Photoshop AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Digital Painting Tools

The best free Digital Painting alternative to Adobe Photoshop is GIMP, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Adobe Photoshop and many of them are free Digital Painting Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Digital Painting Tool alternatives to Adobe Photoshop are Krita, Paint.NET, Photopea and Pixlr.

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Adobe Photoshop alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Photo Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Mac, Online, Free, Windows, Linux and Windows + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.
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Alternatives list

  1. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4717 likes
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    GIMP delivers powerful functionalities for photo retouching, image composition, and format conversion. As a versatile tool, it serves as both a simple paint program and a high-end retouching suite, and offers batch processing for mass image tasks in an accessible open-source platform.

    190 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    yes
     
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    111
    1881
    Comments about GIMP as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Comment summary: GIMP is praised for being a free, open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop with many features and community support. However, users find its interface unintuitive and criticize its limitation in handling PSD files and advanced Photoshop features. It is considered a less comparable alternative mainly for simpler editing tasks, with suggestions for plugins like PhotoGIMP to bridge some gaps.
    Top Positive Comment
    Conner Vieira
    4

    If you're used to Photoshop, GIMP will feel very unusual, since it has very different ways of doing things. That being said, its more than capable of keeping up with Photoshop on a technical level, and well exceeds Photoshop's abilities (if at the cost of intuitiveness) in my opinion

    Top Negative Comment
    Marek
    24

    Irritating, totally unintuitive, completely unthought-out interface. It may have a lot of possibilities, but a lifetime is not enough to discover them and understand the twisted logic of this program.

    Mike-Fulton
    Negative
    0

    On paper, GIMP would seem to match up quite well against Adobe Photoshop, but when you actually try to use it, it's got a user interface that not even a mother could love. Most features are implemented in a very non-intuitive fashion. Want to crop an image? In Photoshop you enter the desired size and then drag a rectangle around the portion of the image you want to keep. It automatically constrains the selection to the aspect ratio of the size you entered. Gimp offers a variety of options for the crop tool but none of them is as simple and quick to use as PS. I've tried using GIMP several times over the past few decades and it always makes me want to tear my hair out.

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    3 of 111 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    GIMP icon

    • Almost everyone thinks GIMP is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • GIMP is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • GIMP is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • GIMP is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • GIMP is Customizable, Privacy focused and LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  2. Krita icon

    Krita

     1405 likes
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    Free, open-source painting software designed by artists for artists. Offers customizable UI, 9 brush engines, color management, tablet support, non-destructive editing, and privacy features. Portable and available on major platforms, supporting seamless texture creation.

    142 Krita alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    • F-Droid
    Main Window
     
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    632
    Comments about Krita as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Comment summary: Krita, praised for its open-source nature and ease of use, is a strong alternative for those focusing on digital art and animation. While not as robust for photo editing, many users find it complements freeware like Photopea for certain projects. Its intuitive interface and almost complete feature set for drawing resonate with artists, although it lacks some newer features available in Photoshop.
    Top Positive Comment
    Atoshi
    18

    It's kinda more intuitive to use than GIMP (which is a briliant PS alternative too) interface-wise, and supports CMYK out of the box if one needs it. As of version 3.1 it has pretty advanced support for animation, including opacity curves (GIMP fails completely in that field, animathing anything is a major PITA in it)

    Top Negative Comment
    Soul Rain
    36

    photoshop is a photo editing software; krita is a painting and sketching app

    Tomás Barão
    Positive
    0

    I often use complex layer layouts. From my experience, Krita offers ways of combining and compositing layers much more powerful than Photoshop. Some things Krita can do non-destructively that Photoshop can't.

    Krita is often branded with an anime and cartoons focus, but I use it in my professional work for raster processing in general.

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    3 of 46 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    Krita icon

    • Most users think Krita is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • Krita is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • Krita is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Krita is Lightweight, Customizable and Privacy focusedAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  4. Paint.NET icon

    Paint.NET

     1648 likes
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    Free Windows image editor with support for layers, plugins, and special effects. Offers intuitive interface, works offline, ad-free, and portable, consuming fewer resources.

    165 Paint.NET alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
    Paint.NET screenshot 1
     
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    326
    Comments about Paint.NET as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Comment summary: Paint.NET is appreciated for being lightweight and easy to use, offering better PSD compatibility than GIMP. However, it cannot fully replace Photoshop due to its minimal features and lack of object support. Users note that while Paint.NET is free and useful for small edits, Photoshop remains superior yet slower for more advanced tasks.
    Top Positive Comment
    Thatstinkyguy
    1

    While it doesn't beat GIMP in terms of features, open-source, or cross-platform accessibility, it's still a solid program that's lightweight, fairly easy to use, and with a plugin (among many other ones), it seems to have better compatibility with PSD files than GIMP.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Well, it as the first image editor I have used other than... paint, So I might be a little biased. But its great, I love it, it has stuff, and its good.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    I was able to use it from day one and get better over time the more I worked in it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 21 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    Paint.NET icon

    • Most users think Paint.NET is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • Paint.NET is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Paint.NET is Lightweight and MinimalisticAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Adobe Photoshop Express icon
    Adobe Photoshop Express

    Adobe's mobile photo-editing app lets you edit, share, and upload photos across devices. With features like free 2 GB storage, original size backup, and extra tools for advanced editing, it enhances your images for social med...

    https://www.adobe.com
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  6. Photopea icon

    Photopea

     330 likes
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    Browser-based image editing supports PSD, XCF, Sketch formats, advanced layers, vector tools, RAW photo support, and exports in 40+ formats. Fully client-side with AI background removal, content-aware tools, and privacy as files never leave your device.

