Updated 13 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

12 best Adobe Photoshop alternatives in 2027

Reviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked 13 Nov 2026•How we check

The short answer

The best Adobe Photoshop alternatives in 2027 are Pixelmator Pro (best overall, $49.99 one-time (Mac)), Affinity (best free plan: Free for individuals) and GIMP (best open source, GPL-3.0). Adobe Photoshop itself starts at $22.99/mo. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 13 Nov 2026; 9 more are compared below, including 3 with a free plan and 4 open source.

Open the Zekai Cost Finder Get price alerts

Best overallSee in table →

Pixelmator Pro

$49.99 one-time (Mac)

Best free planSee in table →

Affinity

Free plan; paid price not published · free plan

Best open sourceSee in table →

GIMP

Free to self-host · GPL-3.0

7.8

12alternatives compared

4with a free plan

5open source

$1.99/mo billed yearlycheapest paid · Pixlr

$22.99/moAdobe Photoshop starts at

01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Adobe Photoshop alternatives are worth it in 2027?

The best Photoshop alternatives in 2027 depend on whether you need layers or quick edits: Affinity is a free layered app, Pixelmator Pro is a one-time Mac purchase, Photopea runs in a browser, Pixlr and Picsart are cheap AI editors, Canva suits design, and GIMP and Krita are open source. Photoshop's single app costs $22.99 a month.

Zekai Cost Finder · team1 person

Tool	Type	Starting price	Free plan limit	Best for	Cost for your team	Checked
Adobe PhotoshopThe tool you are replacing	You are here	$22.99/moPhotoshop single app, annual plan billed monthly; Creative Cloud Pro $69.99/mo (introductory $34.99/mo for the first 3 months, new subscribers); month-to-month price not shown on the page	No free plan	Layered compositing, masks and Generative Fill	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Affinity Not yet reviewed by ZekaiBest free plan	Free	Free plan; paid price not publishedFree for individuals; AI tools need a Canva premium plan	Free for individuals; AI tools need a Canva premium plan	Free pro photo, vector and layout app	$0	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Pixelmator Pro Not yet reviewed by ZekaiBest overall	Paid	$49.99 one-time (Mac)Mac App Store one-time purchase; or Apple Creator Studio $12.99/mo or $129/yr for new subscribers (adds iPad and the Warp tool), 30-day free trial	No free plan	Mac and iPad editing without Adobe	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Photopea Not yet reviewed by Zekai	Free	Free plan; paid price not publishedPaid plan price not shown on the pages read	Free in any browser; opens and saves PSD; files stay on your device	Opening and fixing PSD files in a browser	$0	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Pixlr Zekai score 7.0Cheapest paid	Paid	$1.99/mo billed yearlyPlus, $1.99 billed yearly or $2.49 billed monthly; Premium $7.99 yearly or $9.99 monthly	No free plan	Cheapest browser editor with AI credits	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Canva Zekai score 9.4	Free plan + paid	$10/mo billed yearlyPro, $119.99 billed yearly or $12.99 billed monthly, up to 5 people	Free plan exists; Background Remover is a Pro feature	Social graphics with simple photo fixes	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Picsart Zekai score 8.2	Paid	$10.50/mo billed yearlyPro, $15 billed monthly or $10.50/mo billed yearly	No free plan	Phone-first editing with AI image and video models	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Clipdrop Zekai score 8.6	Free plan + paid	$15/moPro, monthly; yearly price not shown on the page	20 background removals, 20 upscales and 20 cleanups per 24 hours	One-click cutouts, upscaling and cleanup	—	13 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
GIMP Zekai score 7.8Best open source	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (GPL-3.0)	Free layered raster editing and retouching	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Krita Zekai score 8.8	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (GPL-3.0)	Digital painting and illustration	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Graphite Zekai score 8.2	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (MIT OR Apache-2.0 (dual licence))	Node-based vector and raster editing, in alpha	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Pinta Zekai score 7.0	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (MIT)	Simple paint-style editing on Linux	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
PhotoDemon Not yet reviewed by Zekai	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (BSD (2-clause style; file headers can override))	Portable Windows editor with batch macros	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

Price alert

Know first when Adobe Photoshop or an alternative changes price

One email when a price or free plan on this page changes, plus The AI Briefing. Unsubscribe any time.

