Best Free Photo Editors: 4 Powerful Alternatives to Photoshop

Photo editing software used to mean one thing: Photoshop. And while Photoshop is powerful, it’s also expensive — £30 a month for the Photography plan adds up fast. Luckily, free and open source photo editors have come a long way. I’ve been using them for years, and honestly, for most tasks you won’t miss Photoshop at all.

Here are the best free photo editors you can download today.

GIMP — The Classic Photoshop Alternative

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the gold standard for free photo editing. It’s been around for decades and has a mature feature set: layers, masks, curves, levels, channels, paths, and hundreds of filters and plugins. Version 3.0, released in 2026, brought a much-needed UI refresh, non-destructive editing, and better colour management.

GIMP handles everything from simple photo touch-ups to complex compositing. The learning curve is steeper than some alternatives, but the community is huge, so you’ll find tutorials and plugins for just about anything.

Download GIMP — View in our directory

Krita — Best for Digital Painting and Photo Retouching

Krita is primarily a digital painting program — it’s what most artists use instead of Photoshop for illustration — but it’s also a surprisingly good photo editor. The colour management is excellent, it supports layer modes, masks, and filters, and the brush engine is second to none. If you’re editing photos that need retouching (healing brushes, clone tool), Krita’s tools are intuitive and powerful.

The latest version, Krita 5.2, includes improved HDR support, animation tools, and a faster brush engine. It’s particularly strong if you work with a graphics tablet.

Download Krita — View in our directory

Darktable — The Lightroom Alternative for Raw Photography

If you shoot in RAW format (and you should be), Darktable is the best free tool for processing your photos. It’s not a pixel editor like GIMP — it’s a non-destructive raw processor, like Adobe Lightroom. You import your RAWs, adjust exposure, white balance, contrast, and colours, then export to JPEG or TIFF.

Darktable 5.0 supports over 500 camera models, has a powerful masking system, tethering support, and a darkroom module that rivals Lightroom’s develop module. The colour grading tools are particularly impressive.

Download Darktable — View in our directory

Inkscape — Best for Vector Graphics (But Useful for Photos Too)

Inkscape is a vector graphics editor — think Illustrator, not Photoshop — but it’s worth mentioning here because vector tools complement photo editing. You can create logos, overlays, watermarks, and graphics to layer onto your photos. And yes, it can open and edit raster images too.

If you’re creating social media graphics, thumbnails, or any design work alongside your photo editing, Inkscape is the perfect companion to GIMP or Krita.

Download Inkscape — View in our directory

Which Photo Editor Should You Choose?

• General photo editing, retouching, compositing? GIMP is your best bet.
• Digital painting or tablet-based retouching? Krita’s brush engine is unmatched.
• RAW photo processing from your DSLR or mirrorless? Darktable is the clear winner.
• Need vector graphics and design work too? Pair Inkscape with GIMP or Krita.

The ecosystem of free photo editing software is genuinely excellent now. I’ve been using GIMP + Darktable as my primary photo workflow for the past few years, and I don’t miss Lightroom at all. Give them a try — they might surprise you.

Looking for more free creative tools? Browse our Creative & Multimedia directory for more free software.