    111 Photopea alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Photopea screenshot 1
     
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    31
    234
    Comments about Photopea as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Comment summary: Photopea is frequently regarded as an excellent, free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, especially praised for its online accessibility without the need for installation. Though it parallels Photoshop with similar interfaces and features, like PSD support and smart objects, some users note it lacks certain tools and artificial intelligence capabilities, and requires an internet connection to operate.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    16

    Fully supports PSD format with adjustment layers, layer effects, paths, layer masks etc.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    For me, who can't afford to pay for every subscription but still wants to use the tools, Photopea is the best alternative to Photoshop. Especially the free version. The structure, functions, and even the keyboard shortcuts are the same. Plus, you can work entirely with PSD files, and vectors are also supported.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Kris Regina
    Positive
    0

    An actual free alternative to Photoshop.

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    3 of 31 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    Photopea icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Photopea is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • Photopea is the most popular Web-based & SaaS alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • Photopea is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Pixlr icon

    Pixlr

     389 likes
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    Web-based editor with AI image generation, quick fixes, overlays, intricate lighting and texture adjustments, customizable templates, advanced filters, support for layers, high-res export, and ad-free premium features for accessible image and design editing.

    225 Pixlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Pixlr screenshot 1
    Promotion 😀

    Get a 30% discount on Pixlr Premium Plans with AlternativeTo, use code AW30OFF

     
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    10
    114
    Comments about Pixlr as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    9

    The fact that Pixlr is browser based is cool at places like school where you can't just install GIMP.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Ilgazcl
    Positive
    0

    It was acquired by Apple so you should make sure multi-platform and even Web support continues. Apple doesn't have a good history of maintaining other platforms compatibility.

    Ömer Emin Onaran
    Positive
    3

    You do not need to download a program, you enter from the web.

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    3 of 10 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    Pixlr icon

    • Most users think Pixlr is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • Pixlr is the most popular Android & iPhone alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • Pixlr is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Pixlr is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  8. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     387 likes
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    MyPaint is a fast, distraction-free, and easy painting tool for digital artists. It supports graphics tablets made by Wacom, and many similar devices.

    126 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1
     
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    5
    43
    Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Top Positive Comment
    uhada
    2

    If you're looking for a painting app, MyPaint may be a good alternative to Photoshop. It has infinite canvas, good, natural brushes and overall good tools.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    20

    MyPaint is only a drawing program, but it can't edit images. Adobe Photoshop can do both.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    sedeti
    Negative
    0

    My paint is not a image editor

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    3 of 5 comments
    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    MyPaint icon

    • Most users think MyPaint is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  10. FireAlpaca icon

    FireAlpaca

     88 likes
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    FireAlpaca is the image editor that can be used readily and easily. We made it possible to provide the completely free download, in order for our products to be experienced by more users from all over the world. It is available for both Mac and Windows users!

    122 FireAlpaca alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    FireAlpaca screenshot 1
     
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    1
    14
    Comments about FireAlpaca as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Ryvaa
    Positive
    1

    I really like how smooth is to paint on Fire Alpaca, It's a wonderful software for painting. And faster then Krita.

    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    FireAlpaca icon

    • Most users think FireAlpaca is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  11. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     45 likes
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    Raster & vector graphic editor with many tools and filters, written in Lazarus. Portable, 32bit & 64bit versions, ORA format & 16384x16384 image support. In app 3D import & rendering.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Main UI
     
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    1
    10
    Comments about LazPaint as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    -2

    the software is poorly designed

    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    LazPaint icon

    • Most users think LazPaint is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • LazPaint is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • LazPaint is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  12. MediBang Paint icon

    MediBang Paint

     117 likes
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    MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.

    75 MediBang Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Steam
    Great for anime or comics
     
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    Comments about MediBang Paint as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Whitter
    Negative
    2

    MediBang is used for drawing manga and comic books, NOT editing photos.

    Ryvaa
    Positive
    0

    It's a wonderful software for painting, not editing photos.

    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    MediBang Paint icon

    • Most users think MediBang Paint is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • MediBang Paint is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  13. Adobe Photoshop Express icon

    Adobe Photoshop Express

     117 likes
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    Adobe's mobile photo-editing app lets you edit, share, and upload photos across devices. With features like free 2 GB storage, original size backup, and extra tools for advanced editing, it enhances your images for social media without reducing file quality.

    166 Adobe Photoshop Express alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    Adobe Photoshop Express screenshot 1
     
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    2
    24
    Comments about Adobe Photoshop Express as an Alternative to Adobe Photoshop
    Guest
    Negative
    7

    Limited features and none of the real photoshop features

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Haque
    Negative
    0

    Not even a single useful feature, this is just for adding filters to pictures and making photos the correct size for social media. (from the free version)

    Adobe Photoshop Icon
    Adobe Photoshop Express icon

    • Most users think Adobe Photoshop Express is a great Adobe Photoshop alternative.

    • Adobe Photoshop Express is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  14. miniPaint icon

    miniPaint

     30 likes
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    miniPaint is free online image editor using HTML5. Edit, adjust your images, add effects online in your browser without installing anything. You can use the Electron based version of the editor if you like.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    miniPaint screenshot 1
     

    • miniPaint is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

    • miniPaint is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • miniPaint is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  15. PhotoDemon icon

    PhotoDemon

     33 likes
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    PhotoDemon provides a comprehensive selection of photo editing tools in an 8 MB download. It runs on any Windows machine (XP through Win 10) and does not require installation. It can easily be run from a USB stick or SD card.

    22 PhotoDemon alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    PhotoDemon screenshot 1
     
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    6
12 of 36 Adobe Photoshop alternatives