Adobe Photoshop is a popular software utility to manipulate the image and enhance its appearance. No matter whether you are a professional or starting out, Adobe Photoshop offers several powerful features suitable for every user.
However, with several options available, you might notice a steep learning curve or complexity while using it. Especially, for beginners. Not just limited to that, Adobe’s monthly subscription for its software cannot be considered as affordable for every user.
So, there’s a need for Adobe Photoshop alternatives, no matter what. In this article, we shall take a look at some of the best Adobe photoshop alternatives!
Top Paid & Free Adobe Photoshop Alternatives
1. Affinity Photo (Paid)
Affinity Photo is unquestionably the best alternative to Adobe Photoshop. You do not need a subscription, just a one-time fee — which is impressive!
You can draw some amazing work using the brush tools, import/export PSD files, add live layers, re-size, and more. It offers many powerful features for a professional user.
Even if you are a newbie, Affinity Photo is relatively easy to use and the options are easily accessible. The user interface is carefully crafted to provide a great user experience. It is a must-try!
2. GIMP (Free)
If you are looking for free Adobe photoshop alternatives, GIMP is probably your best bet. It is an open-source application which is completely free to use.
However, GIMP may not be user-friendly for new users. The user interface is simple but may feel overwhelming to learn if you are a newbie. Ruling out the usability, it offers equally powerful features and you can do a great deal of professional-grade work without spending a penny on the software.
3. Paint.NET (Free)
This may not be a full-fledged Photoshop alternative. But, for the basic image editing like adding layers, adding texts, re-sizing, and more, can be easily done thanks to Paint.NET.
It is a Windows-only software but it is suitable for quick image edits without the hassle of launching a full-blown image editor like Photoshop. You will be impressed how good the tool is for essential image editing without needing a lot of system resources.
4. Pixlr (Free & Paid options)
Pixlr is a web-based photo editor that does more things than you would expect from a basic image editor. It is an impressive Adobe Photoshop alternative that you can use on your browser.
It offers both free and paid plans. The free plan obviously enforces some restrictions and is supported by advertisements. If you want to get rid of the advertisements and the limitations of the free plan, you will have to opt for the paid plans.
You will also notice two editions of editors available – Pixlr X and E. With X edition, you get basic image editing support and the E version is an advanced image editor. As of writing this, they had plans to introduce apps for both Windows and macOS.
5. Canva (Free & Paid options)
Canva may not be a proper alternative to Photoshop but for beginners, it can prove to be one. If your work involves basic layer management, editing images, making a thumbnail, poster, infographics, and so on, Canva can be a great fit.
It is completely a web service that is free to get started. You can get a lot of work done without paying a penny but if you want all the premium icons, backgrounds, shapes, etc you can get a subscription. In addition to that, Canva also offers a team-based subscription that you can utilize for your organization.
Overall, it is easy to use and perfect for beginners.
6. PicMonkey (Paid)
PicMonkey is yet another Adobe Photoshop alternative that is similar to the web-based Canva. PicMonkey is also a web-based service but it does not offer a free plan.
You can opt for a free trial but no free to use plans. You might find a few things better here compared to Canva, but that’s just a personal preference. We would recommend you try both if you are looking for an easy alternative to Photoshop.
Wrapping Up
Even though not all the alternatives offer the same feature-set, you get a variety of options when considering a replacement for Adobe Photoshop for your specific requirement. Overall, Affinity Photo could be the best bet for professionals and web-based services like Canva can be an easy alternative for beginners.
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