Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop in 2025

Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop in 2025

As Adobe Photoshop continues to dominate the image editing landscape, 2025 has brought forth a wave of powerful open-source alternatives, each offering unique features and capabilities. Whether you're looking for specialized tools, better pricing, or enhanced integration, this article explores the top 10 open-source Adobe Photoshop alternatives, comparing them on key data points like pricing, ease of use, functionality, and community support.
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1. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: Steeper learning curve compared to some other options, but offers extensive documentation and tutorials.
  • Community Support: Large and active community.
  • Functionality: Professional-grade capabilities comparable to Photoshop.
  • Best For: Advanced photo editing, graphic design, and digital retouching.
  • Learn more about GIMP

2. Krita

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface, particularly for artists.
  • Community Support: Active community with many resources shared.
  • Functionality: Powerful for both drawing and photo editing, with a focus on art creation.
  • Best For: Digital painting, illustration, and photo manipulation.
  • Explore Krita
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3. Darktable

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: Requires some familiarity with photography terminology and workflow.
  • Community Support: Active and helpful community.
  • Functionality: Excellent for processing and developing RAW images.
  • Best For: Photographers who work with RAW images and need extensive post-processing capabilities.
  • Learn more about Darktable

4. Inkscape

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface with extensive documentation.
  • Community Support: Large and active user community.
  • Functionality: Specifically designed for vector-based graphics.
  • Best For: Vector graphics design, logo creation, and illustrations.
  • Discover Inkscape

5. Paint.NET

  • Cost: Free.
  • Ease of Use: Very user-friendly, especially for beginners.
  • Community Support: Active community with many resources.
  • Functionality: Good for basic to intermediate photo editing needs.
  • Best For: Windows users looking for an easy-to-use, free photo editor.
  • Explore Paint.NET
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6. Photopea

  • Cost: Free (with ads), premium version available without ads.
  • Ease of Use: Familiar interface for Photoshop users, making transition easier.
  • Community Support: Online resources and tutorials are available.
  • Functionality: Powerful for photo editing and graphic design, similar to Photoshop.
  • Best For: Users who need a quick, online Photoshop-like experience.
  • Learn more about Photopea

7. Pixlr

  • Cost: Free version available, with premium options with more features.
  • Ease of Use: Simple and easy for beginners to use.
  • Community Support: Active and helpful online resources.
  • Functionality: Suitable for quick edits and more detailed manipulations.
  • Best For: Users looking for a free online Photoshop alternative.
  • Discover Pixlr

8. RawTherapee

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: Requires some level of expertise in RAW processing.
  • Community Support: An active community provides assistance.
  • Functionality: Great for advanced RAW image editing.
  • Best For: Photographers who work with RAW images and require professional level editing.
  • Learn more about RawTherapee

9. PhotoScape X

  • Cost: Free version, with a premium version available with additional features.
  • Ease of Use: Easy to pick up even for beginners.
  • Community Support: Plenty of online support.
  • Functionality: Good for both quick edits and more detailed enhancements.
  • Best For: Users who want an easy-to-use photo editor with a comprehensive feature set.
  • Explore PhotoScape X

10. Seashore

  • Cost: Free and open source.
  • Ease of Use: Very user-friendly.
  • Community Support: Helpful online resources.
  • Functionality: Suitable for basic and intermediate photo editing.
  • Best For: macOS users looking for a lightweight alternative to Photoshop.
  • Discover Seashore
These tools offer a range of capabilities suitable for different users, from beginners to advanced professionals, and each provides a strong alternative to Adobe Photoshop.
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FAQ

1. What is GIMP and what are its key features?
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a powerful, free, and open-source image editor suitable for tasks like photo retouching, image composition, and graphic design. Key features include advanced editing tools, a customizable interface, support for various file formats, plugin support, and cross-platform compatibility. Learn more about GIMP
2. What makes Krita distinct among open-source image editors?
Krita is a free and open-source painting program primarily designed for digital artists and illustrators but also suitable for photo editing. It features a customizable brush engine, full layer management, wrap-around mode, vector tools, and a resource manager. Discover Krita
3. How does Darktable support photographers?
Darktable is an open-source photography workflow application and RAW developer designed for non-destructive editing, RAW image development, and advanced color management. It supports various image formats and offers an extensive module system for detailed image operations. Explore Darktable
4. What are the primary uses of Inkscape?
Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor ideal for creating illustrations, logos, and other scalable graphics. It offers tools for object creation, layer management, transformation, and native support for SVG files. Learn about Inkscape
5. How user-friendly is Paint.NET for beginners?
Paint.NET is a free image and photo editing software for Windows with a simple and intuitive interface. It supports layers, plugins, and offers basic editing tools, making it user-friendly for beginners. Check out Paint.NET
6. What features make Photopea a good Photoshop alternative?
Photopea is a free, web-based image editor that closely mimics Photoshop’s interface and functionality. It supports PSD files, layer-based editing, and runs on any device with a web browser, offering a familiar interface for Photoshop users. Learn more about Photopea
7. What can users expect from Pixlr in terms of functionality?
Pixlr is a flexible web-based photo editor available in free and paid versions. It provides a range of editing tools, a user-friendly interface, and supports layer-based editing, making it suitable for both quick edits and more detailed manipulations. Learn more about Pixlr
8. Why might photographers choose RawTherapee?
RawTherapee is a free, open-source RAW image processing software focused on non-destructive editing, advanced color management, and detailed image control. It is great for photographers needing professional-level RAW image editing. Explore RawTherapee
9. What are the advantages of using PhotoScape X?
PhotoScape X is a versatile photo editing software offering basic and advanced tools, including RAW image processing, batch editing, and various filters and effects. It features a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to beginners. Discover PhotoScape X
10. What makes Seashore a suitable choice for macOS users?
Seashore is an open-source image editor designed for macOS. It is a lightweight and user-friendly alternative to GIMP, built on the same technology but streamlined for macOS users, and supports layers for complex image composition. Learn about Seashore

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.
2025-08-25 16:39 Top Alternatives