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Free alternatives to every Adobe app

A free swap for every paid Adobe Creative Cloud app, from Photoshop to Media Encoder. Each one links to the full, ranked list.

Replacing all 17 paid apps saves up to $3,502 USD a year

Last verified

Each paid app, its best free pick and what switching saves
Paid appBest free pickYou stop paying
Adobe PhotoshopAffinityTop pickLicense: Freeware$264 a year
Adobe IllustratorAffinityTop pickLicense: Freeware$264 a year
Adobe InDesignAffinityTop pickLicense: Freeware$264 a year
Adobe PremiereDaVinci ResolveTop pickLicense: Free tier$264 a year
Adobe After EffectsDaVinci ResolveTop pickLicense: Free tier$264 a year
Adobe LightroomdarktableTop pickLicense: Open source$120 a year
Adobe Lightroom ClassicdarktableTop pickLicense: Open source$120 a year
Adobe AuditionAudacityTop pickLicense: Open source$264 a year
Adobe Acrobat ProStirling-PDFTop pickLicense: Open source$240 a year
Adobe Acrobat SignDocuSealTop pickLicense: Open source$240 a year
Adobe XDPenpotTop pickLicense: Open source$780 a year
Adobe AnimateSynfig StudioTop pickLicense: Open source$264 a year
Adobe DreamweaverVisual Studio CodeTop pickLicense: Open source$264 a year
Adobe Substance 3D PainterArmorPaintStrongLicense: Open source$250 a year
Adobe Substance 3D DesignerMaterial MakerTop pickLicense: Open source$250 a year
Adobe Character AnimatorVSeeFaceStrongLicense: Freeware$780 a year
Adobe Media EncoderShutter EncoderTop pickLicense: Open source$780 a year
Total for all 17 appsEach subscription counted once$3,502 USD a year

Savings are list prices for each app on its own plan, checked on the dates shown on each app’s page. Apps sold in the same subscription are counted once in the total, and a bundle can cost less than the sum.

  1. Instead of Adobe Photoshop

    All 5 alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

    Swap for Affinity, free since October 2025 with a Canva account, or GIMP for open source.

    Affinity

    Best for pros who want a polished desktop editor

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • macOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers and adjustment layers import; smart objects are rasterized unless smart-object import is turned on
    • PSB: opens only, partial fidelity. Opens PSB files
    • TIFF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • JPG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • +5 more

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Photoshop ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Photopea, GIMP, Krita.

  2. Instead of Adobe Illustrator

    All 4 alternatives to Adobe Illustrator

    Swap for the vector tools in Affinity, or Inkscape, open source and SVG-native.

    Affinity

    Best for a polished vector app with print tools

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • macOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers and adjustment layers import; smart objects are rasterized unless smart-object import is turned on
    • PSB: opens only, partial fidelity. Opens PSB files
    • TIFF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • JPG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • +5 more

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Illustrator ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Inkscape, VectorCraft, Graphite.

  3. Instead of Adobe InDesign

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe InDesign

    Swap for the layout tools in Affinity, which open IDML files, or Scribus for open source.

    Affinity

    Best for polished page layout on Windows or macOS

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • macOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers and adjustment layers import; smart objects are rasterized unless smart-object import is turned on
    • PSB: opens only, partial fidelity. Opens PSB files
    • TIFF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • JPG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • +5 more

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe InDesign ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Scribus, DesignCraft.

  4. Instead of Adobe Premiere

    All 5 alternatives to Adobe Premiere

    Swap for the free edition of DaVinci Resolve, or Kdenlive for open source.

    DaVinci Resolve

    Best for editing, color and audio in one free app

    License: Free tier
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Verified
    • DRP: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MP4: opens and saves, partial fidelity. The free version exports up to UHD at 60 fps; free Linux builds lack H.264 and H.265 support
    • MOV: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • XML: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Final Cut Pro 7 XML carries cuts, transitions and basic effects, not Premiere effects
    • FCPXML: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Timelines and basic effects move across; Final Cut Pro effects do not

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Premiere ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Kdenlive, FilmCraft, Shotcut.

  5. Instead of Adobe After Effects

    All 6 alternatives to Adobe After Effects

    Swap for DaVinci Resolve, whose Fusion page handles compositing, or Blender for 3D work.

    DaVinci Resolve

    Best for node-based compositing and tracking

    License: Free tier
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Verified
    • DRP: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MP4: opens and saves, partial fidelity. The free version exports up to UHD at 60 fps; free Linux builds lack H.264 and H.265 support
    • MOV: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • XML: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Final Cut Pro 7 XML carries cuts, transitions and basic effects, not Premiere effects
    • FCPXML: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Timelines and basic effects move across; Final Cut Pro effects do not

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe After Effects ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Blender, Cavalry, EffectCraft.

  6. Instead of Adobe Lightroom

    All 5 alternatives to Adobe Lightroom

    Swap for darktable to edit RAW files, with digiKam to manage the library.

    darktable

    Best for open-source RAW editing and a photo library

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • DNG: opens only, full fidelity. Reads DNG files; the raw denoise tool can write a linear DNG
    • CR3: opens only, full fidelity. Newer camera models need a recent LibRaw
    • NEF: opens only, full fidelity
    • ARW: opens only, full fidelity
    • XMP: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Imports ratings, tags and about ten Lightroom adjustments from sidecars, and writes its own XMP

    Saves $120 USD a year vs Adobe Lightroom ($156 CAD)

    Also good: RawTherapee, ART, digiKam.