Alternatives Spotlight

Your tool here

One labelled card beside this table, outside the ranking.

Advertise here

For vendors

Is one of these tools yours?

Claim your listing to correct prices and free-plan limits.

Claim your tool

02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Adobe Photoshop?

No desktop version of Photoshop is free: Adobe's page offers a 7-day free trial, then the single app costs $22.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly. The page also describes a free mobile version of Photoshop with premium features that need a subscription. Free alternatives include Affinity, Photopea, GIMP and Krita.

Source: Adobe Photoshop pricing page, read 13 Nov 2026.

FreeNone

No free plan on the pricing page

Paid from$22.99/mo

Photoshop single app, annual plan billed monthly; Creative Cloud Pro $69.99/mo (introductory $34.99/mo for the first 3 months, new subscribers); month-to-month price not shown on the page

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Adobe Photoshop alternatives?

The best free Photoshop alternative is Affinity, which the vendor says is free for individuals, with AI tools needing a Canva premium plan. Photopea is free in the browser and opens PSD files, and Clipdrop allows 20 background removals, upscales and cleanups per 24 hours. Photoshop itself offers only a 7-day trial on desktop.

Affinity

Best free planFree

Free for individuals; AI tools need a Canva premium plan

vs Adobe Photoshop →

Photopea

Free

Free in any browser; opens and saves PSD; files stay on your device

vs Adobe Photoshop →

Canva

Free plan + paid

Free plan exists; Background Remover is a Pro feature

Paid from $10/mo billed yearly

vs Adobe Photoshop →Zekai review

Clipdrop

Free plan + paid

20 background removals, 20 upscales and 20 cleanups per 24 hours

Paid from $15/mo

vs Adobe Photoshop →Zekai review

04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Adobe Photoshop alternatives?

The open-source Photoshop alternatives are GIMP (GPL-3.0, stable 3.2.8 released 2026-11-02), Krita (GPL-3.0, aimed at painting), Graphite (MIT or Apache-2.0, alpha, runs in a browser), Pinta (MIT, Paint.NET-style) and PhotoDemon (BSD, Windows only). GIMP and Krita install from a download; none include Adobe's generative credits.

GIMP

GPL-3.0★ 6.6k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install from gimp.org on Windows 10 (1903+), macOS 11 or newer or Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, Snap); it runs offline with no account or server.

Commercial use: Yes (GPL-3.0); share source only if you distribute a modified build.
Runs on: Windows 10+, macOS 11+ or Linux; no GPU requirement stated.
Setup: Easy · Installer, DMG, Flatpak, Snap or AppImage from gimp.org.
Last commit: 13 Nov 2026

Last release 2 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Krita

GPL-3.0★ 10.7k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026

To self-host: Download from krita.org for Windows, macOS, Linux or Android; no server or account. The GitHub repo is a mirror, as the official source is hosted by KDE.

Commercial use: Yes (GPL-3.0); free for commercial art, share source if you distribute changes.
Runs on: Windows 8.1+, macOS 10.15+, Linux or Android; no GPU requirement stated.
Setup: Easy · Installer, portable ZIP or AppImage from krita.org.
Last commit: 13 Nov 2026

Last release 7 Oct 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Graphite

MIT OR Apache-2.0 (dual licence)★ 27.9k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026

To self-host: Open editor.graphite.art in a browser with nothing to install; to run your own build, follow the contributor guide and install a Rust toolchain.

Commercial use: Yes (MIT or Apache-2.0, your choice).
Runs on: Modern browser for the web editor; local builds need a Rust toolchain.
Setup: Easy · Open editor.graphite.art; building from source is harder.
Last commit: 12 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Pinta

MIT★ 4.1k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install the Flathub or Snap package on Linux; the README's Windows and macOS routes build from source with the .NET 10 SDK, GTK4 and libadwaita.

