12 Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives in 2024

Adobe Photoshop is a well-known software used for graphic design and photo editing. It has tools for retouching, and manipulating images, and even uses artificial intelligence for assistance. It’s available on both Windows and Mac OS.

However, Photoshop’s subscription model can be a barrier for some users, especially beginners who only need basic editing or those seeking a more budget-friendly option.There are lots of options, free and paid. This guide will show you 12 Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives in 2024.

In this guide, we’ll talk about different options that might be better for you, depending on what you need and how good you are at using these kinds of programs. But before we talk about those, let’s see how much Photoshop costs.

How much does Adobe Photoshop Cost?

Adobe Photoshop isn’t available for a one-time purchase; it’s only offered through a Creative Cloud subscription. Here’s a simple breakdown of the pricing:

For Individuals:

• Photography Plan (20GB): $9.99/month
• Photography Plan (1TB): $19.99/month
• All Apps Plan: $54.99/month (monthly) or $49.99/month (with yearly commitment)

For Businesses:

• Photoshop Single App: $35.99/month per license
• All Apps Plan: $84.99/month per license (includes 1TB cloud storage)

12 Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives in 2024

Whether you’re a beginner or looking for budget-friendly options, there are the best Adobe Photoshop alternatives available. Let’s explore twelve top contenders. We have also provided features, pricing, links, pros, and cons for each option to help you make an informed decision.

1. GIMP – Free

GIMP is one of the leading free alternatives to Photoshop in 2024. It can be used by photographers, graphic designers, and illustrators alike.

FEATURES:

• Has a customizable interface to achieve a personalized toolbar
• You can fix the perspective distortion through the corrective mode
• You can get rid of unrequired details using the clone tool or touch up on finer details using the healing tool.

PRICE: FREE

PROS:

• Supports various Operating Systems such as Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Completely Free to use
• Supports HDR in many formats including JPG,JPEG, PNG, SVG, and GIF

CONS:

• Not beginner friendly and can be overwhelming to use at first
• Does not provide technical assistance
• The bugs are solved very slowly.

VISIT SITE: https://www.gimp.org/

2. PIXLR

Pixlr is a photo editing software and it is often regarded as one of the top photo editing software to replace PhotoShop. It has all of the regular features of photo editing but also has AI powered tools for the same.

FEATURES:

• Can create custom graphics by using pre-made templates and elements
• Text to image AI generator forms desired image using a prompt within seconds.
• Allows to store file editing history to go back to previous versions and correct any mistakes
• Enables integration of software with social media

PRICE:

• FREE access to certain features
• $1.99/month for the Plus tier
• $7.99/month for the Premium tier
• $12.99/month for the Team tier

PROS:

• Keeps updating features at regular intervals
• Great for beginners
• Value for money

CONS:

• The free version has a lot of ads
• Good only for basic image editing
• Pixlr Web can lag during peak hours.

VISIT SITE: https://pixlr.com/

3. CANVA

Canva has some of the best graphic tools besides Photoshop. It has mostly been regarded as a one stop shop for graphic designers and it also expands its forte over to image and video editing.

FEATURES:

• You can collaborate and work on a project with your team.
• Magic Studio is their AI tool which helps in copywriting and image generation
• You can get your designs printed and delivered directly with Canva
• Create and Publish content on social media directly through Canva

PRICE:

• FREE access to certain features
• ₹499/month for Canva Pro
• ₹998/month for Canva Teams

PROS:

• Offers a huge library of free to access templates
• User-friendly
• Gives a professional look for minimum price

CONS:

• Unable to move one project design to another project
• The Intellectual Property belongs to Canva
• Export settings are limited

VISIT SITE: https://www.canva.com/

4. KRITA – Free

Krita is a professional open source painting software which helps artists excel at illustrations and comics. It is the best free Photoshop substitute for those who use Photoshop only for digital art.

FEATURES:

• Comes with over 100 preloaded professional looking brushes
• Provides a stabilizer to your brush so you can smooth out lines.
• Built in vector tools help with creating comic panels
• You can customize your brushes with over 9 brush engines.

PRICE: FREE

PROS:

• Expansive brush selection
• Easy interface for beginners
• Good animation tools

CONS:

• Crashes frequently on older computer models
• Struggle with keyboard shortcuts
• Lesser tutorials and resources available.

VISIT SITE: https://krita.org/en/

5. INKSCAPE – Free

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor, making it a strong contender among free alternatives of Photoshop in the design world. This software caters to illustrators, designers, and web designers, offering tools specifically suited for creating vector graphics and illustrations.

