Let's Animate - Krita: Rocket Mechanic (10 days)
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Best Free Image Editors 2026: 8 Options Compared
Best free Image Editors compared: GIMP, Photopea, Krita, Pixlr and 4 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Photo Editing & AI Images
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP | Free (Free; source tarballs offered, donation link only, no paid tier. Store packages are third-party and not from the GIMP team) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Layered photo editing on desktop | Docs only |
| Photopea | Free (Free in the browser; the homepage says premium features are free and mentions no paid plan or ad-free option) | Web | Quick edits and PSD files | Docs only |
| Krita | Free (Free and open source; optional donations, no paid tier) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Drawing and painting | Docs only |
| Pixlr | Free (Free tier is ad-supported with limited AI credits per search coverage) | Web | Quick web edits | Docs only |
| Paint.NET | Free (Free download; the Microsoft Store version is a paid way to support the project (price not shown)) | Windows | Everyday edits on Windows | Docs only |
| Pinta | Free (Free, open-source program for drawing and image editing; no price listed) | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | Simple edits on any platform | Docs only |
| Canva | Free (Free plan available; see the pricing page for its current limits) | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Photos inside designs | Docs only |
| Affinity Photo | Free (Free for individuals per affinity.studio; an iPad version is listed as coming soon; optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan) | Windows, macOS | Photoshop-style desktop work | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
See the tools in action
Images from the linked documentation. Versions and features may differ from current plans.
Krita 4.0 animation interface
Tyson Tan · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
GIMP 3.0 — non-destructive filter workflow
GIMP team / gimp.org · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Good fit if
- You need layers and masks and want to own the file (GIMP is the pick)
- You edit a PSD on a shared computer (Photopea is the pick)
- You crop and annotate on Windows (Paint.NET is the pick)
- You draw instead of retouch (Krita is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
The best free image editor depends less on features than on where you want to work. A browser editor such as Photopea or Pixlr opens instantly and handles layers, masks and filters without an install, which suits quick edits on a borrowed computer. A desktop program such as GIMP or Krita gives you more power and local files, and Paint.NET and Pinta offer a simpler, lighter experience for everyday jobs like cropping, resizing and annotating. Canva sits at the other end: it is less about editing pixels and more about placing images into designs. Match the tool to the job. For retouching photos with layers, choose GIMP or Photopea. For drawing and painting, choose Krita. For fast crops and text on Windows, choose Paint.NET. Check platform support, because Paint.NET is Windows only and Snapseed lives on phones. Be honest about the trade-off: ad-supported web editors are free but may cap AI features, while open-source desktop editors have no limits but a steeper learning curve. Free Affinity Photo is the polished desktop option if you want a Photoshop-like workflow, with its terms worth rechecking. Eight options follow, each with its free limit.
GIMP
Free, open-source raster editor with layers, masks and plugins for Linux, macOS and Windows. The strongest all-round free desktop option, with a learning curve.
Price: Free (Free; source tarballs offered, donation link only, no paid tier. Store packages are third-party and not from the GIMP team) (GIMP pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. Open source (license not named on gimp.org/downloads) (open source).
Best for: Layered photo editing on desktop.
Worth knowing: Raster image editor for photo retouching and compositing.
Photopea
Browser-based editor that opens PSD files and runs free; the homepage mentions no paid plan. Convenient anywhere, but you depend on a browser tab.
Price: Free (Free in the browser; the homepage says premium features are free and mentions no paid plan or ad-free option) (Photopea pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Quick edits and PSD files.
Worth knowing: Browser-based editor that reads PSD files. Runs with no download.
Compare: Photopea alternatives
Krita
Free painting program under the GPL with Windows, macOS, Linux and Android versions. Excellent for drawing, less suited to photo retouching.
Price: Free (Free and open source; optional donations, no paid tier) (Krita pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android. GPL (open source).
Best for: Drawing and painting.
Pixlr
Browser editor with a free, ad-supported tier and limited AI credits according to search coverage. Fast for simple edits, with some limits on advanced features.
Price: Free (Free tier is ad-supported with limited AI credits per search coverage) (Pixlr pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Quick web edits.
Paint.NET
Free Windows editor with layers and effects, light and easy to learn. Windows only, and the Microsoft Store version is a paid way to support it.
Price: Free (Free download; the Microsoft Store version is a paid way to support the project (price not shown)) (Paint.NET pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows. Freeware.
Best for: Everyday edits on Windows.
Pinta
Free open-source MIT-licensed editor for Linux, macOS, Windows and BSD. Simple drawing and editing, without the depth of GIMP.
Price: Free (Free, open-source program for drawing and image editing; no price listed) (Pinta pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 4.1k GitHub stars · latest release 3.1.2 (Apr 2, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Simple edits on any platform.
Worth knowing: Site does not name the license; MIT comes from license-mit.txt in the GitHub repository.
Canva
Template-based design tool with a free plan; check the pricing page for current limits. Better for placing photos into designs than pixel-level editing.
Price: Free (Free plan available; see the pricing page for its current limits) (Canva pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Photos inside designs.
Compare: Canva alternatives
Affinity Photo
Free for individuals per the vendor site on Windows and macOS. A polished Photoshop-style workflow; optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan.
Price: Free (Free for individuals per affinity.studio; an iPad version is listed as coming soon; optional AI tools need a Canva premium plan) (Affinity Photo pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Photoshop-style desktop work.
Worth knowing: affinity.studio states Affinity is free for individuals, Mac and Windows downloads, with a Canva premium plan only needed for optional AI tools.
Compare: Affinity Photo alternatives
Which one to pick
- You need layers and masks and want to own the file: GIMP
- You edit a PSD on a shared computer: Photopea
- You crop and annotate on Windows: Paint.NET
- You draw instead of retouch: Krita
Limits of this review
Docs-only for GIMP, Photopea, Krita, Pixlr, Paint.NET, Pinta, Canva, Affinity Photo: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
Related guides
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All Photo Editing & AI Images alternatives →Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: GIMP, Photopea, Krita, Pixlr, Paint.NET, Pinta, Canva, Affinity Photo. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.