Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to GIMP in 2025

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has long been a staple in the world of open-source image editing. However, 2025 brings an array of powerful alternatives for users seeking different features or simpler interfaces. Here's a look at the top 10 open-source alternatives to GIMP, each with their own unique strengths.

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1. Krita

Description: A free and open-source painting program designed for digital painting and animation, excelling in creating digital art, illustrations, comics, and animations.
Primary Focus: Digital painting and drawing, unlike GIMP which is more of a general image editor.
User Interface: Highly customizable and optimized for artists, with tools and features tailored for digital painting.
Tablet Support: Excellent support for drawing tablets, including Wacom and Huion.
Brush Engine: Advanced brush engine with a wide variety of customizable brushes.
File Formats: Supports various file formats including PSD, PNG, JPEG, and GIF. Learn more about Krita

2. Inkscape

Description: A professional vector graphics editor, ideal for creating scalable graphics like logos, illustrations, and technical drawings. It's a strong alternative to Adobe Illustrator.
Primary Focus: Vector graphics creation and editing, different from GIMP which is a raster graphics editor.
User Interface: User-friendly interface with powerful vector editing tools like node editing, path operations, and drawing tools.
Scalability: Creates graphics that can be scaled without loss of quality.
File Format: Uses SVG as its native format, ensuring scalability and versatility.
Use Cases: Excellent for logos, illustrations, technical diagrams, and detailed graphic designs. Learn more about Inkscape

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3. Darktable

Description: An open-source photography workflow application and raw developer. It's primarily focused on managing and processing raw images, like Lightroom.
Primary Focus: RAW image processing and management.
Non-Destructive Editing: Edits are non-destructive, preserving the original image data.
Color Management: Advanced color management features.
Workflow: Streamlined workflow for managing and editing large numbers of photos.
Platforms: Available on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Learn more about Darktable

4. RawTherapee

Description: A powerful, free, and open-source raw image processing program designed for photographers, focusing on high-quality image processing.
Primary Focus: Raw image processing and editing.
Customization: Highly customizable with many adjustable parameters.
Color Correction: Advanced tools for color correction and manipulation.
Non-Destructive Editing: Edits are non-destructive, maintaining original image quality.
Platform Support: Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Learn more about RawTherapee

5. Paint.NET

Description: A free and simple image and photo editing program for Windows, originally intended to be a more powerful version of Microsoft Paint.
Primary Focus: Simple and easy to use photo editing and manipulation.
User Interface: Intuitive interface, suitable for beginners.
Features: Layers with blending modes, unlimited history, and special effects.
Tools: A collection of useful tools for drawing shapes, splines, and Bezier curves.
Special Effects: Includes effects like blurring, red-eye removal, noise, and sharpening. Learn more about Paint.NET

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6. MyPaint

Description: A fast, distraction-free open-source painting program for digital artists, focused on sketching and painting.
Primary Focus: Digital painting and sketching, especially for use with graphics tablets.
Brush Engine: Highly customizable brushes and the ability to create new brush packages.
User Interface: A simpler interface designed to be free of distractions.
Input Devices: Works best with a graphics tablet, but can also work with touchscreens or other input devices.
Layer Support: Supports layers for complex artwork. Learn more about MyPaint

7. Seashore

Description: A free, open-source image editor for macOS. It's based on GIMP's technology but aims for a simpler and more user-friendly experience.
Primary Focus: Mac-specific image editing.
User Interface: Simple, intuitive, and easier to use than GIMP for basic editing tasks.
Features: Supports layers, alpha channels, gradients, and various file formats.
Platform: Designed for macOS.
Open Source: Free and open-source nature allows for community contributions and updates. Learn more about Seashore

8. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

Description: A free and open-source image editor, widely regarded as a robust alternative to Photoshop. It is a feature-rich software suitable for a wide range of image editing tasks.
Primary Focus: Versatile image editing, photo retouching, and graphic design.
Extensibility: Highly customizable with numerous plugins and extensions.
File Compatibility: Supports a wide variety of file formats, including PSD.
Community: A large community of developers and users.
Platforms: Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Learn more about GIMP

9. Blender

Description: A free and open-source 3D creation suite. While not a direct GIMP replacement for 2D image editing, it's excellent for 3D graphics, animation, and visual effects, and it includes image editing capabilities.
Primary Focus: 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and video editing, but also has image editing capabilities.
Customization: Highly customizable interface and tools.
Feature Set: Features modeling, sculpting, rigging, animation, and VFX tools.
File Support: Supports various file formats.
Open Source: Completely free and open source, allowing for expansion and customization. Learn more about Blender

10. Photopea

Description: A free online image editor that supports PSD and other raster file formats. It offers an interface and functionality similar to Photoshop and GIMP.
Primary Focus: Browser-based image editing, similar to GIMP or Photoshop.
User Interface: Interface similar to Adobe Photoshop, making it easy to switch.
File Support: Supports PSD, RAW, and other common raster file formats.
Accessibility: Accessed through a web browser, no download needed.
Functionality: Includes many professional image editing tools like layers, masks, filters, and color adjustments. Learn more about Photopea

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FAQ

1. What is Krita primarily used for?

Krita is primarily used for digital painting and drawing. It offers a highly customizable user interface tailored for artists, excellent support for drawing tablets, and an advanced brush engine. Learn more about Krita

2. How does Inkscape differ from GIMP?

Inkscape is a vector graphics editor, making it ideal for creating scalable graphics like logos and technical drawings, while GIMP is a raster graphics editor focused on photo retouching and general image editing. Explore Inkscape

3. What makes Darktable a strong choice for photographers?

Darktable is designed for managing and processing raw photos. Notable features include non-destructive editing, advanced color management, and streamlined workflows for handling large photo collections. Discover Darktable

4. What are the key features of RawTherapee?

RawTherapee offers high customization with adjustable parameters, advanced color correction tools, non-destructive editing, and is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Check out RawTherapee

5. Is Paint.NET suitable for beginners?

Yes, Paint.NET is intuitive and user-friendly, making it suitable for beginners. It offers a range of features including layers with blending modes, special effects, and an unlimited history. Learn more about Paint.NET

6. What type of user interface does MyPaint offer?

MyPaint features a simple, distraction-free user interface ideal for digital painting and sketching. It supports customizable brushes and is best used with graphics tablets. Discover MyPaint

7. Is Seashore available on Windows?

No, Seashore is a macOS-specific image editor designed for simpler and more user-friendly editing tasks. It emphasizes ease of use while supporting layers, alpha channels, and gradients. Explore Seashore

8. How does Blender support 2D image editing?

Blender is primarily a 3D creation suite, but it also includes powerful image editing capabilities. It is an all-in-one solution for 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and image editing. Learn more about Blender

9. What makes Photopea an accessible image editor?

Photopea is a free online image editor that runs in a web browser, requiring no download. It supports many professional tools including layers, masks, filters, and is compatible with PSD and RAW file formats. Discover Photopea

10. Can GIMP be used on multiple operating systems?

Yes, GIMP is a versatile image editor compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is highly customizable, supports numerous file formats, and has a large user and developer community. Learn more about GIMP

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.

For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:

Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:

3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.