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10 Free and Paid Photoshop Alternatives for PCs and Smartphones

10 free and paid Photoshop alternatives for PCs and smartphones. A list of the best programs, apps, and sites that can equally well replace the famous Adobe Photoshop editing program.

Would you like to have Photoshop for free? Unfortunately, the Adobe software specialized in processing photos and digital images require a paid subscription, which is why in this guide, I wanted to collect and describe the 10 free and paid Photoshop alternatives for PCs and smartphones.

Given that no software or online service is able to replace Adobe Photoshop, I still wanted to show you the best programs that, through simple photo editing operations, represent a valid replacement choice for Photoshop.

Free Photoshop alternatives

Below are the alternative photo editing programs to photoshop for Windows and Mac, Android and iOS, which can also be used from a browser.

1. GIMP (Windows, macOS)

Gimp
Gimp

GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) is a free photo editing program valid alternative to Photoshop. In addition to having a wide variety of tools and features, it can be used through its open-source development supported by an international community. It allows you to perform photo and image editing activities in advanced mode and is highly appreciated by photo editing professionals for the quality of its algorithms. The graphical interface is user-friendly, and the possibility of installing additional components guarantees ease of use but also efficiency from a production point of view.

With GIMP, you can create photomontages, resize and crop images, create logos, add filters and effects, import and export files, create animations, and much more.

The saving of your works takes place exclusively in the XCF graphic format, which is useful for storing the information essential to complete a project. To use alternative formats, refer to the export option in the File menu, where you can have the following formats- JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, and PSD.

GIMP, considered the best photo editing program, is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems. For a complete tutorial, you can start consulting the GIMP forum and take a look at the GIMP user manual.

Download Gimp free download English.

2. Paint.net (Windows)

Paint Net
Paint Net

Paint.net is a free software, and a valid alternative to Photoshop and GIMP. It offers a suite of elements for any need and for those who simply want to edit their images.

The interface consists of a central area, where the image to be edited will be displayed, and a bar located in the upper left corner for quick access to the tools. To find out how the program works, just press the F1 button or click on the menu? And choose Help Topics.

It has a large community of users who support the program in the official forum. There is no shortage- layers, filters, and effects (each effect provides several parameters to be configured before its application), additional plugins and the ability to install new features.

Paint.net is compatible with Windows 10 and earlier (Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP). If you are interested in knowing him thoroughly, you can visit this page to discover his tutorial.

Download Paint.net download

3. Pixlr (Online, Android, iOS)

Pixlr
Pixlr

Pixlr is the free online alternative to Photoshop. It is a fast graphic processing editor for those who want to take their shots without spending money. You can use it freely without registration and without having to download and install anything.

With Pixlr, you can do everything that a basic editor allows- crop, resize, remove red eyes, whiten teeth, and much more directly on the Web. It boasts over 600 effects, overlays and borders divided by macro categories.

After connecting to the official page, press the OPEN PIXLR EDITOR button and if it is not active, run Adobe Flash. From now on, you can:

  • Create a new image;
  • Open an image from PC;
  • Open an image from an already existing URL.

Once you have done all the necessary work and changes, you can save your photos on your PC and on Android and iOS mobile devices to share them on social networks.

Pixlr is compatible with PSD files and can be used in the Editor version, as well as as a Web App or as an extension for Chrome for the quick capture or editing of images on the Web. It is also available in the Express version to allow fewer users experts to easily edit any image.

4. Adobe Photoshop Express (Online, Android, iOS)

Adobe Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is the online and free version of Photoshop, but it is also an application created by Adobe to facilitate touch photo editing operations on Android and iOS mobile devices. Thanks to a truly intuitive and touch-optimized interface, you can apply changes and corrections to your photos in just a few steps by applying filters and effects. Plus, you can straighten, rotate, crop images, fix red eyes, adjust contrast, add frames and borders, and much more.

As soon as you launch the app, you will immediately see the screen where you can edit your photos by uploading them from your smartphone or tablet or by taking a new one.

The use of the many elements, including filters and effects, is done simply by swiping your finger on the screen and then sharing the final result on Facebook and Twitter.

To get Adobe Photoshop for free, you can also try Photoshop Express and Photoshop Mix for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

5. PicMonkey (Online, Android, iOS)

Picmonkey
Picmonkey

PicMonkey is an online image editor born after the closure of Picnik. After registering for the service, you can click on the Edit a Photo button and upload an image from your PC. The site does not require any installation, but registration is required.

The editor offers various functions such as resizing, cropping, rotating, sharpening, color correction, and so on. In the interface, you can insert borders, text, figures, decorate images with frames and textures, apply effects and filters, and Instagram style to your photos, and then save them on your PC. Also, you will find a magic button that will choose for you the best graphic settings for your photo.

PicMonkey is also available as an extension for the Google Chrome browser and as an App for Android and iOS mobile devices (PicMonkey Photo Editor). The download is free, but there are still in-app purchases.

