Free Photoshop alternatives for photographers, October 2026

Quick answer: If you want one free app that handles layers, retouching and basic RAW development, Affinity by Canva is the closest match to Photoshop on Windows and macOS. Pair it with darktable if you want a free RAW developer with a proper library, and keep GIMP for Linux or for open-source principle. Photoshop itself still makes sense if you need Lightroom too, since Adobe’s Photography plan costs less than Photoshop alone.

The question has a fresh edge this month. How-To Geek ran a piece on ArtCraft, a free creative suite built with AI-assisted coding, whose PhotoCraft app recreates the Photoshop experience. The same article points readers back to older, established open-source editors instead, which is sensible advice for anyone who needs to open a client’s file next week.

This guide sticks to what vendors and named outlets state. I haven’t used any of these apps, so every verdict below is framed as “best for” and traces back to published specifications or reviews.

The contenders at a glance

Six apps cover most of the ground a photographer actually uses Photoshop for: layers, masks, retouching, compositing and the occasional RAW file. They differ a lot in what they are good at, so the table groups them by platform, cost and the job each one suits.

App	Platforms	Plan price (US$/month)	Standout for photographers	Suits
Affinity by Canva	Windows, macOS	0 (free Canva account needed)	Pixel studio with Develop Studio for RAW; opens PSD	Layered retouching and compositing
GIMP 3.x	Linux, Windows, macOS	0	Non-destructive filters, PSD and PSB exchange	Linux users, tinkerers
Krita 5.3	Windows, macOS, Linux	0 (direct download)	Painting tools, strong brush engine	Illustration over photo editing
darktable 5.6	Linux, macOS, Windows	0	RAW development, library, optional AI denoise	RAW-first workflows
Pixelmator Pro	macOS, iPad	12.99 (Apple Creator Studio) or 49.99 one-time on Mac	750+ RAW formats, Photography layout	Apple-only households
Photoshop (Photography plan)	Desktop, web, mobile	19.99 (annual, billed monthly)	Includes Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, 1TB	Industry-standard files and catalogues

Platform and price sources are listed at the end; the Adobe figures are US list prices as reported by trade sites reading Adobe’s page, so check Adobe for the price in your region today.

What each plan costs

Four of the six apps cost nothing to start with. The paid ones cluster in a narrow band, and the cheapest Adobe route is not the one most people assume.

Monthly plan price, US dollars (annual plans billed monthly where applicable)

Photoshop on its own is US$22.99 per month on an annual plan, billed monthly, and that covers desktop, web and mobile. The Photography plan is US$19.99 per month on the same terms and includes Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic and 1TB of cloud storage. Prices change, so treat these as a snapshot.

Apple’s bundle is the other paid option. Creator Studio costs US$12.99 per month or US$129 per year and includes Pixelmator Pro alongside Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, which makes it a strange fit if you only want a photo editor and a good deal if you also cut video.

Affinity by Canva: the free all-rounder

Affinity used to be three paid apps: Photo, Designer and Publisher. Canva folded them into one program with separate Studios, and the March 2026 release is the first major update to the new software, which shows as version 3.1 on login. The latest build I could verify is 3.2.3.4646, listed on Neowin as freeware, so check the app’s own update prompt for anything newer.

For photographers the useful parts are the Pixel Studio and Develop Studio. CG Channel reports that the 3.1 update added a new Tone Brush and a Live Tone Blend Group to simplify compositing images into backplates, plus a choice of tone curves within Develop Studio, the RAW environment. It can also open Photoshop PSD files directly, which matters when a client sends layered work.

There’s a catch, and it’s about AI rather than editing. The free tier includes every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios, but Generative Fill, Generative Expand and image generation require a Canva Pro subscription. If you use Photoshop’s generative tools for cleanup, expect to pay again or work without them.

Platform coverage is narrower than GIMP’s. Kotaku’s download page lists Windows 64-bit, Windows Arm and macOS builds, and no native Linux version. A free Canva account is required to sign in, per Neowin’s listing.

GIMP and Krita: the open-source pair

GIMP 3.0 arrived on 16 March 2025, after seven years of active development. The project’s own notes list non-destructive editing for most commonly used filters, and support for the Adobe RGB colour space. How-To Geek adds that GIMP 3.2 brought non-destructive layers, support for importing Photoshop patterns and using Photoshop’s Curves and Levels presets, and export to PSB.

