Update March 24, 2022: Updated prices, links, and Adobe Photoshop alternatives details.
Adobe Photoshop has emerged as the best-known photo editing software, an industry standard not only in graphic images but in digital art as a whole. So famous is it that the word Photoshop is used as a synonym for visual editing in the same way as Google or Facebook have taken a generic role in language. In many ways the Fame of what is now Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite is justified, it is a quality product that has not only stood the test of time but has continually adapted to new technology and improved. However, it is not the only software out there.
There are numerous Adobe Photoshop alternatives that might be worth your while, but if Adobe is so good you may be asking yourself why bother with the others? Well, there has been a rise in similar software packages with different prices, different features, and sizes. You need to ask yourself exactly what you need and what you want out of your editing package as certain alternatives may be more appropriate, in terms of specific needs, budget, knowledge, and future growth.
Here we’ve taken a look at the latest compatible editing software packages to bring you a quick, yet hopefully useful guide to what is available, the key features, and the cost. To save you even more time we’ve split the packages into general sections for the most appropriate usage.
Article overview:
Ultimate Adobe Photoshop Alternatives
Alternatives for UX/UI Design
Alternatives for Painting, Drawing, Digital Art
Alternatives for Photo Editing
Alternatives for Print Design
You may also be interested in 30 of The Best Photoshop Tutorials for Beginners.
The Best Ultimate Adobe Photoshop Alternatives
1. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2022
CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2022 is the latest version of the well-known package being faster, smarter, and more collaborative than previously. It is an all-around alternative, combining tools for editing and illustrating. As well as the usual retouching and enhancing of photographic images there are a number of other unique features and art effect tools that are worth investigating.
There are different pricing options to increase affordability and much-improved collaboration tools (useful for remote working) as well as a mobile device app, allowing you to work on the go. It’s a common package and there is a lot of online tutoring available on their site but also from other sources, so you shouldn’t get stuck. Plus there is the advance of a one-off payment purchase which is not offered by Adobe Photoshop.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
Option 1: €719 one-off purchase
Option 2: €29.08/month
15-day trial & 30-day money-back guarantee
Cheaper home & Student edition (€99.95)
Toolset:
Excellent for vector and raster editing, layout & illustration
Collaboration tools (subscription option only)
Available in different languages
UI resemblance to Photoshop: Fair
2. GIMP
Widely regarded as the best free photo editor & image creator and a great alternative for the non-professional. However, as it’s free you can’t expect it to be as powerful as or as feature-heavy as Photoshop. That said, there is certainly a great range of features for image editing (layers, filters, etc) and free-form illustration.
GIMP has advanced software, is regularly updated, and in short, is a great free package for beginners and non-professionals. Their official site has tutorials to guide you through.
Runs on:
Linux, Windows, Mac
Price:
Free Open Source
Toolset:
Not as diverse as Photoshop but way more than basic and getting better
UI resemblance to Photoshop: Fair
3. Affinity
Affinity Photo is part of the “Affinity Trinity” that includes Designer and Publisher and is aimed at professional designers and photographers but accessible for beginners. A powerful software package providing professionals with a complete set of fine-tuning and retouching tools with instant previews, filter layers and effects, photo stitching, and more.
A very affordable option and highly regarded package with a great set of tools and full file compatibility between devices so you can work on the same file on different machines. It is also especially good for working on lower-end computers as it is lighter than Photoshop.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac, iPad
Price:
$29 ($12 for iPad) one-off purchase
Toolset:
Excellent for photo editing
UI resemblance to Photoshop: Fair
Start learning Affinity Designer with our collection of tutorials.
The Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives for UI/UX Design
4. Sketch
Sketch is a vector graphics editor for macOS primarily used for user interface and user experience design of websites and mobile apps to create wireframes and does not include print design features. A one-off payment includes updates for a year and unlimited cloud storage.
Sketch is more straightforward than Photoshop, allowing new users to get to grips with it relatively quickly. However, as a mainly UI/UX design software it has fewer designing and editing features. Also, Sketch is purely for vector graphics and needs extra plugins to extend its functionality.
