Are you sick of paying a yearly subscription to Adobe Photoshop? No worries, I got you covered. This article will find out 7 Photoshop alternatives that are friendlier for your pocket.
Suppose you don’t need a powerful Photoshop substitute and are looking for a basic retouching program. In that case, you can find 4 easy to work with online replacements in the second part of the article.
You can get various graphic design programs at a fraction of the Adobe Photoshop price. They are available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. Affinity Photo, Luminar 3, and GIMP are just a few you can choose among.
Why Should You Consider Switching From Photoshop?
Adobe Photoshop is the most famous graphic design software, and the 90% worldwide user base makes him the most popular one. You can create anything with powerful Photoshop tools, from image retouching to different adjustments, filters, and masks.
But it has one major disadvantage – its price, which starts at US$239.88/yr. So, if you’re starting your career as a graphic designer, this is quite a sum to pay.
Besides that, it’s not the only program you will need for successful design work, except if you only focus on image retouching, so if you want to buy the whole Adobe Creative Cloud bundle, you will end up paying US$599.88/yr.
Even if you’re not a professional graphic designer, it is essential to have knowledge of some graphic software so you can create important visual content. Adobe Photoshop requires more skills to get used to it than similar not-so-advanced programs.
Now that we got that covered let’s check out the Photoshop alternatives you can find on the market.
The List of 7 Best Photoshop Alternatives
1. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is a fantastic option if you want to switch from Adobe Photoshop but don’t lose its attributes. It also offers HRD Merge, 360 Photo Editing, Panorama Sticking, and other exciting features. Affinity Photo made its debut in 2015, and with the one-off payment of $49.99, is growing its design userbase ever since.
Even though it’s still a new player in the graphic design arena, it won a few awards worth mentioning, such as Apple App Of The Year, Best Software by Photography news, and TIPA Best imaging software.
If you are still on the fence, you can try it for 30 days free of charge and find out if it is the right choice for you. It’s available for Apple OS, and if you have a PC, don’t worry. They offer a version for Windows users as well.
2. Luminar 3
Artificial intelligence is creeping in in every industry imaginable, and graphic design is no exception.
If you’re a fan of AI or new technologies and would like to see how it works when it comes down to image adjusting, Luminar 3 is a perfect choice.
You can choose among 70 different instant looks. Suppose you want to control the end result. In that case, you can adjust image sharpness, denoise the image or add a golden hour temperature to your photos.
Suppose you’re not convinced about artificial intelligence. In that case, I should tell you that Luminar 3 got an EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) award. If you’re considering switching from Photoshop to something else, you should think about Luminar.
You can get the Luminar at three different price points: the cheapest one is $69, the middle one is $99, and the most expensive one will cost you $169.
Still not sure? Give it a try for the next 30 days free of charge.
3. Photolemur 3
Photolemur 3 is another excellent photo editing software enhanced with AI technology.
You simply drag and drop the image you would like to correct. Advanced computer algorithms will do their magic and make your image look in the best way possible. Your job is to choose the preferred style, and you’re done.
Photolemur 3 has a bach option. You can upload different pictures at once, and the program will automatically adjust all of them.
It doesn’t allow you to change the image manually as Luminar does, so it’s meant for more basic image retouching.
Photolemur 3 comes with a one-off payment of $35, which is a bargain compared to other programs, especially the industry leader Adobe Photoshop.
4. GIMP
GIMP is a perfect choice for Mac, Windows, and even Linux users. For the one who is searching for the less expensive visual editing program with all Photoshop features included, GIMP is the best alternative. The UI of this product is like Photoshop, so it will be easy to navigate around its tools.
Because GIMP is an open-source image editor, you can find a lot of plugins that will make your work more comfortable. If you don’t know how to create something, you can ask the GIMP community, or you can find your answer in the tutorial section of the program.
Oh, did I mention that GIMP is COMPLETELY FREE! And if that is not the reason why you should try it out, I don’t know what is.
5. Paint Shop Pro
Do you still remember the times when Corel was the main Photoshop competitor? Or am I just that old?