Commercial use: Yes (MIT); keep the licence notices with copies.
Runs on: Linux needs GTK 4.18+ and libadwaita 1.8+; builds need .NET 10 SDK.
Setup: Moderate · Flathub and Snap on Linux; Windows and macOS README steps build from source.
Last commit: 8 Nov 2026

Last release 2 Apr 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

PhotoDemon

BSD (2-clause style; file headers can override)★ 2.4k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026

To self-host: Download the 22 MB portable build and run it from any folder or USB drive; Wine on Linux or macOS is not officially supported by the project.

Commercial use: Yes (BSD); keep the copyright notice and disclaimer.
Runs on: Windows only (XP to 11); 32-bit, so files over about 2 GB fail.
Setup: Easy · Portable 22 MB download; no installer needed.
Last commit: 9 Nov 2026

Last release 12 Dec 2025

Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

05 · Side by side

How does Adobe Photoshop compare with each alternative?

Photoshop's single app is $22.99 a month. Pixelmator Pro is $49.99 once on Mac, Pixlr starts at $1.99 a month billed yearly, Canva Pro is $12.99 monthly or $119.99 yearly, Picsart Pro is $15 monthly, and Clipdrop Pro is $15 a month. Affinity, Photopea, GIMP, Krita and Pinta cost nothing for the core editor.

Adobe Photoshop vs Affinity

Best free planFreeFree plan; paid price not published

The differenceOne app covers vector, pixel and layout and brings in PSD, AI, IDML and DWG files with layers kept; Affinity's homepage states it is free for individuals, unlike Photoshop's $22.99 monthly plan.

Switch to Affinity ifyou want a layered editor with no subscription that still opens client PSD and AI files

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou depend on Photoshop's Generative Fill credits or shared Creative Cloud libraries with agency clients

Visit Affinity Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Pixelmator Pro

Best overallPaid$49.99 one-time (Mac) · checked 13 Nov 2026

The differenceOpens PSD, SVG, PDF and Illustrator files, edits over 750 RAW formats as layers and has one-click background removal; the one-time version is Mac only, while iPad needs the subscription.

Switch to Pixelmator Pro ifyou work only on Apple devices and prefer a one-time Mac purchase to a monthly fee

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou edit on Windows or need every teammate to open the same files on any computer

Visit Pixelmator Pro Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea

FreeFree plan; paid price not published

The differenceRuns in a browser tab with nothing to install, opens and saves PSD plus AI, Figma and about 40 other formats, and works on your device's CPU and GPU without uploading files.

Switch to Photopea ifyou need to open or fix a client PSD on a computer where you cannot install software

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need Adobe's generative credits, desktop plug-ins or a managed Creative Cloud library for a team

Visit Photopea Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Pixlr

Cheapest paidPaid$1.99/mo billed yearly · checked 13 Nov 20267.0

The differencePlus is $1.99 a month billed yearly with 80 AI credits a month; Premium gives 1,000 credits against 25 monthly credits for new Photoshop single-app subscribers.

Switch to Pixlr ifyou want quick browser edits and cutouts for $1.99 to $7.99 a month instead of a $22.99 desktop plan

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need layered PSD workflows and Photoshop-grade selections and masks for print work

Pros

Combines a full-featured photo editor with an AI image generator in one interface.
Free tier is highly functional for many professional tasks.

Cons

Free version is ad-supported, which can interrupt creative workflow.
Lacks advanced features for print (CMYK) or complex vector work found in Adobe Suite.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Pixlr · Verdict: Fast AI Photoshop Alternative

Visit Pixlr Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Canva

Free plan + paid$10/mo billed yearly · checked 13 Nov 20269.4

The differencePro covers up to 5 people for $12.99 monthly or $119.99 yearly and includes one-click Background Remover; Photoshop's single app is $22.99 monthly for one user.

Switch to Canva ifyou make social graphics and simple photo fixes with teammates and do not need layers or masks

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou retouch with layers, masks and smart objects for print or detailed composites

Pros

Empowers marketers to produce polished, on-brand materials rapidly, saving time and increasing content velocity
Provides an expansive library of professionally designed templates, making it easy to create visually compelling graphics and presentations

Cons

May not offer the same level of advanced design features as traditional design software, limiting its use for complex design projects
Can be overwhelming for new users due to the vast number of templates and features available

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Canva

Visit Canva Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Picsart

Paid$10.50/mo billed yearly · checked 13 Nov 20268.2

The differencePro lists bulk editing of up to 50 images at once, 100 GB of cloud storage and AI models such as Seedream 5.5 and GPT Image 2.6 in one plan at $15 monthly.

