. It has a lot of unique feature that Photoshop or Krita doesn't have.
Thanks 👍😊
You're welcome 😊