"Is there a free alternative to Photoshop?" is one of the most-asked software questions on the internet — and the honest answer is better than most people expect: yes, several, and for the work most people actually do — fixing photos, making social posts, designing simple graphics — they are genuinely enough. This guide compares the strongest free, open-source options without the usual cheerleading: what each one is best at, and the places where Photoshop honestly still wins.
Key takeaways
- For Photoshop-shaped photo editing, GIMP is the default free answer: it opens PSD files and covers the everyday editing toolkit.
- For drawing and painting, Krita is the friendlier and more talented tool — many illustrators prefer it outright.
- PhotoCraft (a fast new editor written in Rust) and Graphite (design in the browser) show where free tools are heading.
- Photoshop still earns its subscription for print-ready CMYK work, its newest AI features, and teams exchanging files with Adobe-standard clients.
The alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Opens PSD files | License | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP | Photo editing in Photoshop's shape | Yes | Open source | 6,575 |
| Krita | Digital painting and illustration | Yes | GPL-3.0 | 10,722 |
| PhotoCraft | A fast, modern photo editor | Check current builds | Apache-2.0 | 75,886 |
| Graphite | Design work in the browser (raster + vector) | Not its focus | Apache-2.0 | 27,813 |
A note on GIMP's star count: its GitHub page is a read-only mirror of the project's real home, so the number badly understates a user base built over more than two decades. Judge these tools by the jobs below, not by stars alone.
The tools in detail
GIMP — the default answer
GIMP is the free editor that has carried the "Photoshop alternative" title for over twenty years: layers, masks, selections, filters, colour correction and a deep toolbox for photo manipulation and graphic design. It opens and saves Photoshop PSD files, runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and costs nothing for any use, including commercial work.
Best for: photo editing, retouching, web and social graphics — the everyday Photoshop workload.
The strength: depth. Almost any editing technique you can name has a GIMP way of doing it, with decades of tutorials available.
The catch: the interface follows its own logic rather than Adobe's, so Photoshop habits need a short retraining period; some Adobe-specific PSD features do not survive the trip.
★ 6,575 on GitHub (mirror) · See GIMP on RepoEasy
Krita — the painter's favourite
Krita describes itself as an end-to-end solution for digital artists, and it shows: natural brushes, stabilisers for shaky hands, animation tools and a workspace designed around a drawing tablet. It also edits photos and opens PSD files, so mixed work is fine.
Best for: illustration, concept art, comics and anyone whose main tool is a pen.
The strength: the drawing experience itself — professionals choose Krita for work, not just because it is free.
The catch: photo-retouching specialists will still reach for GIMP's deeper editing toolbox; Krita's heart is painting.
★ 10,722 on GitHub · GPL-3.0 · See Krita on RepoEasy
PhotoCraft — the new name
PhotoCraft is an open-source photo editor written from scratch in pure Rust, and it has gathered one of the largest GitHub audiences in this category remarkably fast. A ground-up rewrite in a modern language means speed is its promise: no legacy weight.
Best for: trying the newest generation of free editors, especially on modest hardware.
The strength: a fresh, fast codebase with enormous community attention behind it.
The catch: new means new — feature depth and polish are still catching up with the decades-old tools above. Test it on real work before depending on it.
★ 75,886 on GitHub · Apache-2.0 · See PhotoCraft on RepoEasy
Graphite — design in your browser
Graphite is a community-built 2D creation app aiming at graphic design and digital art in one place, combining raster and vector thinking and running in the browser. If your "Photoshop" work is really posters, layouts and social designs — with some Illustrator-style vector work mixed in — this is the direction to watch.
Best for: design-first work and anyone who wants zero installation.
The strength: one modern tool reaching across the Photoshop/Illustrator divide.
The catch: still maturing; heavy photo manipulation belongs in GIMP or Krita for now.
★ 27,813 on GitHub · Apache-2.0 · See Graphite on RepoEasy
A word about Photopea
The free tool many people actually land on is Photopea, a browser editor that mimics Photoshop closely and opens PSD files beautifully. It deserves a mention — with one label attached: it is free to use but not open source, and its free tier carries advertising. If your rule is "no subscription," it qualifies. If your rule is "open source and mine," the four tools above are your list. Both rules are reasonable; ours is the second one.
Where Photoshop still wins — honestly
Three situations still justify Adobe's subscription. Print production: if your work goes to professional presses, Photoshop's CMYK and colour-management workflow remains the industry default. Its newest AI features: Adobe's generative tools are genuinely ahead of anything free today. Team standardisation: agencies and clients exchanging native Adobe files all day lose real time converting. If none of those three describes your week, the case for paying is thin — and our $0 Software Stack tool will show you exactly what the subscription adds up to per year.
How to choose
Photos and everyday editing: start with GIMP. Drawing and painting: start with Krita. Curious about the future: keep an eye on PhotoCraft and Graphite. Give your pick one real project — a poster, a product photo, a comic page — before judging; every editor feels strange for the first evening and familiar by the third.
More design territory lives in our Image Editing category and Photo Enhancement category, and our wider guide to free alternatives to paid software covers the rest of your subscription list.
One job, one specialist
Sometimes you do not need an editor at all — just one job done. Free specialists on GitHub cover the most common ones:
| The job | The free specialist | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a photo's background | Rembg — an AI background remover | 25,283 |
| Screenshots with arrows and notes | Flameshot — a screenshot tool with built-in annotation | 31,387 |
| Simple paint-style drawing (or nostalgia) | JSPaint — the classic Paint, revived in the browser | 7,910 |
Each is one click deep in our Image Editing category — Rembg, Flameshot and JSPaint all have their own pages with difficulty labels.
Frequently asked questions
Can GIMP open Photoshop (PSD) files?
Yes. GIMP opens and saves PSD files, and layers generally survive the trip. Very Adobe-specific features — some adjustment layers, smart objects and effects — may not carry over perfectly, so keep your originals when it matters.
Are these tools really free for commercial work?
Yes. GIMP, Krita, PhotoCraft and Graphite are open source, and their licenses allow commercial use. You can sell work made with them without paying anyone.
Which free alternative is best for a beginner?
For drawing and painting, Krita feels friendlier and more focused. For photo editing in a Photoshop-like layout, GIMP is the closest match — expect a short learning curve with either, measured in evenings, not months.
Can a free tool replace Lightroom as well?
These editors focus on editing images one by one. For organising and batch-processing whole photo libraries, look at the dedicated photography tools in our Photo Enhancement category — that is a different job with its own specialists.
Why do professionals still pay for Photoshop?
Mainly for print-ready CMYK workflows, Adobe's AI generation features, the plugin ecosystem, and painless file exchange with clients and agencies who all use the same standard. If none of those is your daily reality, the free tools are very hard to argue against.