Replacing Photoshop for free: which program for which use?
The programs below let you edit photos or draw without paying for a licence. Not all of them match every Photoshop feature: the table shows what has been verified for each, so you can choose by system and use.
Data as of 7 November 2026 · 30 resources selected, all published after their official site and free status were verified at a reliable source.
Choose by need
Only tools whose capability is established under the same rules as their listings are shown here: a page from their authors (website, repository, Steam page), an app catalogue listing (Flathub, F-Droid, Winget, Debian package, SourceForge) or a Wikipedia article, read automatically; the source and reading date are shown for each.
Photo editing with layers
Edit an image in stacked layers, as in Photoshop.
- GIMPCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (gimp.org, GIMP 3.0) read on 10 November 2026
- InfinipaintCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Fog PantherLimited free plan · Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (fogpanther.com) read on 10 November 2026
- FerrumPixCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- DarklyCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- PixelitorCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (pixelitor.sourceforge.io) read on 10 November 2026
RAW development
Process camera raw files (instead of Lightroom).
- darktableCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (darktable.org, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- RapidRAWCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- RawTherapeeCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (rawtherapee.com, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- ARTCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
- LightZoneCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- FilmulatorCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (filmulator.org) read on 10 November 2026
Drawing and digital painting
Paint and draw with brushes, with a pen tablet or a mouse.
- KritaCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux and Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (krita.org, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
- KolourPaintCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (apps.kde.org) read on 10 November 2026
- RnoteCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- InfinipaintCompletely free · Linux · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- MyPaintCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- DarklyCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (darkly.art) read on 10 November 2026
Vector illustration
Scalable logos, diagrams and illustrations (instead of Illustrator).
- InkscapeCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (inkscape.org, desktop app) read on 10 November 2026
Full guide catalogue (30 tools, not individually qualified)
| Resource | Pricing | License | Platforms | Account required | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo editing and layers | |||||
| GIMP | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later AND LGPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| Pinta | Completely free | MIT | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| Drawing | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | Not verified | 5 November 2026 |
| RapidRAW | Completely free | AGPL-3.0-only | Windows and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| A Photo Tool (Libre) | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| Photoflare | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
| FerrumPix | Completely free | GPL-3.0-only | Linux | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| CalibRaw | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | No | 6 November 2026 |
| LazPaint | Completely free | GPL-3.0-only | Linux | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| Fossify Gallery | Completely free | GPL-3.0-only | Android | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| Memerist | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | No | 7 November 2026 |
| RAW photo development | |||||
| darktable | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| RawTherapee | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
| ART | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
| Drawing and digital painting | |||||
| Krita | Completely free | GPL-3.0-only | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | No | 5 November 2026 |
| KolourPaint | Completely free | BSD-2-Clause AND LGPL-2.0-or-later AND GFDL-1.2 | Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| Rnote | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| Pixelorama | Completely free | MIT | Windows and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| LibreSprite | Completely free | GPL-2.0-only | Linux | Not verified | 5 November 2026 |
| Infinipaint | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| MyPaint | Completely free | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
| Darkly | Completely free | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | Not verified | 6 November 2026 |
| Drawpile | Completely free | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | No | 6 November 2026 |
| PixiEditor | Completely free | LGPL-3.0-or-later | Linux | Not verified | 7 November 2026 |
| Vector illustration | |||||
| Inkscape | Completely free | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 7 November 2026 |
| Other tools compared | |||||
| Gwenview | Completely free | GPL-2.0-or-later | Linux | Not verified | 5 November 2026 |
| digiKam | Completely free | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| Shotwell | Completely free | LGPL-2.1-or-later | Windows and Linux | No | 5 November 2026 |
| nomacs - Image Lounge | Completely free | GPL-3.0-only | Windows and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
| Pencil2D | Completely free | GPL-2.0-only | Windows, macOS and Linux | No | 6 November 2026 |
What the data shows
- 30 of 30 are open source.
- 20 of 30 work without an account (verified).
Good to know
Several of these programs open PSD files, but rarely identically (effect layers, smart objects): test with your own files.
How this list is built
Order: most complete free offer first (no strings, then with conditions, then limited free version), then a popularity index computed from public signals (installs in official catalogues, repository stars, presence in several sources). No position can be bought.