Runs on:
Mac
Price:
Option 1: $99 one-off payment for individuals
Option 2: $9 per month per contributor for teams
30-day trial
Toolset:
Less design and editing features, mainly for creating wireframes
Start learning Sketch with these 20 beginner tutorials.
5. Figma
A similar system to Sketch regarding focus on UI/UX functionality and features is Figma. The main difference is that whereas Sketch is a downloadable app, Figma is a cloud-based design tool making Figma better for real-time team collaboration. Although it is possible to work offline with Figma too. In addition, Figma is not solely for use with Apple.
Figma is mainly used for making websites, apps, or interface components for project integration so it doesn’t have the broad-based function of Photoshop. It is recognized for its ease of use particularly if you already have some knowledge or familiarity with UI/UX design. And, of course, it’s worth noting that there are a free version and a free professional version for Students and teachers.
Runs on:
Mac, Windows
Price:
Free option (3 projects,2 editors)
Professional $12 per editor per month
Organization $45 per editor per month
The professional version is free for Students and Educators
Toolset:
Excellent design and code generation tools
Cloud-based
6. Adobe XD
Adobe’s specialist UI/UX design tool is Adobe XD. Adobe XD is a prototyping tool for user experience and interaction designers. The features are used for creating wireframes, prototypes, and screen designs for digital products such as websites, games, and mobile apps.
There is a focus on user-friendly design, design features, and real-time collaboration tools. Of course, there is a strong similarity with adobe photoshop and lots of common features and links. In addition, there are monthly updates and additions but at the moment there aren’t as many plugin options as Sketch.
Runs on:
Mac, Windows & companion versions for Android and iOS
Price:
Free Starter XD option (1 shared doc, 2 editors, 2GB cloud storage)
Adobe XD $9.99 per month per user
Adobe XD for teams $22.99 per month per user
Toolset:
UI/UX design tools & collaboration tools
You may also be interested in these 25 easy Adobe XD tutorials.
7. Framer X
Another desktop app software package primarily for prototyping, design, and development giving UI/UX designers the ability to create realistic app prototype designs and animate very advanced interactions. It is the easiest and most advanced version from the Framer group although it still requires some coding skill and technical knowledge and there is quite a learning curve making it perhaps more useful for developers than pure designers.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
Individual $12 per month, Small teams $79 per month (5 users)
Custom Prices for large teams
Toolset:
Excellent advanced design tools and collaboration
8. InVision Studio
InVision Studio is a prototyping and animation tool that lets you create advanced, vector-based screen designs quickly. This design tool, particularly for motion animation in web and app development, is certainly one of the leaders in this field.
InVision has a range of tools for vector drawing, interactive design, and animation and is an extremely powerful editing and design system. It also has the advantage of allowing the physical design of a file before adding animations and transitions. There is a learning curve though so it’s probably not best for absolute beginners.
Runs on:
Mac, Windows
Price:
Free to InVision subscribers
Different paid plans starting at $15 per month to $99 per month for teams
Toolset:
Design, animation tools, and collaboration
9. Marvel App
The Marvel app is an app that allows you to design and create prototypes of your own apps. It allows browser-based design from any device as well as testing, real-time collaboration, and automated handoff. However, this browser-based system means you can’t work offline.
It got an easy-to-use, friendly style which is especially welcoming for non-pro designers. Another recent innovation is the integration of the POPrvel App allowing designers to usefully put their pen/paper ideas into iPhone and Android apps.
Runs On:
Browser-based
Price:
Free option; 1 project, one user
Pro $12 per month
Team $42 per month
Team Plus $84 per month
Toolset:
Design & Prototype tools for creating apps
10. UXPin
UXPin is a complete online solution for UX designers. You can use it to design complicated, advanced, and responsive interfaces with UXPin’s built-in libraries, making UXPin something of a wireframing tool as well and also import from others like Photoshop and Sketch.
There are design features, and workflow functions such as automated documentation, designer/developer handoffs, and collaborative features. Quite complicated to use especially at first.