FEATURES:

• Offers a decent variety of pencil, pen and calligraphy tools.
• A gradient tool capable of multi-stop gradients
• Supports multi-line texts and fonts imported from other sites

PRICE: FREE

PROS:

• Art can be exported in HD Quality for printing
• Supports cross platform exports
• Great vectors for people on a budget

CONS:

• No option to see if the colours are compatible with printing or on-screen viewing
• Harder to use especially for beginners.

VISIT SITE: https://inkscape.org/

6. AFFINITY

Affinity is a leading software for Photoshop replacement in 2024. It offers pretty much the same features as photoshop but on a budget.

FEATURES:

• Scale option to resize by using percentages
• Export password protected PDFs to allow content editing and printing
• Pixel grid can be switched on and off
• Crop to any pixel selection

PRICE:

• ₹17,900 one-time payment for the universal V2 license for individual subscription
• ₹17,005 one-time payment per license for the universal V2 license for the business tier

PROS:

• Has a rich interface
• Easy to use layers and tools
• Reliable output delivery

CONS:

• Unresponsive Tech Support
• No image organizing tools

VISIT SITE: https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

7. LUMINAR

Luminar is a photo editing software created by the company Skylum. It is considered to be one of the top photo editing software like Photoshop in 2024.

FEATURES:

• The Face AI targets the face to smooth out the eyes, mouth and skin
• Store, Browse and Organize your photos in the catalog
• Use Supersharp AI to recover minute discrepancies caused by motion blur
• You can enhance real estate and landscape photos by adding a golden hour effect.

PRICE:

• FREE trial for 7 days
• ₹499 for 1 month subscription
• ₹291.58 per month for 1 year subscription
• ₹208.29 per month for 2 year subscription
• ₹19,999 one time payment for a lifetime license

CONS:

• No mobile app available
• No export presets are available
• No keyword tagging

PROS:

• Importing photos is very easy
• Clear user interface
• Powerful AI Engine

VISIT SITE: https://skylum.com/luminar

8. FOTOR

Fotor is a photoshop alternative that offers everything you need for photo editing in one place. It creates a realistic image and provides editing of the next level.

FEATURES:

• The AI photo enhancer automatically adjusts the image for blurs and enhances them
• Create AI art from text input
• Circle crops images for logos and profile pictures
• Allows efficient overlay and superimposing of images

PRICE:

• Fotor basic is for free
• Fotor Pro is $3.33/month (billed annually)
• Fotor Pro+ is $7.49/month (billed annually)

PROS:

• Fewer learning curves
• Can edit photos in bulk
• Pre-made templates make photo-editing less time consuming

CONS:

• Picture resolution after export is not satisfactory
• Can lag sometimes

VISIT SITE: https://www.fotor.com/

9. ON1 PHOTO RAW

ON1 photo raw is a software application which has all the best features from Lightroom and Photoshop and can be a perfect alternative for an inexpensive photo editing software.

FEATURES:

• RAW processing power ensures clear image colour and perfect tone
• Create masks by clicking on regions and applying filters and adjustments
• No Noise AI removes all noise from the image and produces a sharp image

PRICE:

• Base features are free for lifetime whereas other more advanced features have a 30 day free trial.
• ON1 Everything Subscription is ₹775.26/month (billed annually)
• ON1 Everything Plus Subscription is ₹1292.16/month (billed annually)

PROS:

• High Quality Filters
• Great HDR tool for producing sharp photos
• You can install any Photoshop plugins you own

CONS:

• UI/UX is confusing and many tools are hard to locate
• The blemish remover tool creates huge blurs
• No bokeh tools

VISIT SITE: https://www.on1.com/

10. COREL PAINTSHOP PRO

It is a photo editing software specifically made for Windows OS. It has photo-editing and graphic designing tools along with AI powered ones.

FEATURES:

• Versatile range of professional tools
• Easily crop photos according to the Golden Ratio and Rule of Thirds
• AfterShot Lab for pro features in Photo editing
• Reduce repetitive editing actions with script.

PRICE:

• FREE 30 day trial
• Paintshop Pro for ₹6899 one time payment
• Paintshop ProUltimate for ₹8599 one time payment

PROS:

• Supports a wide range of Export formats
• Photoshop like features at a lower price
• Automatic noise removal

CONS:

• Inconsistent interface which lags a lot
• No version for MacOS/ Linux OS

VISIT SITE: https://www.paintshoppro.com/en/

11. PHOTOROOM

PhotoRoom is a great option for product photos and e-commerce. It creates professional looking photos for free using AI.

