Top 10 Alternatives to GIMP in 2025
As digital art continues to evolve, 2025 presents a wide range of powerful alternatives to GIMP, each offering unique features and capabilities. Whether you're looking for specialized tools, better pricing, or enhanced integration, this article explores the top 10 GIMP alternatives, comparing them on key data points such as pricing, ease of use, features, and operating systems.
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1. Adobe Photoshop
- Pricing: Subscription-based model (typically $20-$30 a month) or part of Adobe Creative Cloud.
- Ease of Use: Steeper learning curve due to its complexity; designed for professionals but with plenty of online resources.
- Features: Industry-standard for raster graphics editing, extensive tools for photo manipulation, drawing, and graphic design, supports layers, masks, filters, 3D editing, and much more.
- Cost: Subscription-based model (typically $20-$30 a month) or part of Adobe Creative Cloud.
- Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, iPad.
2. Affinity Photo
- Pricing: One-time purchase (around $50 - $70).
- Ease of Use: More user-friendly than Photoshop, but still with a learning curve for new users.
- Features: Powerful raster editor, excellent RAW processing, HDR merging, focus stacking, panorama stitching, and a wide range of professional tools.
- Cost: One-time purchase (around $50 - $70).
- Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, iPad.
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3. Photopea
- Pricing: Free; has an optional paid premium version to remove ads.
- Ease of Use: Familiar to Photoshop users; moderate learning curve for beginners.
- Features: A web-based image editor that closely mimics Photoshop, offering layers, masks, filters, and basic editing capabilities; supports many file types, including PSD.
- Cost: Free; has an optional paid premium version to remove ads.
- Operating Systems: Accessible through any web browser.
4. Pixlr
- Pricing: Free version available; paid subscription removes ads and unlocks more features.
- Ease of Use: Pixlr X is more user-friendly; Pixlr E is a more complex option.
- Features: Offers both a basic (Pixlr X) and advanced editor (Pixlr E), mobile apps; features AI-powered tools, templates, and filters.
- Cost: Free version available; paid subscription removes ads and unlocks more features.
- Operating Systems: Accessible through web browsers, available on mobile (Android/iOS).
5. Krita
- Pricing: Free.
- Ease of Use: Moderate learning curve, but easier to use than GIMP for painting and drawing.
- Features: Primarily designed for digital painting and animation, it has strong drawing features, brushes, and layer management, good for illustrators and concept artists, but can do basic photo editing.
- Cost: Free.
- Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux.
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6. Corel PaintShop Pro
- Pricing: One-time purchase (around $60 - $80).
- Ease of Use: Moderately easy to use; intuitive UI.
- Features: Solid image editor for both beginners and professionals, layer-based editing, supports many file types; offers content-aware editing tools.
- Cost: One-time purchase (around $60 - $80).
- Operating Systems: Windows.
7. Luminar Neo
- Pricing: One-time purchase (around $80 - $100).
- Ease of Use: Designed to be user-friendly and quick to learn.
- Features: AI-powered photo editor, focused on ease of use for image enhancement and retouching; comes with a wide range of AI-driven tools, such as sky replacement, skin retouching, and creative effects.
- Cost: One-time purchase (around $80 - $100).
- Operating Systems: Windows, macOS.
8. Fotor
- Pricing: Freemium model with a free version and a paid subscription for advanced features.
- Ease of Use: Very user-friendly; good for quick edits and beginners.
- Features: Browser-based and mobile photo editor for quick edits, collages, templates, and basic graphic design capabilities; also includes HDR and retouching tools.
- Cost: Freemium model with a free version and a paid subscription for advanced features.
- Operating Systems: Accessible in web browsers, available for Android and iOS.
9. Canva
- Pricing: Free version available, paid subscription for added templates and features.
- Ease of Use: Very easy to use, designed for non-designers.
- Features: Graphic design tool that is also used for basic photo editing; comes with a huge selection of templates, drag-and-drop interface, and is suitable for social media and print projects.
- Cost: Free version available, paid subscription for added templates and features.
- Operating Systems: Accessible through web browsers, also available for Android and iOS.
10. Paint.NET
- Pricing: Free.
- Ease of Use: Easy to learn, a good alternative for users looking for a simple yet powerful tool.
- Features: Lightweight image and photo editor; intuitive interface, supports layers, filters, and plugins; suitable for basic and some advanced editing.
- Cost: Free.
- Operating Systems: Windows.
I hope this information is useful for you. Let me know if you have more questions.
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FAQ
1. What is the best professional alternative to GIMP in 2025?
Adobe Photoshop is the best professional alternative to GIMP, offering extensive tools for photo manipulation, drawing, graphic design, and more. Learn more about Adobe Photoshop
2. Is there a one-time purchase alternative to GIMP for professional use?
Yes, Affinity Photo is a professional alternative that requires a one-time purchase and offers powerful editing tools. Discover Affinity Photo
3. Which browser-based alternative closely mimics Photoshop?
Photopea is a web-based image editor that closely mimics Photoshop, supporting layers, masks, filters, and more. Check out Photopea
4. What is a good alternative to GIMP for quick online photo edits?
Pixlr is ideal for quick online photo edits and offers both a basic and advanced editor with AI-powered tools. Explore Pixlr
5. Which alternative is best for digital painting and animation?
Krita is excellent for digital painting and animation, with strong drawing features and layer management. Learn more about Krita
6. What is a user-friendly alternative to GIMP with content-aware editing tools?
Corel PaintShop Pro is a user-friendly alternative with content-aware editing tools and supports many file types. Discover Corel PaintShop Pro
7. Which alternative focuses on AI-powered photo enhancements?
Luminar Neo focuses on user-friendly AI-powered photo enhancements with tools like sky replacement and skin retouching. Learn more about Luminar Neo
8. What is a good photo editor for quick edits and collages on mobile?
Fotor is a good option for quick edits and collages, available online and on mobile devices. Explore Fotor
9. Is there an alternative to GIMP suited for graphic design and social media projects?
Canva is well-suited for graphic design and social media projects, featuring a user-friendly interface and a wide selection of templates. Discover Canva
10. What is a free and lightweight image editor for Windows?
Paint.NET is a free and lightweight image editor for Windows that supports layers, filters, and plugins. Learn more about Paint.NET
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.
