The best free Photoshop alternatives
You don't need a subscription to edit images professionally in 2026. Four genuinely free tools cover almost everything Photoshop does — and one of them is the biggest surprise in the category.
The best free Photoshop alternative depends on the job:
- Full pro editor → Affinity Photo — free desktop app from Canva since Oct 2025.
- In the browser, no install → Photopea — free, opens .psd.
- Open source, any OS → GIMP 3.0 — now non-destructive.
- Drawing & painting → Krita — free, best-in-class brushes.
The free shortlist
4 free Photoshop alternatives worth installing
All four are free with no trial clock. They differ mostly in whether you're editing photos or making art, and whether you want a desktop app or a browser tab.
A full professional raster editor — layers, RAW, masks, non-destructive adjustments — free from Canva since Oct 2025. The closest thing to a free Photoshop. Compare →
Free, ad-supported, no install; opens and saves .psd on any device. Perfect for quick edits. Compare →
Free, GPL, on every OS; GIMP 3.0 added non-destructive editing. Fully yours, forever. Compare →
Free, open source, built for painting and illustration. Not a photo-retouch tool. Compare →
"Free" honestly: the fine print
Affinity requires a free Canva account to activate, after which it works offline; its Generative Fill AI needs a paid Canva plan, but the editor itself doesn't. Photopea's free tier shows ads (about $5/month removes them). GIMP and Krita are open source with no account and no paywall at all. None of these is a time-limited trial — unlike a Photoshop free trial, which expires and then bills you.
What you give up versus paid Photoshop
The main gaps are Adobe's Firefly generative AI, the largest plugin ecosystem, and seamless Creative Cloud round-tripping with Lightroom and Illustrator. For the vast majority of cropping, retouching, compositing and exporting, the free tools are more than enough.
Common questions
Free Photoshop alternatives — common questions
What is the best completely free Photoshop alternative?
Affinity Photo. Since 31 October 2025, Canva relaunched Affinity as a single, completely free desktop app for Windows and macOS that combines the old Photo, Designer and Publisher tools. It is the closest free equivalent to Photoshop's professional feature set.
Is there a free Photoshop that runs in the browser?
Yes — Photopea. It is free (ad-supported), needs no install, runs on any operating system, and opens and saves native .psd files with layers intact. It is the fastest way to edit a Photoshop file for free.
Are these free Photoshop alternatives really free, or just trials?
Affinity Photo, GIMP and Krita are genuinely free with no time limit or feature paywall (GIMP and Krita are open source; Affinity is free from Canva). Photopea is free with ads, with an optional ~$5/month ad-free upgrade. None of them is a time-limited trial.
What is the best free Photoshop alternative for drawing and painting?
Krita. It is free, open source, and purpose-built for digital painting, illustration and animation, with professional brush engines. For photo editing use Affinity Photo or GIMP instead.