Adobe’s Photoshop has been the go-to photo-editing software for more than a decade now. This software has developed over time, and these days you can create exceptionally great artworks using it. In addition to the PC version for windows and MAC, Photoshop is now available for both Android and iOS smartphones as well. So in no particular order, these are the best alternatives to adobe photoshop that are worth checking out.
What Is The Best Free Alternative To Photoshop?
1. GIMP
The first famous and free alternative to Photoshop on the list is GIMP. GNU Image Manipulation Program or often abbreviated as GIMP is a reliable software that can be used for photo manipulation, artwork creation, and graphic designing.
What Is The Best Free Alternative To Photoshop? 1. GIMP2. Photopea3. Paint.NET4. Canva5. Pixlr EditorBest Paid Photoshop Alternatives1. Procreate2. Pixelmator Pro3. Rebelle4. Affinity Photo 5. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
Since GIMP is open-source software, you can customise it as per your preference and even use helpful plug-ins that are created by the community. Fortunately, GIMP is available for Linux, Windows and Mac. The UI of GIMP is a bit cluttered in comparison to Photoshop. GIMP offers many professional-grade tools & features like masking, cloning, colour correction, and much more. Lastly, GIMP supports every mainstream media format, including RAW. Download GIMP
2. Photopea
Photopea can be considered as the best browser-based alternative to Photoshop. The UI of Photopea is almost similar to that of Photoshop. Consequently, if you are a regular user of Photoshop, you will feel right at home.
This browser-based photo-editing program supports every standard file format like JPG, PNG, RAW, Sketch, GIMP, and PSD. The next major highlight of Photopea is the ability to work on individual layers. Since Photopea is a browser-based Photoshop alternative, you can use it on any computer or tablet. It is worth noting that Photopea is free to use, but you can upgrade to the premium version to remove advertisements. Visit Photopea
3. Paint.NET
If you are a Windows 10 user, then Paint.NET might be the best Photoshop alternative for you. Well, Paint.NET was created as a replacement for Microsoft Paint. You can use Paint.NET for professional-level photo editing and retouching. That said, Paint.NET is not the best program when it comes to artwork creation.
Paint.NET sports a clean and easy to navigate UI. Similar to Photoshop, Paint.NET supports a layer-based workflow. Overall, Paint.NET is a perfect alternative to Photoshop, and its simplistic array of tools makes it ideal for beginners. Download Paint.NET
4. Canva
The next best browser-based alternative to Photoshop on the list is Canva. Unlike the other programs on the list, Canva offers a vast number of templates that are specially designed for different social media platforms.
If you primarily used Photoshop for creating posters, logos, flyers, brochures, and social graphics, then Canva might be the best alternative to Photoshop for you. Canva offers a humungous collection of copyright-free graphics, shapes, and images that you can use in your artworks. The free version of Canva is ideal for most users. However, you can upgrade to Canva Pro for unlocking some useful features. Lastly, Canva also has it’s native Android and iOS applications. Visit Canva
5. Pixlr Editor
Pixlr Editor can be considered as the free version of photoshop. This basic photo-editing program offers more than 600 effects, overlays, and borders. The UI of Pixlr Editor seems to be heavily inspired by Photoshop.
Similar to Photoshop, Pixlr Editor allows users to work on individual layers. Additionally, you can keep track of your previous edits from the history tab. In addition to photo editing, you can also use the Pixlr Editor for art creation. This editor is ideal for touch-screen Windows laptops and tablets. Lastly, Pixlr Editor also has it’s native Android and iOS applications. Visit Pixlr Editor
Best Paid Photoshop Alternatives
1. Procreate
If you used Photoshop for creating sketches, artworks, vectors, and paintings then Procreate might be a reliable Photoshop alternative for you. Well, Procreate is exclusively available for iOS and iPadOS.
Procreate is optimized to work flawlessly with iPad and Apple Pencil. You can create artwork with highly responsive tools like pencils, inks and brushes. Some of the major highlights of Procreate are ultra HD canvases, 250 levels of undo and redo, around 50 customisable settings for every brush, full-featured layering system, and much more. You can purchase Procreate for a price of $10 from the Appstore. Download Procreate
2. Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro is another professional photo-editing program like Photoshop. Exclusively available for macOS, Pixelmator Pro offers an extensive collection of tools for editing, retouching photos, creating graphic designs, painting, drawing vector graphics, and much more. Pixelmator Pro supports multi-monitors based setups.
Unlike the other programs and apps on the list, Pixelmator Pro offers detailed tutorials for both beginners and professionals. Fortunately, Pixelmator Pro is a bit cheaper than Photoshop and it doesn’t lag behind in terms of features. In a nutshell, Pixelmator Pro can be considered as the perfect blend of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Download Pixelmator Pro
3. Rebelle
The next best photo editor like photoshop on the list is Rebelle. Well, Rebelle offers a realistic painting experience and it can be used on both Windows and macOS computers. This photoshop like program allows users to paint with natural watercolours and acrylics.
The layer-based workflow of this program allows users to focus on individual elements of a painting. Rebelle supports every mainstream file format like PNG, JPG, TIF, BMP and REB files. The next major highlight of Rebelle is its intuitive and highly customizable interface. You can purchase Rebelle for £71. Download Rebelle
4. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is another popular photo-editing program like Photoshop. Some of the major highlights of Affinity Photo are professional color spaces and profiles; a full set of 16-bit filters; support for modern camera RAW formats; and customizable toolbars, keyboard shortcuts & panels.
In addition to Windows and macOS, Affinity Photo is available for iPad as well. Affinity Photo offers many photo retouching tools like spatial lens correction, noise reduction, detail refinement, and much more. You can purchase Affinity Photo with a one-time payment of £48.99 or $49.99. Download Affinity Photo
5. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 is actually a stripped-down version of Photoshop. You can use Adobe Photoshop Elements for basic photo-editing and retouching. This program is dedicated to beginners and it has an intuitive UI.
In addition to photo editing, Adobe Photoshop Elements doubles up as a reliable photo management program. Overall, Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great photo editing software like photoshop. Download Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 CONCLUSION So these were some of the best programs similar to photoshop. Do share your personal recommendations for the best free photo editor like photoshop for both windows and mac in the comments section below.