Runs on:
Mac, Windows
Price:
Basic $19 per editor per month
Advanced $29 per editor per month
Custom prices for enterprises
Toolset:
Design, prototype, and collaboration tools
The Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives for Painting, Drawing, Art
11. Escape Emotions Rebelle 3
Escape Motions is a small studio of creatives and coders dedicated to developing innovative visual tools and Rebelle 3 is their latest one-of-a-kind paint software that mimics the behavior of acrylic and watercolor paints including blending and liquid flow. The software can also mimic dry materials such as pencils, pastels, and markers.
Designed for use by artists of all types who want to mix traditional realistic artistic techniques with the latest technology. By tilting or blowing on the virtual page you can create original art, you can change pens, brushes, and styluses as well as use the traditional filters brightness, balance, etc.
There is intuitive interface design and multiple languages and plenty of support including YouTube tutorials.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
One-off purchase normally $89.99, $71.99 latest offer price (30-day refund)
Discounts for Students, Educators and Educational Instituations
Toolset:
Excellent, unique design and drawing effects, traditional tools
12. Art Rage
There are a series of software packages from ArtRage, the latest being ArtRage 6. ArtRage provides a full range of familiar tools for digital artists of all abilities from children to adults and from beginners to professionals. You can work with pencil or paint from watercolor to oils, smear, blend, chance strokes and brushes, shade, and grade.
You can add special effects, customize colors and canvases, and much much more. There’s support through tutorials and forums as well as customer support and manuals. Plus there is a great Lite version for you to try out your more basic skills and you can take advantage of discounted upgrades from previous packages from ArtRage.
Runs on:
Windows or Mac, versions for iOS and Android
Price:
ArtRage 6 – one-off purchase $39
Other versions; Lite $29.90, iOS $2.99, Android $2.99
Discounts for Educational Institutions
Discount for Upgrades from other older ArtRage packages
Toolset:
Great drawing & painting tools
13. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a companion product to Photoshop for creating vector graphics for the web, mobile graphics, or indeed for printing. It’s often used by artists and designers for making logos, promotional work, fonts, comics, and other graphics.
Although harder to use than Photoshop, especially for advanced work, there is a range of video tutorials to help you. You can use it to modify photos but that is not the chief function, it is more about creation. The biggest difference between Illustrator and Photoshop is that Illustrator used vectors that allow a clean, resizable image without any loss of quality so Illustrator has a specific rather than a general function. There are regular updates and improvements too. You can learn more about vector file formats here: What is a Vector File? Everything You Need to Know
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
$20.99 per month for a single app
$33.99 per month for Business
Student and Teacher discounts on full creative cloud package including illustrator
Free trial
Toolset:
Vector graphic creation tools
14. Sketchbook
SketchBook Pro has become Sketchbook as it has recently become totally free for individuals with full features. The software is a graphics software application intended for expressive drawing and concept sketching, especially good for designers but also engineers and architects as it has 3d design technology. It’s designed to feel like you’re drawing on paper rather than a screen with less invasive menus.
A great range of painting tools (brushes, pens, etc) alongside layer blending modes and filters. You can add animation and it is great for getting ideas down quickly, sharing, and modifying.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
Free for Individuals
$85 per year Business License
Toolset:
Painting and drawing tools including 3D and animation
15. Art Weaver
Artweaver is a raster graphics editor mainly aimed at professional and amateur artists who are already relatively familiar with commercial programs like Adobe Photoshop and especially Corel Painter. It is recognized as one of the easiest-to-use packages with a great interface and plugins available for extensions.
It’s free for personal use and gives you the chance to work with other artists on the same canvas over the net or you can upgrade and try out greater features and more support.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
Free for personal use (non-commercial or academic)
Plus version with more features for €34 one-off purchase
Toolset:
Painting tools
Collaboration features
16. Adobe Fresco
Another Adobe product, Fresco is a powerful drawing app for iPad and now for Windows with the world’s largest digital brush collection. You can create paintings and drawings with oils and watercolors in a highly realistic way, even with live brushes, smudges, and thicknesses.
