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Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternatives (2027): 8 Editors for Layers, RAW and PSD Files, Plus What Changed With the Free Affinity by Canva

Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternatives for Layers, RAW Photos and PSD Files

Affinity Photo used to be the paid, no-subscription answer to Photoshop. That product no longer exists in its old form: Canva, which owns Affinity, replaced Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher with one free app. So why look for an open-source alternative at all? Because free is not the same as open. The new Affinity needs a Canva account, runs only on Windows and macOS, saves to a new file format that the older apps cannot open, and keeps its AI tools behind a Canva premium plan. Open-source editors run on Linux too, need no account, and their licences guarantee that the code stays available whatever happens to the company behind them.
For this list we checked the licence, the latest release and the platforms of every project on its own website or repository in October 2026, and compared each one with what Affinity users actually rely on: layers and retouching, non-destructive editing, RAW development and PSD import.
Quick answer: the closest open-source replacement for Affinity Photo is GIMP 3, which now has non-destructive filters and layers and opens PSD files. For RAW photos, use darktable (the most complete), RawTherapee or ART; for painting, Krita; to organise and batch-process a library, digiKam; for panoramas and bracketed exposures, Hugin. Graphite is the open-source all-in-one editor to watch, but it is still in alpha.
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What Happened to Affinity Photo? Its Status in 2027

In late October 2025 Canva announced the all-new Affinity: a single app that combines photo editing, vector design and page layout, free for everyone. The old Affinity Photo address now redirects to the new site. When we checked the official Get Affinity page on 29 October 2026, it said:
  • Affinity costs $0. You sign in with a Canva account (a free one is enough) to download it, and you must be online once to activate it.
  • Every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios is free, with free updates. The Canva AI tools inside Affinity (generative fill, background removal and others) need a Canva premium plan.
  • The photo tools include full RAW editing, non-destructive adjustments, HDR merge, panorama stitching and batch processing with macros, and the app imports PSD, AI, PDF, SVG and IDML files.
  • It is available on Windows and macOS; the iPad version is "coming soon" with no release date, and there is no Linux version.
  • The new app opens files from Affinity V1 and V2, but V1 and V2 cannot open files saved in the new app. Existing V2 licences stay valid, but the V2 apps, including Affinity Photo 2, will not receive future updates.
Affinity is still being developed: an update announced on 15 September 2026 added a Blend Tool, in-app scripting and, according to Affinity, its biggest photo editing update so far, with RAW presets. If a free, closed app on Windows or Mac is fine for you, the new Affinity is hard to beat, and we compare it with other free editors in our free Photoshop alternatives guide. The rest of this article is for people who want software they can inspect, change and keep.

Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternatives Compared

ProjectReplaces in AffinityLicenceLatest release (checked Oct 2026)Platforms
GIMPPixel studio: layers, retouching, PSDGNU GPL v33.2.6 (10 Sep 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux
KritaPainting and illustrationGNU GPL5.3.4.1 and 6.0.4 (7 Oct 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
darktableRAW development and photo libraryGPL 3.05.6.2 (4 Oct 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux
RawTherapeeRAW developmentGPLv35.13 (26 Jul 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux
ARTRAW development, simplerGPL v31.26.10 (16 Oct 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux
digiKamBatch processing and photo libraryGPL-2.09.1.0 (7 Jun 2026)Windows, macOS, Linux
HuginPanorama stitching, exposure blendingGPLv22025.0.1 (13 Dec 2025)Windows, Linux; old macOS build
GraphiteAll-in-one editor (future)Apache-2.0Alpha 4 seriesBrowser; desktop apps in release candidate
Sources: each project's official website, GitHub or SourceForge page and release list, checked 29 October 2026.

The Best Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternatives in 2027

1. GIMP 3: the open-source Pixel studio

GIMP is the open-source editor that comes closest to Affinity Photo's Pixel studio: layers, masks, selections, healing, retouching, compositing and text, under the GNU General Public License on Windows, macOS and Linux. The two features Affinity users missed most have arrived. GIMP 3.0 made common filters non-destructive, so you can edit or remove them later, much like Affinity's live filters, and improved PSD import and export, including CMYK. GIMP 3.2 added non-destructive link layers, which update when the linked image changes, and vector layers. GIMP does not develop RAW files itself; it hands them to darktable or RawTherapee installed as plug-ins. The latest release, 3.2.6, came out on 10 September 2026. If you also have Photoshop habits, the free PhotoGIMP patch (version 3.1, July 2026) rearranges GIMP's tools and shortcuts to match Photoshop.