FEATURES:

• Remove and generate backgrounds for images in an instant
• Remove unwanted objects in your images with an instant
• Create shadows to provide a realistic look to your product
• Enhances and adjusts the photo

PRICE:

• FREE to use for 3 photos per day
• Custom Quote for Photoroom pro subscription

PROS:

• Offers a huge library of templates to customize photos
• The batch editor feature lets you edit hundreds of photos together
• The web version and mobile version of the software sync seamlessly

CONS:

• Trouble removing complex backgrounds or objects resembling the background
• Does not support all image formats
• Does not have many of the professional photo image editor tools

VISIT SITE: https://www.photoroom.com/

12. ACDSEE PHOTOSTUDIO ULTIMATE

One of the best photo editing and graphic tool alternatives in 2024 which offers efficient features for ultimate optimization of output and is recommended by many photographers.

FEATURES:

• AI powered File Management
• Search and find photos fast with their AI Keywords Feature
• Gives wide variety of options in controlling the flow and opacity of the brush

PRICE:

• $8.9/month for personal subscription plan
• $109.95 for lifetime license

PROS:

• Stable software
• Great organizational tools
• Capable RAW development

CONS:

• Can be difficult to use for beginners
• Needs more refined cropping features

VISIT SITE: https://www.acdsee.com/en/products/photo-studio-ultimate/

Comparison – 12 Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives

S. No.	Tool Name	Standout Feature	Free Version Available?
1	GIMP	Customizable interface	Yes
2	Pixlr	Text to image AI Generator	Yes
3	Canva	Exporting projects for print and getting them home delivered	Yes
4	Krita	Customizable Brush Options	Yes
5	Inkscape	Offers a vast catalog of pens, pencils and calligraphy tools	Yes
6	Affinity	Password protected sharing of files	No
7	Luminar	Face Recognition AI to smooth out any discrepancies	Free Trial
8	Fotor	Efficient Superimposing and Overlaying of images	Yes
9	ON1 Photo Raw	Raw image processing produces clear images	Yes
10	Corel Paintshop Pro	Reduce Repetitive Photo editing actions	Free 30 days trial
11	PhotoRoom	AI tools to edit images for commercial use	3 Free Users Per day
12	ACDSEE PhotoStudio Ultimate	AI powered file management	Free Trial

Free vs Paid Adobe Photoshop Alternatives in 2024

The above mentioned Adobe Photoshop Alternatives all have at least a free trial if not a free version of it. Opting for either the paid or free alternatives depends entirely on your intent to use it. If you are a small business or an individual creator who is just starting out, it is advised to use applications which offer a free or a freemium version of it such as Canva for Graphics, Gimp for illustrations and Pixlr for photo editing.

However, if you are an established business and have enough money to spare for a pocket friendly Adobe Photoshop alternative, you can opt for PhotoRoom or Affinity.

Which Adobe Photoshop Alternative is Best?

Adobe Photoshop offers many functions such as Image Editing, Graphic Designing and Illustrations. To find another alternative for Adobe Photoshop which excels at all three is a tough job.

To find out which Photoshop alternative is the best for you, you need to first figure out what you are going to use it the most for.

• If you are an Illustrator, Krita and GIMP can be good alternatives for you.
• For a Photoshop alternative for graphics, Inkscape and Canva are the best especially if you are a beginner/ intermediate.
• For photo editing alternatives, ACDSEE Photostudio and Corel Paintshop Pro are great and a cheaper option compared to Adobe Photoshop

Conclusion

Even though Photoshop is popular, it can be pricey, especially for beginners. That’s why it’s good to find other options. Our list of tools and software gives cheaper choices with similar features. While Photoshop does a lot, it might not have everything for everyone. These alternatives focus on specific things and get updates often. Read our article 12 Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives in 2024 for ideas that fit your needs and budget

Best Adobe Photoshop Alternatives – FAQs

Which is the best Adobe Photoshop alternative?

GIMP is the best Photoshop alternative overall housing similar features for a much lesser price.

Which is the best graphic tool beside Photoshop in 2024?

Canva is one of the best alternatives for Photoshop in terms of graphic tools. It is also extremely beginner friendly.

Which is the best Photoshop alternative for free?

ON1Photo Raw is a top photo editing alternative in the market for free in 2024. It has a paid tier as well but has a vast library of free features.

What program is similar to Photoshop but cheaper?

Here are cheaper alternatives to Photoshop:

1. GIMP (Free): Powerful, with a learning curve.
2. Affinity Photo (Paid): Professional-grade, user-friendly.
3. Krita (Free): Great for digital artists.
4. Paint.NET (Free): Easy for basic tasks.
5. Photopea (Free, web-based): Like Photoshop, online.