Often used in combination with the other Adobe Creative Suite such as illustrator or Photoshop, Fresco is a great way to get your ideas down before exporting to add the finishing touches.
Runs on:
Windows, iPad
Price:
Free version for Individuals
Premium version $9.99 per month (greater brushes, storage)
Business $19.99 per month
Student and teacher offer for complete Creative suite.
Toolset:
Vector and raster for drawing, painting, and sketching
17. PaintShop Pro
PaintShop Pro is Corel’s stand-alone image editing, drawing, and painting program with some new innovative features such as refined brushes, cloning, and a simplified workspace. It is powerful already but has plugin extensions available. There is the usual array of features plus some exciting extras.
Good for professionals and novices especially for photo editing especially since the addition of a simplified workspace.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
$62.99 one-off purchase (30 day money back guarantee)
Ultimate version $79.99 (additional content)
Toolset:
Photo and design tools
18. Krita
A free-to-use digital painting and drawing application with a simple easy-to-use interface. You can produce work from scratch or build on existing illustrations from templates. There are plenty of effects, brushes, and color palettes to choose from as well as options for animation.
There is also a pretty useful drawing assistant that will give tips and advice, plus loads of online support and tutorials, making it excellent for beginners.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price:
Free
Tool Set
Effect, brushes and animation options
The Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives for Photo Editing
19. Adobe Lightroom
Made by Adobe, Lightroom was developed specifically for photographers. Beginners, Amateur hobbyists, and professional photographers can all use Lightroom on the cloud to organize and edit their images quickly and effectively. Lightroom allows importing/saving, viewing, organizing, tagging, editing, and sharing large numbers of digital images
It works better than Photoshop in terms of workflow organization as you can easily create image collections, keyword images, share images directly to social media, batch processes, and more.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, tvOS
Price:
Free trial
$9.99 per month
Toolset:
Editing and organizational tools
20. Photopea
Known as the “online Photoshop”, Photopea is an advanced image editor that closely resembles Photoshop and is available as an online browser-based tool.it is similar in many ways to Adobe Photoshop, including the look. You can migrate work to and from Photoshop and it also supports files from Sketch, GIMP, Corel Draw, etc
The most popular Photoshop tools and options are included in Photopea’s functionality. The free account will allow you to use the full functionality of the online tool. However, if you go with a Premium plan, Photopea will remove ads and will give you 60 steps in history, compared to 30 in the free version.
Runs on:
Web browser
Price:
Free & Premium starting from $5 (removes ads)
Toolset:
Usual editing tools plus some new ones such as Puppet warp and Oil filter.
21. Pixlr Editor
A nice simple editor that does most things and has all the essential features, photo manipulation tools, impressive effects and filters, layer support, transforming objects, and more.
Pixlr’s online image editor is intuitive and free to use. Pixlr comes with a mobile app that is available on Google Play and iOS App Store – this makes it a perfect solution for essential photo editing on the go. The Pro version is also quite low-cost and it gives you access to a library of pre-made PSD templates, premium fonts, and stock photos to add to your photos and graphic designs.
Runs on:
Web, Android & iOS
Price:
Free (with ads)
Advanced at $7.99 per month
Pro $19.99 per month
Toolset:
Editing and manipulation tools, effects, etc
22. Pixeluvo
Pixeluvo gives Linux users a great editing option with its graphic editing software.|It is well organized and user-friendly software that is known for being easy to use and more intuitive than some other Linux specialist packages, yet still effective and functional.
A selection of familiar and intuitive tools and great documentation where you can see an overview of the tools, filters, and effects built in the software, as well as guidelines of how to work with selections, layers, and masks. On the page, you will find useful tutorials, specially prepared for beginners.
Runs on:
Windows, Linux
Price:
$34 including future updates
Toolset:
Good selection of usual editing tools, filters and effects
23. Acorn 6
Acorn 6 is the latest image editing tool from flying meat, armed with all the essential features you would want from a tool of this type. Developed for Mac users only, Acorn is also available as an app in Apple’s App Store. The tool is loaded with functionalities that will help you effortlessly edit images. The latest version adds cloning and some other special features.