It still has rough edges. A writer at XDA Developers says that even with the 3.0 and 3.2 polish, GIMP is still clunky in places and takes a real adjustment period. That fits the long-running complaint about its interface, and it matters more than any feature checklist if you edit daily.

Krita is a different animal. XDA notes that the 5.3.0 release landed in March 2026, but Zapier’s verdict is that its feature set suits digital artists better than photographers. One pricing wrinkle: the Mac and Microsoft Store versions are paid due to platform fees, while a free download is available directly from Krita.

darktable 5.6: the RAW half of the job

darktable describes itself as an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. It isn’t a layered pixel editor, so it replaces Lightroom more than Photoshop, but plenty of Photoshop subscribers only ever used the Camera Raw half.

Version 5.6.0 was posted on 21 June 2026, and a 5.6.2 bug-fix release followed; Linuxiac reports 5.6.2 fixes OpenCL problems and crashes. The headline addition is an optional AI subsystem. The project says AI features are disabled by default in preferences and can be enabled at runtime without restarting.

9to5Linux describes a neural restore module that covers raw denoise, denoise and upscale, along with a colour harmonizer module and HEIF export. Raw denoise writes a DNG, while image denoise and upscale write a TIFF. There’s also an AI object mask tool in the mask manager, which is the closest thing darktable has to Lightroom’s subject selection.

Check your camera before relying on it. The 5.6.1 notes say AI raw denoise now refuses legacy Fujifilm Super CCD sensors, because the models weren’t trained for that layout.

Pixelmator Pro: the Apple route

Pixelmator Pro is Mac and iPad only. Amateur Photographer’s summary lists support for raster, vector and over 750 RAW formats, with a dedicated Photography layout. The standalone Mac version is US$49.99 on the Mac App Store, a one-off cost that undercuts every Adobe plan within a few months.

The fine print is where it gets awkward. The iPad version needs a subscription, and iDropNews notes that only the Mac versions continue to be sold as perpetual licences. RedShark News adds that Apple says some new features will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription, and Apple’s own fine print says the Creator Studio version requires macOS 26.

So a one-time buyer on an older Mac gets a good editor, but may not get every new feature. Apple’s most recent Creator Studio update, which PetaPixel says touches Pixelmator Pro and Final Cut Pro, is worth reading before you commit.

Where Photoshop still wins

Compatibility is the main reason. Every free app above opens PSD files to some degree, but none of them is the format’s owner. If you hand layered files to agencies or retouchers, Photoshop removes a class of small surprises.

The Photography plan also bundles the catalogue software. For anyone with years of edits in Lightroom Classic, the plan at US$19.99 per month holds Photoshop and Lightroom together, which is why trade pricing guides call it the best value when you need both. Moving a catalogue to darktable or Affinity means re-doing the edit history rather than carrying it across.

Adobe’s AI credits come with limits too. One pricing tracker lists 1,000 monthly generative credits in the Photography plan, which is a ceiling worth knowing if you lean on generative fill.

Best for, by budget and use

Best free all-rounder (Windows, macOS): Affinity by Canva. It has layers, RAW development and PSD opening at no cost, as long as you can live without the Canva Pro generative tools.
Best free RAW workflow (any desktop): darktable 5.6.x. A library and RAW developer for people willing to learn its module system.
Best for Linux: GIMP 3.x. It runs natively where Affinity doesn’t.
Best low-cost Mac option: Pixelmator Pro at US$49.99 one-time, or Creator Studio if you also edit video.

What this means for you

If you only open Photoshop for layers, masks and the odd composite, download Affinity first. It costs nothing, it opens PSDs, and you’ll know within an afternoon whether your habits survive the move. Keep your Adobe subscription running until you’ve finished one real job in the new app.

If your Adobe bill exists mainly for Lightroom, the Photography plan at US$19.99 per month is cheaper than Photoshop alone, so don’t downgrade to the single-app plan. If you’d rather leave Adobe entirely, pair darktable for RAW with Affinity for pixel work, and export a few test TIFFs through both before you commit a wedding or a client set.

On a Mac, price the Pixelmator Pro one-off against Creator Studio honestly. A video editor gets real value from the bundle; a stills shooter on an older macOS is better off with the US$49.99 version, accepting the possibility of missing newer features.

Whatever you pick, check the vendor’s page for today’s price and your platform’s support before you cancel anything. The prices and version numbers here are accurate to the sources below and will drift.