Photoshop costs $20+ per month and most users use less than 5% of its features. For those 5%, free tools have caught up. Below are the seven we recommend depending on what you actually need to do.
1. Photopea — Photoshop in the browser
Photopea opens PSD files, supports layers, masks, smart objects, and most Photoshop shortcuts. Runs entirely in the browser, no signup. Closest thing to free Photoshop that exists.
2. GIMP — desktop, powerful, free forever
GIMP's UI is dated but its capabilities rival Photoshop's. Free, open source, no subscription, runs on every operating system. Worth the half-day to learn.
3. Pixlr E — quick edits
For 90-second edits — crop, resize, remove a small object — Pixlr E is faster than waiting for GIMP to launch.
4. Canva — design layouts, not photos
Canva is not a photo editor, it is a design layout tool. Free for most templates. Best for thumbnails, social graphics, and one-off posters.
5. Remove.bg — single-purpose perfection
One-click background removal at modest resolution (paid for higher). The single best free option for product photos and headshots.
6. ImageMagick — for batch operations
Command-line tool. Resize 500 images, watermark a folder, convert formats — all scriptable. The right tool when you are doing one thing to many files.
7. Krita — best for digital painting
Free, open source, made for illustrators. Brush engine rivals Photoshop. If you draw, this is the tool.
Which combination covers 99% of needs
Photopea + Remove.bg + Canva. With these three, you can do almost everything a small creator or designer would have used Photoshop for, all free, all in the browser.