The software is fairly easy and intuitive to use and has support for most file-formats including PSD. This means you can easily migrate your Photoshop work to Acorn. You can also import your favorite Photoshop brushes in their original file format (.abr).
Runs on:
Mac and iOS
Price:
$29.99 One-off purchase
Free 14 day Trial
Toolset:
Good image editing tools
24. DxO PhotoLab 3
DxO PhotoLab is an image processing software formerly known as DxO Optics Pro. Easy to use, it is a great alternative to Adobe Lightroom, the newest version with better tools to help you create creative and/or natural-looking images.
Professional quality photo imaging with some of the best tools around for filtering, adjusting, and repairing as well as stitching and a range of innovative improvements. It is also pretty lightweight for this quality of software, requiring only 25% of Lightroom’s capacity.
Runs on:
Windows & Mac
Price:
€129 Essential
€199 Elite
Free Trial
Toolset:
Excellent Image processing tools
New HSL tool (Hue, Saturation & Luminance)
25. Cyberlink Photo Director 365
PhotoDirector 11 is the latest built from the well-known Cyberlink organization. It is a photo enhancement program that is designed specifically for all photographers, professionals, and keen amateurs. A powerful software package offers great navigation and a fine range of specific functions and options, some of which are AI intuitive, it works best on high-end computers.
It provides not only a full set of adjustment features, including style templates and a great contact removal tool but also an efficient and easy-to-use workspace for organizing your digital photos. A subscription gives you access to additional plugins being added monthly plus more storage and effects.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
Subscription 365 version €3.17 per month
Lifetime purchase version 11 €69.99
Toolset:
Excellent enhancement tools
Transfer tools
Workspace organizational tools
26. CaptureOne
Capture One is a powerful and intuitive award-winning photo editing software made for all photographers no matter of ability or experience. As well as image editing it performs image cataloging, raw image file processing, and tethered photography. Capture One works with raw files from many different digital cameras as well as TIFF and JPEG image files.
It’s easy to use and has great tools for organizing projects and files plus a really useful customizable workspace. You can either subscribe or make a one-off purchase at great discounts at the moment.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
Subscriptions versions for Fuji or Sony from €11 per month, all cameras €24 per month for single users
One-off purchases from €149
Free 30-day trial
Toolset:
Great editing and Cataloging tools
27. ACDSee Photo Studio
ACDSee is an image organizer, viewer, and image editor program that wins our prize for the best-named product. This Photo studio includes Editing, management, & digital asset tools that support a wide range of formats including RAW.
It is user-friendly, fast and lightweight, and very very flexible. There are a series of excellent YouTube tutorials plus other online guidance on their site. They also do video editing software. An affordable; Photoshop alternative.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac, iOS
Price:
Different prices depending on the package, starting at $59.99
Free Trials on all packages
Toolset:
Good editing & organizational tools, excellent most go-to tool
28. Skylum Luminar 4
Luminar is a universal photo editing software developed by Skylum available for Windows and macOS. Luminar can work as a stand-alone application as well as a plug-in. The application has filters, which can be used to edit images. The effects can be combined using layers and masks.
There are similarities to Adobe lightroom, especially with shortcut keys but in general, it is easier to use than Photoshop for beginners. The latest version also has several useful upgrades for features, utilizes AI technology, and can be used as a plugin for Adobe or as stand-alone software. Plenty of useful video tips too on their site.
Runs on:
Windows & Mac
Price:
€89 one-off purchase
Extra for additional bundles
Free Trial
Toolset:
Great image creation & editing tools
AI enhancement & replacement tool
29. Skylum Aurora HDR 2019
Aurora HDR 2019 is a High Dynamic Range (HDR) editing and processing tool capable of great results, it is extremely well thought off in the photographic community.
It gets technical but could be worth it. By automatically aligning and merging multiple exposures of photos, Aurora HDR can create a single tone-mapped image producing an image that is as the eye sees with shadows, highlights, etc. It’s slimmed down and user-friendly with a clear design and learning curve. Like Luminar, it can be used as a stand-alone or an Adobe plugin.
