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Photopea Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Photopea alternatives: GIMP, Krita, Pixlr, Inkscape and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Photo Editing & AI Images
Verdict:Photopea is free in the browser, says premium features are free, and opens PSD files without installing anything. That is hard to beat on cost, so the reasons to leave are specific: you want a desktop app that works offline, you want something that is not ad-supported, or you need a tool for one job. GIMP is the broadest free desktop editor for photo retouching and compositing, with the usual caveat that it is not a Photoshop clone and PSD handling needs checking on your own files. Krita is the better free option for painting and animation, and Inkscape handles vector work under GPLv3. Pixlr is the nearest browser rival, with an ad-supported free tier and limited AI credits; check its pricing page for paid plans. Affinity Photo is free for individuals on Mac and Windows with a desktop workflow, and Photoshop itself costs $22.99 a month for the single app. The trade-off to weigh is compatibility: Photopea reads PSD, and any move may cost you layer fidelity on complex files. Test your three most complex projects in the new tool before you commit, since a missing effect is easier to catch now than mid-delivery.
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 | A full free desktop editor | Docs only |
| Krita | Free (Free and open source; optional donations, no paid tier) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Digital painting | Docs only |
| Pixlr | Free (Free tier is ad-supported with limited AI credits per search coverage) | Web | Another browser editor | Docs only |
| Inkscape | Free (Free software under GPLv3; the site asks for donations and lists no paid tier) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Vector graphics | 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 | A desktop Photoshop-style editor | Docs only |
| Adobe Photoshop | Paid from $22.99 per month, annual plan billed monthly (Photoshop single app) | Windows, macOS, iPad, Web | The original, if you need it | 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 want a free desktop photo editor that works offline (GIMP is the pick)
- You paint or animate (Krita is the pick)
- You draw logos and icons as vectors (Inkscape is the pick)
- You want another quick browser editor (Pixlr is the pick)
- You want a Photoshop-style desktop app (Affinity Photo is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Photopea features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Photopea today: 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).
Why people look for Photopea alternatives
Photopea describes itself as an editor that runs in a browser tab, using your own CPU and GPU, and its pages mention no desktop installer. Its main format is PSD, and help is offered through a Reddit community and an email address rather than a support desk. Files stay on your device. People move to a desktop app when they want a program that lives outside the browser, handles the same file types as the rest of their toolchain, or comes with a vendor to contact.
GIMP
Compared with Photopea: Free desktop raster editor for retouching and compositing, with source tarballs on its site. You lose Photopea's no-install browser use and its ease with PSD files, and gain a local app with no ads.
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: A full free desktop editor.
Worth knowing: Raster image editor for photo retouching and compositing.
Krita
Compared with Photopea: Free and open source painting program with animation support. It targets drawing, so you lose Photopea's Photoshop-style photo tools, and gain brushes built for illustration.
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: Digital painting.
Pixlr
Compared with Photopea: Browser editor with an ad-supported free tier and limited AI credits. Closer to Photopea in being web-based. Check its pricing page for current paid plans.
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: Another browser editor.
Inkscape
Compared with Photopea: Free GPLv3 vector editor for SVG. It does not edit photos, so you gain proper vector work that Photopea only approximates, and lose layer-based photo retouching.
Price: Free (Free software under GPLv3; the site asks for donations and lists no paid tier) (Inkscape pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 4.1k GitHub stars · No commits since Mar 3, 2022
Best for: Vector graphics.
Worth knowing: SVG vector editor. The site links to the GPLv3 guide; the GPLv3 license name is taken from that link.
Affinity Photo
Compared with Photopea: Free for individuals on Mac and Windows per affinity.studio. A desktop editor closer to Photoshop than Photopea that works offline, though it needs a download and has no Linux version.
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: A desktop Photoshop-style editor.
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.
Adobe Photoshop
Compared with Photopea: $22.99 a month for the single app on an annual plan billed monthly. Photopea is free in the browser, so you pay for Adobe's full feature set and file compatibility.
Price: Paid from $22.99 per month, annual plan billed monthly (Photoshop single app) (Adobe Photoshop pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, iPad, Web. Proprietary.
Best for: The original, if you need it.
Which one to pick
- You want a free desktop photo editor that works offline: GIMP
- You paint or animate: Krita
- You draw logos and icons as vectors: Inkscape
- You want another quick browser editor: Pixlr
- You want a Photoshop-style desktop app: Affinity Photo
Limits of this review
Docs-only for GIMP, Krita, Pixlr, Inkscape, Affinity Photo, Adobe Photoshop: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Photopea. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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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 and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Photopea, GIMP, Krita, Pixlr, Inkscape, Affinity Photo, Adobe Photoshop. 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.