Switch to Picsart ifyou batch-edit product or social images and want AI image and video models in the same plan

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need pixel-level control and layer workflows used by print and retouching studios

Pros

Single subscription provides access to many top-tier AI models.
Comprehensive toolset combines generation, editing, and stock assets.

Cons

Credit system for AI generation can be restrictive on the entry-level Pro plan.
Unused monthly subscription credits do not roll over.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Picsart · Verdict: Your All-in-One AI Toolkit

Visit Picsart Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Clipdrop

Free plan + paid$15/mo · checked 13 Nov 20268.6

The differenceThe free tier caps background removal, x2 upscaling and cleanup at 20 each per 24 hours; Pro raises these to 1,000 per 24 hours and upscales to x16.

Switch to Clipdrop ifyou only need cutouts, relighting or text removal in a browser without opening a layered editor

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou edit multi-layer files or need brushes and masks beyond one-click tools

Pros

Extremely fast processing for most editing tasks
Generous free tier with daily allowances for all tools

Cons

Pro plan pricing is not publicly listed
Free tier has daily usage limits and lower resolution output

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Clipdrop · Verdict: Rapid Editing Toolkit

Visit Clipdrop Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP

Best open sourceOpen sourceFree (self-hosted)7.8

The differenceRaster editor under GPL-3.0 with layers and a plug-in interface; stable 3.2.8 shipped on 2026-11-02 with installers for Windows, macOS and Linux, including ARM64 builds for Windows and Linux.

Switch to GIMP ifyou retouch and composite photos on Linux or want a free layered editor with no account

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need Generative Fill, Camera Raw or smart-object round trips with clients

Visit GIMP Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Krita

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)8.8

The differencePainting-first app used by comic, concept and texture artists; it ships for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android but not iPad or iPhone, and paid copies on Steam and Microsoft Store fund development.

Switch to Krita ifyou paint or draw more than you retouch photos, on Windows, Linux or an Android tablet

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyour work is photo retouching and print composites built around Photoshop's colour tools

Visit Krita Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Graphite

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)8.2

The differenceAlpha-stage editor that combines layers with a node graph and runs in the browser; its README lists photo editing and VFX compositing only as planned work, not shipped features.

Switch to Graphite ifyou want procedural, node-based vector and raster work and accept alpha software

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need a stable, finished photo editor for client deliveries today

Visit Graphite Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs Pinta

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.0

The differenceA GTK clone of Paint.NET 3.0 for Linux, Windows and macOS that reuses Paint.NET 3.36 code under MIT; the README lists no layers-and-masks feature set comparable to Photoshop.

Switch to Pinta ifyou want a light, Paint.NET-style editor for crops, drawing and basic effects

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou need layered masks, adjustment layers or PSD compatibility for production work

Visit Pinta Read the Zekai review Price alert

Adobe Photoshop vs PhotoDemon

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)

The differencePortable Windows editor that opens PSD, PSP, XCF and camera RAW files, offers over 200 tools and records macros to apply to whole folders, but it is 32-bit and Windows only.

Switch to PhotoDemon ifyou want a portable Windows editor that opens PSD and XCF files and batches whole folders

Stay with Adobe Photoshop ifyou work on Mac or Linux, or on files larger than about 2 GB

Visit PhotoDemon Price alert

06 · What changed

Why do people leave Adobe Photoshop?

12 Feb 2026
Adobe renamed Creative Cloud All Apps to Creative Cloud Pro and raised prices at the first renewal from June 17, 2025 in North America; Pro is $69.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly. (source)
12 Feb 2026
New single-app and Photography subscribers from June 17, 2025 receive 25 generative credits a month; Creative Cloud Pro keeps unlimited standard generations plus 4,000 credits for premium features. (source)
10 Nov 2026
Partner models count as premium features that use credits depending on model, output and file size, and monthly credits reset without rolling over. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Adobe Photoshop alternatives

What is the best alternative to Adobe Photoshop in 2027?