Runs on:
Mac, Windows
Price:
€99 one-off purchase
can be added to Luminar 4 purchase (€169 for both)
Toolset:
Advanced HDR tools
The Best Photoshop Alternatives for Print Design
30. Adobe InDesign
Another aspect of Adobe’s Creative Suite is Adobe InDesign, a desktop publishing and typesetting software application. It is designed for creating posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books, and ebooks for print and digital media.
InDesign is mainly used to organize text/images and design layouts like you see on magazine pages, newsletters, and as such is a good choice to design and publish multipage documents containing mixtures of text, vector artwork, and images.
Using precise grids and guides to position page elements and create layouts it is easy to pick up the skills. It is also great for collaboration and team working.
Runs on:
Windows, Mac
Price:
$20.99 per month or as part of the Adobe Creative Suite package
7-day Free Trial
Toolset:
Excellent layout and design tools
Collaboration tools
Start learning InDesign with our collection of beginner tutorials.
31. Print Shop Deluxe 6.0
The Print Shop Deluxe is a creative design suite for use in your home or small business for small printing projects. (cards, banners, calendars, newsletters, etc)It’s relatively basic and easy to use with a range of templates and other editing and design tools, the newest version has a project wizard to make design easier still.
It includes photo editing, design, and layout tools and is highly recommended for beginners as a more affordable basic startup system.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
$49.99 Deluxe
$99.99 Professional
Toolset:
Good photo editing, design and layout tools
32. Xara Page & Layout Designer 11
A specialist in design & layout software from Xara, who has many similar graphics and web design packages. This software combines the typical word processor features with image and photo editing tools, allowing you to create all kinds of printed materials from basic business cards and one-page posters to multipage documents and brochures.
Simple features and tools plus templates make it an easy-to-use option for all formats. The most recent version has extra features creating more flexibility in design. There are online tutorial videos if you need help.
All the features of typical word processor & DTP packages with the image editing power of Xara’s award-winning illusPage & Layout Designer combine all the text and page layout features of typical word processor & DTP packages with the image editing power of Xara’s award winning illustration & photo editing tools, to produce a fully integrated, flexible & powerful ‘Document Processor’.tration & photo editing tools, to produce a fully integrated, flexible & powerful ‘Document Processor’.
Runs on:
Windows
Price:
One-off purchase 49.99 GBP
Free Trial
Toolset:
Good layout, image and photo editing tools
33. QuarkXPress 2022
QuarkXPress is a desktop publishing software for creating and editing complex page layouts in a WhatYouSeeIsWhatYouGet environment. It offers you plenty of control over text, images, shapes, color, and opacity, either simple or complex and it’s compatible with a broad range of file formats. With many variables and great flexibility for all projects even books and magazines.
The latest version, allows you to publish not only in English (“International and U.S.”) but also in 36 other major world languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Korean, Russian, French, and Spanish. It’s expensive but highly discounted at the moment.
Runs on:
Windows & Mac
Price:
$224(per year) annual subscription
$524 one-time purchase
Toolset:
Advanced publishing, & editing tools
34. Swift Publisher 5.5
Swift Publisher is a highly intuitive, relatively all-purpose page layout and desktop publishing app for Mac. From simple labels and calendars to more advanced brochures, it’s like a Mac version of Microsoft publisher.
Inexpensive and easy to use it’s great for mac publishing as an Adobe alternative. It has over 500 inbuilt templates, is customizable and drag and drop editing adds to the ease of use.
Runs on:
Mac
Price:
$19.99
Free Trial
Toolset:
Publishing tools
Basic features
Conclusion
One thing you can’t fail to notice is there are many Adobe Photoshop alternatives out there in the marketplace in 2021. There is no doubt that Photoshop is good, you don’t get to their leading position without a high-quality product but there are other products well worth checking out. Think of your specific needs, do you really need an all-around package or are there more appropriate specialist systems. Look at features available and ease of use and of course, crucially there are huge budgets variations. There are discounts and offers all over the place at the moment in a highly competitive market so now might be exactly the right time to take the plunge.
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