From many free Photoshop alternative available today, we have tried and test a few, and surprisingly many of them did the job for us.
Being a web designer/developer and blogger, I have the opportunity to try new tools sometimes by choice and sometimes for reviews.
When I dug deep into the free Photoshop alternative, I found seven software that are worth mentioning. They have good editing options, and you get full control of your photos and creatives.
Some of you might want to use another software as they are free and can do a similar job like Photoshop quickly. We also have previously listed the best photo editing software that are free and can be used as a leading software of photo editing.
There is some other software that are just waiting for your discovery, all of them are good enough to compete with Photoshop. These alternatives can become your new companion if you want to bypass the high price tag of Photoshop or maybe you do not need that many features that Photoshop provide.
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GIMP (Windows, Mac, Linux)
GIMP is one of the most popular, free alternative to Photoshop. It supports platforms like – Linux, Windows, Mac. Pricing : Absolutely Free. It came out for Unix-based systems but now you can use it on Windows and Mac as well. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, its the most popular open-source alternative to Photoshop.
It has some great toolsets, that are similar to Photoshop and has no cost attached. Interface of GIMP is somewhat different but, its user friendly and you can easily switch over from Photoshop to GIMP in no time.
PicMonkey (Web)
PicMonkey has a simple interface, but it is very functional and robust. You can create collages, glamor photos and any image for your blog all that with the ease of few clicks.
Starting the editing is easy and just require drag and drop to the home page. You will not find any easy solution for creating collages. Moreover, you can start off with a blank canvas and design anything you want to.
Paint.net (Windows)
Another great photo editing program that is free for Windows users. Paint.net is a great alternative to Photoshop. The platform it works on – Windows Pricing – Free. It comes with the Microsoft’s latest versions of Windows and some great useful tools that are free for life. It has got an excellent team of alumni that were appointed way back when they were undergraduate, and it kicked off as a sponsored undergrad project.
The features that Paint.net has are more accurate to providing image editing and not that much for creative or artistic creation.
Canva (Web)
Canva is fairly new but a very decent app for simple image editing. It makes it easy to design for anyone with thousand of design elements, layouts, fonts and stock photographs.
They also have a minimal fee for other items that are not free, but they will be cheaper if you go to buy an image from stock photo sites. Moreover, of course if you but photoshop. In few seconds, you will be ready to make images for your blog, make a business card and even a birthday card.
Pixlr (iOS, Android)
Pixlr has more than 600 effects in its kitty. Works on Platforms like – iOS, Android. Pricing: Free for life. Without a doubt, Pixlr in the most popular online photo editor right now. Moreover, it is totally free.
It has all the features that are essential and can provide you with some awesome photo editing. Its interface is somewhat similar, and you will never have any problem if you are switching from Photoshop.
Serif PhotoPlus (Windows)
PhotoPlus explicitly sets out on recreating Photoshop’s work. It supports Platform like – Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP. Priced at £79.99. Priced at a lower range than Photoshop, PhotoPlus can be regarded as a direct competitor for Photoshop.
Not all the features are similar, and you will have some learning curve before getting used to PhotoPlus. However, it has some useful features and in right hands it can do wonders, plus the pricing is low as compared to Photoshop CS6 or Photoshop CC.
Aperture (Mac)
Photographers can use this excellent software that is user-friendly and low on budget. It supports only Mac Platform. Priced at – $79.99/£54.99 One of the best Photoshop alternative for photographers is this brilliant software Aperture. Image editing can be done easily on it, but it lacks features like animation, the web, 3D, etc. However, these are never of use if you are a photographer and needs photo editing only.
Which of these have you used before, do tell us and which other Photoshop alternatives do you prefer?