2. Krita: for painting, illustration and PSD exchange

Krita is a professional painting program licensed under the GNU GPL and owned by its contributors. If you used Affinity Photo mostly for digital painting, retouching with brushes or illustration, Krita is the stronger choice: its brush engines are its core, and it loads and saves PSD files so you can still exchange layered work with others. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with Android builds for tablets; iPads and iPhones are not supported. Krita 5.3.4.1 and 6.0.4 were released on 7 October 2026. For drawing apps in particular, see our open-source Procreate alternatives.

3. darktable: non-destructive RAW development

darktable replaces Affinity's Develop persona, and more. It is a photo library (the lighttable) and a RAW developer (the darkroom) in one, released under GPL 3.0. Every edit is non-destructive: the original file is never modified. You get masks for local edits, professional colour management, GPU-accelerated processing and a "create HDR" action that merges bracketed shots. It has no layers in the Affinity sense, so finish composites in GIMP. darktable 5.6.2 came out on 4 October 2026 for Windows, macOS and Linux.
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4. RawTherapee: maximum control over RAW files

RawTherapee is a cross-platform RAW processor released as free software under GPLv3. Its non-destructive, 32-bit floating-point engine and modern demosaicing algorithms are built for the best possible quality from a RAW file, including high dynamic range DNG files. It does not manage a library or work with layers; you develop the image and pass it on. Version 5.13 was released on 26 July 2026 for Windows (x86 and ARM), macOS and Linux.

5. ART: RawTherapee with a simpler interface and local masks

ART is a free, open-source derivative of RawTherapee that removes some controls for a simpler interface while keeping its image quality. For Affinity users it adds what RawTherapee lacks: local edits with drawn and parametric masks, plus XMP sidecar files that store your edits next to the original. ART is licensed under GPL version 3, and version 1.26.10 came out on 16 October 2026 for Windows, macOS and Linux.

6. digiKam: batch processing and a photo library

digiKam is a KDE application for importing, tagging and searching large photo collections, with a built-in editor. Two features cover gaps that Affinity Photo users notice: its Batch Queue Manager applies the same steps to hundreds of files, much like Affinity's macros and batch jobs, and image versioning keeps the original whenever you edit. RAW files open natively through LibRaw or through darktable or RawTherapee. Version 9.1.0 was released on 7 June 2026 for Windows, macOS and Linux, and its code is GPL-2.0.

7. Hugin: panorama stitching and exposure blending

Affinity can stitch panoramas and merge HDR brackets; in open source, Hugin does that job. It is a panorama stitcher built on Panorama Tools, using Enblend to blend seams and Enfuse to fuse bracketed exposures. Its SourceForge listing gives the licence as GPLv2. The latest stable release is 2025.0.1 (13 December 2025), and a 2026.0 beta appeared in October 2026. Windows gets a 64-bit installer and Linux users install it from their distribution or Flathub, but the official macOS build is still version 2019.2 and, according to the download page, does not run on Apple silicon Macs.

8. Graphite: the open-source all-in-one editor to watch

Graphite has the same ambition as the new Affinity: one app for graphic design, image editing, digital painting and page layout. It is open source under Apache-2.0, and its whole workflow is non-destructive, combining layers with a node graph. Be realistic, though: Graphite is in alpha, it is a vector editor first, and its raster tools are described as limited and experimental. It runs locally in your browser with no server, and desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux are at the release-candidate stage. Try it for social graphics and procedural designs, not yet for photo retouching.

Replacing Affinity's Vector and Layout Studios Too

The new Affinity is one app for photos, vector design and layout, so leaving it may mean replacing three tools. For vector work (Affinity Designer's job), use Inkscape: our guides to open-source Inkscape alternatives and open-source Illustrator alternatives compare it with the other options. For page layout (Affinity Publisher's job), Scribus is the established open-source desktop publishing app; its SourceForge listing gives GPLv2 and GPLv3, and version 1.6.7 files were posted there in October 2026. For screen and interface design, see our open-source Figma alternatives.