Pixelmator Pro is the best overall Adobe Photoshop alternative on this page ($49.99 one-time (Mac)). For no cost, Affinity has a free plan (Free for individuals; AI tools need a Canva premium plan). To self-host, GIMP is open source (GPL-3.0).

Is there a free version of Adobe Photoshop?

No. Adobe Photoshop has no free plan; paid plans start at $22.99/mo, checked on 13 Nov 2026.

Is there a 100% free alternative to Adobe Photoshop?

Yes. GIMP, Krita, Graphite, Pinta, PhotoDemon are open source and free to self-host. Affinity, Photopea, Canva, Clipdrop have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

What is cheaper than Adobe Photoshop?

Pixlr starts at $1.99/mo billed yearly, against $22.99/mo for Adobe Photoshop, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 13 Nov 2026.

How much do Adobe Photoshop alternatives cost for a team of 5?

If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 13 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Pixlr $9.95/mo, Canva $50/mo, Picsart $52.50/mo, against Adobe Photoshop $114.95/mo for Adobe Photoshop. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

Which is better, Pixelmator Pro or Adobe Photoshop?

Opens PSD, SVG, PDF and Illustrator files, edits over 750 RAW formats as layers and has one-click background removal; the one-time version is Mac only, while iPad needs the subscription. Choose Pixelmator Pro if you work only on Apple devices and prefer a one-time Mac purchase to a monthly fee. Stay with Adobe Photoshop if you edit on Windows or need every teammate to open the same files on any computer.

Why are people leaving Adobe Photoshop?

The documented reasons are: Adobe renamed Creative Cloud All Apps to Creative Cloud Pro and raised prices at the first renewal from June 17, 2025 in North America; Pro is $69.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly (12 Feb 2026); New single-app and Photography subscribers from June 17, 2025 receive 25 generative credits a month; Creative Cloud Pro keeps unlimited standard generations plus 4,000 credits for premium features (12 Feb 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

Is there an open-source alternative to Photoshop?

Yes. GIMP is the closest for photo retouching, Krita is built for painting, and Graphite is an alpha editor with a node graph. All three are free to download and use commercially under their licences.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Adobe Photoshop are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

JSON copy Markdown copy

1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Adobe Photoshop; tools for other jobs are left out.

2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.

Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score

3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.

Change log

13 Nov 2026
Page rebuilt on v6; all prices re-read on vendor pages.
13 Nov 2026
Open-source options expanded and each one given licence, commercial-use, hardware and setup details.

12 best Adobe Photoshop alternatives in 2027

Pixelmator Pro

Affinity

GIMP

Which Adobe Photoshop alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Know first when Adobe Photoshop or an alternative changes price

Your tool here

Is one of these tools yours?

Is there a free version of Adobe Photoshop?

What are the best free Adobe Photoshop alternatives?

Affinity

Photopea

Canva

Clipdrop

What are the best open-source Adobe Photoshop alternatives?

GIMP

Krita

Graphite

Pinta

PhotoDemon

How does Adobe Photoshop compare with each alternative?

Adobe Photoshop vs Affinity

Adobe Photoshop vs Pixelmator Pro

Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea

Adobe Photoshop vs Pixlr

Adobe Photoshop vs Canva

Adobe Photoshop vs Picsart

Adobe Photoshop vs Clipdrop

Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP

Adobe Photoshop vs Krita

Adobe Photoshop vs Graphite

Adobe Photoshop vs Pinta

Adobe Photoshop vs PhotoDemon

Why do people leave Adobe Photoshop?

More comparisons for AI image editor / photo editing

Questions people ask about Adobe Photoshop alternatives

What is the best alternative to Adobe Photoshop in 2027?

Is there a free version of Adobe Photoshop?

Is there a 100% free alternative to Adobe Photoshop?

What is cheaper than Adobe Photoshop?

How much do Adobe Photoshop alternatives cost for a team of 5?

Which is better, Pixelmator Pro or Adobe Photoshop?

Why are people leaving Adobe Photoshop?

Is there an open-source alternative to Photoshop?

How did Zekai check this page?