Adobe Photoshop

The industry-standard raster editor for retouching, compositing and image manipulation.

Visit Adobe Photoshop See 7 alternatives

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 7
Approved reviews: 0
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About Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is the image editor most professional retouchers, designers and photographers learn first, and the PSD file it saves is the format almost every other editor tries to open. It handles layers, masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, brushes, selections and a huge plug-in ecosystem, and recent versions add Firefly-powered tools such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand that add or remove content from a text prompt. It is far deeper than most people need for simple photo fixes, which is why many casual users move to lighter or cheaper editors. Photoshop is sold only by subscription through Creative Cloud, either on its own or bundled with Lightroom or the full app suite; there is no one-time purchase, only a short free trial. The desktop app runs on Windows and macOS, and there are also web and mobile versions, with a free tier of the mobile app.

Best for: Professionals who need the standard retouching and compositing tool and PSD compatibility.

What works

Deepest retouching, masking and compositing toolset available
PSD is the de facto exchange format for layered images
Generative Fill and other AI tools built into the normal workflow
Huge pool of tutorials, plug-ins and trained users

Why people leave

Subscription only, with no perpetual licence
Steep learning curve for occasional users
Heavy on system resources for large documents

Top Adobe Photoshop alternatives

See all 7

1
GIMP
Free and open-source layered editor for Windows, Mac and Linux with plug-ins and scripting.
62.6
2
Pixelmator Pro
A Mac-native editor with layers and AI tools, available as a one-time Mac App Store purchase.
57.2
3Pa
PaintShop Pro
A Windows editor bought once rather than rented, with layers and RAW support.
53.6
4
ON1 Photo RAW
Combines Lightroom-style organising with layers and masks in one app, sold as a perpetual licence.
52.3
5
Photopea
Runs in the browser, mimics the Photoshop interface and opens PSD files for free.
49.1

Why people left Adobe Photoshop

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Adobe Photoshop: common questions

Is Adobe Photoshop free?

No, Adobe Photoshop is a paid product.

Is Adobe Photoshop open source?

No, Adobe Photoshop is not open source. Open-source alternatives include GIMP and Krita.

What platforms does Adobe Photoshop run on?

Adobe Photoshop is available for Windows, macOS, Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Adobe Photoshop?

The highest-ranked Adobe Photoshop alternatives right now are GIMP, Pixelmator Pro and PaintShop Pro. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 7 Adobe Photoshop alternatives

Adobe Photoshop facts

5 of 5 verified

Purchase options: Subscription only (Creative Cloud); Checked Oct 25, 2026adobe.com(opens source in a new tab); “Photoshop is available only through a Creative Cloud subscription that you pay for either monthly or annually.”
Free trial: 7 days; Checked Oct 25, 2026adobe.com(opens source in a new tab); “Try Photoshop with a 7-day free trial.”
Refund window: 14 days after trial ends; Checked Oct 25, 2026adobe.com(opens source in a new tab); “Cancel within 14 days to get a full refund”
Free mobile version: Yes, with paid premium features; Checked Oct 25, 2026adobe.com(opens source in a new tab); “Yes, Adobe Photoshop on mobile is a free mobile version of Adobe Photoshop with premium features that are available when you purchase a subscription.”
Generative AI: Generative Fill and Generative Expand; Checked Oct 25, 2026adobe.com(opens source in a new tab); “Generative Fill and Generative Expand are natively integrated into Adobe Photoshop”