Tools Removed or Changed Since the 2025 Version

  • Affinity Photo 2: replaced by the free Affinity by Canva app. Your V2 licence still works, but V2 gets no more updates.
  • Photopea, Pixlr and Paint.NET: free to use (Photopea and Pixlr with paid plans), but none of them is open source. Our open-source Photoshop alternatives article explains the difference and lists Pinta and miniPaint as open-source counterparts.
  • Inkscape: open source and actively developed, but a vector editor, so it now sits in the Affinity-studios section above.
  • Pixelorama: open source (MIT) and active, with version 1.2.3 in September 2026, but it is a pixel-art and sprite editor rather than a photo editor.
  • MyPaint: still open source (GPL-2.0) and its code still receives changes, but its last release, 2.0.1, dates from May 2020. Krita is the maintained choice for painting.

Which Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternative Should You Choose?

  • You want one editor for layers, retouching and PSD files: GIMP 3, with PhotoGIMP if you also know Photoshop.
  • You mostly develop RAW photos: darktable; RawTherapee for maximum control; ART for a simpler interface with local masks.
  • You paint or illustrate: Krita.
  • You edit hundreds of photos the same way: digiKam's Batch Queue Manager.
  • You shoot panoramas or bracketed exposures: Hugin, or darktable's HDR merge.
  • You work on Linux: every tool on this list runs there; Affinity does not.
  • You are happy with a free but closed app on Windows or Mac: the new Affinity, which our free PaintShop Pro alternatives guide also covers.

How Founders Use Open-Source Photo Editors

A startup needs the same images again and again: product photos, founder headshots, social posts, screenshots for the pitch deck and visuals for the landing page. An open-source toolkit covers this with no licence costs and no accounts to manage when a freelancer or intern joins: darktable for product and headshot photos, GIMP for cut-outs and mock-ups, digiKam to keep the library in order. Our guide to personal branding for female founders explains which visuals to create first, and AI virtual product photography shows another route to product shots. For templates and quick social graphics, see our free Canva Pro alternatives and open-source Canva alternatives.
The same open-source logic works for the rest of a design stack: we have also checked open-source Blender alternatives for 3D, LottieFiles alternatives for animation and open-source InVision alternatives for prototypes. Once your visuals are ready, the F/MS AI SEO Tool turns a keyword into a blog article to publish them in.
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FAQ About Open-Source Affinity Photo Alternatives

Is Affinity Photo open source?

No. Affinity Photo was always proprietary, and its successor, the free Affinity by Canva app, is free to use but not open source. You need a Canva account to download it, and the code is not public.

Is Affinity Photo free now?

Affinity Photo itself has been replaced by one Affinity app that combines photo, vector and layout tools. Affinity's official page (checked 29 October 2026) says the app is free, with every tool in the Pixel, Vector and Layout studios included; only the Canva AI tools need a Canva premium plan.

What is the best open-source alternative to Affinity Photo?

GIMP 3. It covers layers, masks, retouching and compositing, has non-destructive filters and layers since the 3.x series, and imports and exports PSD files. Pair it with darktable for RAW photos.

Does Affinity run on Linux?

No. Affinity is available on Windows and macOS, with an iPad version announced. On Linux, use GIMP, Krita, darktable, RawTherapee, ART, digiKam or Hugin, which all have Linux versions.

Can I still use Affinity Photo 2?

Yes. Affinity says V2 licences remain valid and activation servers stay online, but the V2 apps will not receive future updates. The new app opens V2 files, but V2 cannot open files saved in the new app.

Which open-source editor supports non-destructive editing like Affinity?

darktable, RawTherapee and ART never change the original file. GIMP 3 added non-destructive filters, and GIMP 3.2 non-destructive link and vector layers. Graphite is fully non-destructive but still in alpha.

Can open-source editors open Affinity .afphoto or .af files?

Do not count on it. Export your work from Affinity as PSD, TIFF or PNG first; GIMP and Krita both open PSD files with their layers.

What is the open-source alternative to Affinity's RAW editing?

darktable is the most complete, with a photo library and non-destructive development. RawTherapee gives the most control, and ART is a simpler RawTherapee derivative with local masks.

Is there an open-source alternative to Affinity Designer and Publisher too?

Yes. Inkscape replaces Affinity Designer for vector work, and Scribus replaces Affinity Publisher for page layout. Both are GPL-licensed.

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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. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-10-29 01:47 Top Alternatives