Now Corel is not giving up the fight, and with the new intelligent, easy-to-use tools built-in new PaintShop Pro 2020 is rising like a phoenix from the ashes.
Corel promises that with the new Refine Bush, you’ll be able to select the most minor details, such as hair, on your photos. We all know how difficult is the job of cutting out the hair from an image, and nobody likes to do that dirty work.
Besides the new advanced Refine Brush, you can also easily merge different photos using the Smart Clone option.
As we know, migrating from one software to another is sometimes difficult. To make this transition as smooth as possible, Corel offers official tutorials on their site.
Like most of the products on the list, the main advantage of PaintShop Pro is the price. With a price point of $79.99 and $99.99 is a cheaper option than Photoshop.
You can try this old Photoshop contender for 30 days for free.
6. Photos Pos
Photo Pos is a picture editing software for beginners and also for experts. If you are one of the two, you can choose between different interfaces, one packed with tools for beginners and the second one for experts.
Photos Pro interface resembles Photoshop, so you will adjust to its workflow in seconds if you’re used to it. Like Photoshop, it offers a wide assortment of tools to help you achieve desired results.
Photos Pos is entirely FREE, so if you need a simple photo editor, be sure to check it out and find out if it suits your needs.
7. Acorn
Acorn was launched in 2007, and it was meant to be a cheaper alternative for Photoshop. Effects, filters, and other features are equivalent to Photoshop ones.
You can get Acorn for a one-off payment of $29.99, but before that, you can test it out for 14 days.
Even though it is an excellent Photoshop substitute, it has one drawback – it’s available only for MAC OS.
4 Web-based Photoshop Alternatives
Online photo editors are not as powerful as Adobe Photoshop. Still, if you don’t do high-end photo retouching work daily. You may need a program to create a banner or enrich your photo before posting it online, and those tools can do the trick.
Let’s see your options when it comes down to web-based photo editors.
1. PicMonkey
PicMonkey is an online photo editor, so you can edit your photos from everywhere as long as you have an internet connection. So not only will it run on the PC or laptop, but also on mobile.
The starting price of PicMonkey is $7.99/month. Still, it’s not as powerful as Adobe Photoshop, and it’s meant for more basic picture editing. Also, some key features are missing, such as drag and drop, but hopefully, they will add them in the future.
2. Canva
Canva is not a valid alternative to Photoshop like Affinity Photo. Still, it’s powerful enough so you can edit photos with ease. Canva offers various preset templates you can choose between for your project.
You can choose three price options among Canva, Canva Pro, and Canva Enterprise.
The basic one is free, but you are limited with storage and features. Canva Pro runs for $12.95 per team member/month, giving you access to all elements, templates, and unlimited storage for your images.
If you’re interested in pricing for Canva Enterprise, you should contact their support.
3. Fotor
Fotor is not only an online editor, but it’s also a desktop application. Like the previous two apps, Fotor is not as strong as Adobe Photoshop for image editing. Still, it’s more like Lightroom, where you can add different filters to your photos.
So if you’re looking for a program that can add a bit of flair to your photos and make collages, you should check Fotor out.
There are two different price points. The first one is free, and the second one – the PRO version runs for $8,99/month.
4. BeFunky
BeFunky is a quick-to-use and straightforward editor. It works well if you need to color correct the photo, but it lacks photo retouching power.
It has an option of drag and drop, which is a nice feature, considering some of the other programs on this list don’t offer.
You can choose the free version of the app, and if you want access to additional features, it will cost you $4.95/month.
Final Words on Photoshop Alternatives
As you can see, you have a wide variety of programs available in today’s market, which you can get at a fraction of the Photoshop price, and some are available for FREE!
Don’t think that being cost-efficient means being of lesser quality because, in this industry, everyone competes with the giant named Photoshop. All software suppliers want to beat him, so you might find some features and options that are even better compared to what Adobe offers.
I know switching to another program is a tedious job. Still, many providers are trying to make that transition smoother by offering their software with Photoshop UI.
I suggest you try out different suggestions on this list, and Photoshop might become your tool of the past.
