PaintShop Pro

Corel's subscription-free photo editor and graphic design app for Windows.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 6
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About PaintShop Pro

PaintShop Pro has been around for decades as the Windows-only alternative to Photoshop, now sold by Corel. It covers layered photo editing, retouching, selections, RAW processing via a built-in RAW lab, HDR, graphic design tools, text and vector shapes, and includes AI features for upscaling, denoising, artifact removal and style transfer. Different workspaces suit beginners or experienced users, and it can open Photoshop plug-ins. It is sold as a one-time purchase in standard and Ultimate editions, the latter bundling extra software, with a free trial. The current release on the official site is still the 2023 edition, so updates have slowed compared with competitors, and the interface shows its age in places. It runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 only.

Best for: Windows users who want a layered editor bought once rather than rented.

What works

One-time purchase with no subscription
Layers, RAW lab and design tools in one app
Supports many Photoshop plug-ins

Why people leave

Windows only
Latest major release dates from 2023
Interface feels dated next to newer editors

Top PaintShop Pro alternatives

See all 6

1
Adobe Photoshop
The industry standard with stronger AI tools, if a subscription is acceptable.
62.6
2
PhotoDirector
Windows editor with a lifetime licence option, a free version and frequent updates.
59.6
3
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Guided edits and an organiser for home users, sold as a fixed-term licence.
57.2
4
GIMP
Free and open source with layers and plug-ins on Windows, Mac and Linux.
55.3
5
ACDSee Photo Studio
Windows editor with layers plus a strong photo manager, sold as a perpetual licence.
53.6

Why people left PaintShop Pro

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PaintShop Pro: common questions

Is PaintShop Pro free?

No, PaintShop Pro is a paid product.

Is PaintShop Pro open source?

No, PaintShop Pro is not open source. Open-source alternatives include GIMP.

What platforms does PaintShop Pro run on?

PaintShop Pro is available for Windows.

What are the best alternatives to PaintShop Pro?

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

See all 6 PaintShop Pro alternatives

PaintShop Pro facts

3 of 3 verified

Licence: One-time purchase; Checked Oct 25, 2026paintshoppro.com(opens source in a new tab); “Buy it once, it’s yours forever.”
Platform: Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit); Checked Oct 25, 2026paintshoppro.com(opens source in a new tab); “Windows® 11, Windows® 10 (64-bit edition only)”
Current version: PaintShop Pro 2023; Checked Oct 25, 2026paintshoppro.com(opens source in a new tab); “PaintShop Pro 2023 Family Professional, subscription-free photo editing software”