Photoshop alternatives (paid)

Below are the best paid Photoshop alternatives for Windows and Mac, Android and iOS, which can also be used from browsers.

1. Paint Shop Pro (Windows)

Corel Paintshop Pro
Corel Paintshop Pro

Paint Shop Pro is vector graphics and photo editing software for Windows operating systems, produced by Jasc Software. In 2004, Corel Corporation acquired both the company and the software.

The program offers photo animation, photo painting, intelligent image correction, RAW photo editing, creative content and much more.

It benefits from an extra bundle of premium animation, painting and photo software, including PhotoMirage Express, Painter Essentials 6, Perfectly Clear 3.5, and Corel AfterShot 3, as well as having a good collection of brushes, textures, and backgrounds.

Paint Shop Pro Ultimate 2019 costs 69.99 euros.

2. PhotoScape (software for Windows and Mac)

Photoscape
Photoscape

Photoscape is one of the best alternatives to Photoshop. It is a free software for Windows and Mac for graphics and photo editing with useful tools to resize and crop photos, create photomontages, insert text, remove red eyes, balance white, correct background light, and much more. It has the classic functions of an image editor and advanced tools to create compositions, layout, print and much more.

Photoscape also offers many filters that allow you to apply effects to the image automatically. There is also a batch mode for the group editor to edit multiple images automatically. Other interesting functions are those that concern the combination of two or more photos sequentially, the creation of customizable slideshows and animations in GIF format. Among other things, you can change the format of photos from RAW to JPG, reduce the size or rename several images at the same time, obtain the hexadecimal or RGB color code of the image, capture the screen.

Finally, in the press section, you can manage business cards, calendars, personalized portraits.

Photoscape English download for free or buy the Photoscape X Pro version at the price of 39.99 euros.

3. Sketch (Mac software)

Sketch
Sketch

Sketch is a professional vector graphics program for photo editing creatives. In recent years it has begun to arouse a great deal of interest in the web designer communities. It offers a minimalist interface and has features similar to Photoshop and Illustrator, including gradients, layers, color picker and styles.

Its popularity is due to the many plugins created by its community and which allow you to extend its functionality. It takes up many tools present in Photoshop, such as- layers, styles, and gradients.

Today Sketch is usable on Mac OSX and supports infinite zoom and vector shapes perfect for multiple resolutions. You can create a new chart from primitive shapes or start a new one with the Vector or Pencil tool.

Sketch requires Sierra OS or later and costs $ 99.

4. SumoPaint (Online, iOS)

Sumopaint
Sumopaint

SumoPaint is another alternative to using Photoshop online for free. It is a partly free browser-based online image editor. There is also a paid Pro version and a paid iPad app.

It offers all the features you are looking for in an editor as if it were a light and fast desktop program. The tools are varied- brushes, pencils, shapes. Text, cloning, shades, and so on. It is based, like Pixlr Editor, on Flash technology, so it works only if the Adobe Flash Player plugin is enabled on your browser. If not, you can download it from this page.

To use it, you need to connect to the official SumoPaint page and click on the Sign In button to register. Then click on Paint to start editing your images. To change the language, press the American flag symbol at the top left and choose the other language flag in the menu that appears.

Then go to the File menu and click on New Image or Open from my Computer or Open from URL. Once the image is imported, select the editing items from the left sidebar or the filters in the top menu. When you are done with your changes, go to File> Save to my computer and download the image to your PC.

To have SumoPaint on your PC and all the features, you can buy SumoPaint Pro for only 4 euros per month.

5. Pixelmator Pro (Software for Mac)

Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro

Pixelmator Pro is an image editor born to make the most powerful professional image editing tools accessible to everyone. It offers a large collection of tools for editing and retouching photos, creating graphic designs, drawing vector graphics and adding extraordinary effects with over 150 types of filters.

Its use is effortless thanks to a graphical interface designed to work on Mac. It supports layers, RAW file management, image correction elements, drawing tools, and much more. It also uses Machine Learning for the automatic detection of elements in an image. The result can also be saved in the recent HEIF format used by Apple with iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.

Pixelmator Pro can be purchased for € 43.99 from the Mac App Store.

Other alternatives to Photoshop

  • Affinity Photo (Windows, Mac, iPad), compatible with Photoshop and other file formats, is aimed directly at professional photographers and photographers. Cheaper than Photoshop, it is considered by its creators to be the best alternative due to its fast speeds.
  • Corel PHOTO-PAINT (Windows) is a dedicated paid photo editor in the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. The suite is designed to work with Windows 10 and offers multi-monitor viewing and support for 4K displays.
  • iPiccy (online) is an online service where you can edit photos directly from your browser. It offers free online photo enhancement and retouching.
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About Author

Samuel Afolabi is a lazy tech-savvy that loves writing almost all tech-related kinds of stuff. He is the Editor-in-Chief of TechVaz. You can connect with him socially :)

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