Photoshop AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Photo Editors for Windows

There are many alternatives to Adobe Photoshop for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best free Windows Photo Editor alternative 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 and Photo Editors available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Windows Photo Editor alternatives to Adobe Photoshop are Paint.NET, Pixlr, Affinity and Photoscape.

filter to find the best alternatives

Adobe Photoshop alternatives are mainly Photo Editors, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Digital Painting Tools 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.
More about Adobe Photoshop
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Adobe Photoshop alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4739 likes

    Free open-source suite offering advanced photo retouching, image composition, original artwork creation, batch processing, plugin support, custom scripting, mass image format conversion, and integration with free publishing tools for comprehensive editing solutions.

    188 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    • AppImage
    GIMP screenshot 1
     
    |
    112
    GIMP vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    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
    25

    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.

    Rex2111
    Negative
    1

    Gimp is a great open source alternative for less complex tasks but it is FAR from a true photoshop alternative.

    3 of 112 comments
    • 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. Paint.NET icon

    Paint.NET

     1657 likes

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

    163 Paint.NET alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
    Paint.NET screenshot 1
     
    |
    21
    Paint.NET vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    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.
    3 of 21 comments
    • Paint.NET is Free and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Paint.NET is Lightweight and MinimalisticAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  4. Pixlr icon

    Pixlr

     390 likes

    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.

    231 Pixlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Pixlr screenshot 1
     
    |
    10
    Pixlr vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    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.

    3 of 10 comments
    • Pixlr is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Pixlr is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Icecream Photo Editor icon
    Icecream Photo Editor

    Edit and manage photos on Windows with cropping, resizing, rotating, filters, stickers, drawing, collage layouts, organization tools, and support for JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP. Features frames, blur, automatic enhancement, and a s...

    https://icecreamapps.com
    Learn More
  6. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     63 likes

    Unified design solution merging advanced photo, vector, and layout tools for seamless workflow, non-destructive editing, RAW support, batch processing, AI enhancements, GPU acceleration, file compatibility, cloud asset integration, and tailored workspace options.

    68 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    Affinity vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    OMGparticles
    Positive
    1

    Affinity has most of Photoshop's features without the predatory subscription scheme. It includes many of the full Adobe suite's features, combining vector and rasterized graphics editing. The UI is clean, familiar, and easy to understand and customize.

    ctrl
    Positive
    1

    It have so many feature and excellent interface. And it's FREE.

    Rex2111
    Positive
    1

    The only true alternative to photoshop right now. Sucks that canva owns it but it is the best option to avoid adobe. Open source alternatives just are not up to par yet.

    • Affinity is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Photoscape icon

    Photoscape

     262 likes

    PhotoScape is a fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos.

    192 Photoscape alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Photoscape screenshot 1
     
    |
    4
    Photoscape vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    DalsPhotography
    Positive
    0

    It's a bit outdated for Mac, but nevertheless it's useful, light weight, and with some funny tools that you can use for daily tasks.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    I like it because you can merge multiple photos easily.

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

    Simple, no layers, but brushes are available. Cheap, light weighted and goes easy on your machine resources. Even as professional I do use Photoscape for a first review of my photos.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    • Photoscape is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Photoscape is LightweightAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  8. Polarr icon

    Polarr

     119 likes

    Offers advanced filters, high-precision color and light tools, clarity, dehaze, batch export, watermarking, custom filter creation, touch and mouse access, infinite undo, HSL/RGB curves, blending, and workspace customization for versatile editing needs.

    139 Polarr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Polarr screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    Polarr vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    kreela
    Positive
    0

    I couldn't find an option for layers.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    This more like a photo editor, doesn't come close

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

    Free version is the most capable offline editor available in Chromebook. Excellent masking tools in paid version.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Polarr is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  10. PhotoGIMP icon

    PhotoGIMP

     22 likes

    A Patch for GIMP 3+ for Photoshop Users.

    13 PhotoGIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    PhotoGIMP screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    PhotoGIMP vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    John Gringo
    Positive
    2

    It's a good way for Photoshop users to be able to use GIMP.

    • PhotoGIMP is Free and Open SourceAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
    • PhotoGIMP is Privacy focusedAdobe Photoshop is not according to our users
  11. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     46 likes

    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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Main UI
     
    |
    1
    LazPaint vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    maurosoft391
    Negative
    -2

    the software is poorly designed

    • 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

     118 likes

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

    77 MediBang Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Steam
    Great for anime or comics
     
    |
    2
    MediBang Paint vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    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.

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

    PhotoDemon

     33 likes

    BSD-licensed portable photo editor for Windows featuring multi-layer editing, batch processing, macro support, real-time effect previews, advanced filters, customizable hotkeys, non-destructive tools, color-managed workflow, efficient performance, and broad file compatibility.

    23 PhotoDemon alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    PhotoDemon screenshot 1
     
  14. Adobe Photoshop Express icon

    Adobe Photoshop Express

     118 likes

    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.

    169 Adobe Photoshop Express alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    Adobe Photoshop Express screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Adobe Photoshop Express vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    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 Express is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
  15. Fotor icon

    Fotor

     61 likes

    Comprehensive online editor offering filters, frames, text, stickers, collage creation, graphic design, templates for social media, batch editing, photo retouching, mobile and desktop access, regular updates, and direct sharing to social channels.

    191 Fotor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Fotor screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Fotor vs Adobe Photoshop Comments
    kreela
    Positive
    0

    It has no layers, but it has a nice tool to change the focal point, and it is much easier than photoshop for basic edits.

    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    Simple for using ,with enough tools

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Fotor is Freemium and ProprietaryAdobe Photoshop is Paid and Proprietary
12 of 39 Adobe Photoshop alternatives