  7. Instead of Adobe Lightroom Classic

    All 6 alternatives to Adobe Lightroom Classic

    Swap for darktable, the closest match to the Classic catalog and develop workflow.

    darktable

    Best for open-source RAW editing and a photo library

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • DNG: opens only, full fidelity. Reads DNG files; the raw denoise tool can write a linear DNG
    • CR3: opens only, full fidelity. Newer camera models need a recent LibRaw
    • NEF: opens only, full fidelity
    • ARW: opens only, full fidelity
    • XMP: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Imports ratings, tags and about ten Lightroom adjustments from sidecars, and writes its own XMP

    Saves $120 USD a year vs Adobe Lightroom Classic ($156 CAD)

    Also good: RawTherapee, ART, digiKam.

  8. Instead of Adobe Audition

    All 4 alternatives to Adobe Audition

    Swap for Audacity to record, edit and clean up audio.

    Audacity

    Best for free multi-track audio editing on any desktop

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • WAV: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MP3: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • FLAC: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Audition ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Tenacity, Ardour, ocenaudio.

  9. Instead of Adobe Acrobat Pro

    All 6 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Pro

    Swap for Stirling-PDF, an open-source PDF toolkit, or PDF24 Creator on Windows.

    Stirling-PDF

    Best for a free PDF toolbox on desktop or your own server

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Unknown
    • PDF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • DOCX: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Convert tools exist; layout fidelity was not tested

    Saves $240 USD a year vs Adobe Acrobat Pro ($312 CAD)

    Also good: PDFgear, PdfCraft, PDF24 Creator.

  10. Instead of Adobe Acrobat Sign

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Sign

    Swap for DocuSeal or Documenso, both open source and self-hostable.

    DocuSeal

    Best for self-hosted signing with templates and an audit log

    License: Open source
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Unknown

    Saves $240 USD a year vs Adobe Acrobat Sign ($312 CAD)

    Also good: OpenSign, Documenso.

  11. Instead of Adobe XD

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe XD

    Swap for Penpot. XD now gets only bug and security fixes.

    Penpot

    Best for open-source design and prototyping in a browser

    License: Open source
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Unknown
    • SVG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PDF: saves only, full fidelity. Boards and layers export to PDF
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Saves $780 USD a year vs Adobe XD ($1,020 CAD)

    Also good: Lunacy, Figma.

  12. Instead of Adobe Animate

    All 5 alternatives to Adobe Animate

    Swap for Synfig Studio for vector tweening, or OpenToonz for frame-by-frame 2D animation.

    Synfig Studio

    Best for vector tweening and cut-out rigging

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • SVG: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports SVG artwork as vector layers; it does not save SVG
    • GIF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MP4: saves only, full fidelity

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Animate ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Tahoma2D, OpenToonz, Wick Editor.

  13. Instead of Adobe Dreamweaver

    All 2 alternatives to Adobe Dreamweaver

    Swap for Visual Studio Code.

    Visual Studio Code

    Best for hand-coding sites with a huge extension library

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    Status: Unknown

    Saves $264 USD a year vs Adobe Dreamweaver ($348 CAD)

    Also good: Phoenix Code.

  14. Instead of Adobe Substance 3D Painter

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe Substance 3D Painter

    Swap for ArmorPaint, or texture painting in Blender.

    ArmorPaint

    Best for a lightweight, Painter-style PBR workflow

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Unknown
    • FBX: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports FBX meshes; mesh export is OBJ or GLB
    • OBJ: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Saves $250 USD a year vs Adobe Substance 3D Painter ($324 CAD)

    Also good: Blender, Material Maker.

  15. Instead of Adobe Substance 3D Designer

    All 2 alternatives to Adobe Substance 3D Designer

    Swap for Material Maker to build node-based materials.

    Material Maker

    Best for node-based procedural materials

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • FBX: opens only, partial fidelity. FBX meshes load for preview and painting; no mesh export
    • OBJ: opens only, partial fidelity. OBJ meshes load for preview and painting; no mesh export
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Saves $250 USD a year vs Adobe Substance 3D Designer ($324 CAD)

    Also good: Blender.

  16. Instead of Adobe Character Animator

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe Character Animator

    Swap for VSeeFace to drive an avatar from your webcam on Windows.

    VSeeFace

    Best for livestreaming a face-tracked 3D avatar

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    Status: Verified

    Saves $780 USD a year vs Adobe Character Animator ($1,020 CAD)

    Also good: veadotube mini, OpenToonz.

  17. Instead of Adobe Media Encoder

    All 3 alternatives to Adobe Media Encoder

    Swap for Shutter Encoder, or HandBrake and FFmpeg for simpler or scripted encoding.

    Shutter Encoder

    Best for a pro-codec encoder with a graphical interface

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Unknown
    • MP4: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MOV: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • MXF: opens and saves, partial fidelity. MXF output goes through FFmpeg and bmx tools; not tested
    • WAV: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Saves $780 USD a year vs Adobe Media Encoder ($1,020 CAD)

    Also good: FFmpeg, HandBrake.

  18. Already free for everyone since October 2024, so no swap is needed.

    Adobe Fresco

    Adobe's free painting and drawing app with raster, vector and live brushes, unlimited layers and animation for iPad, iPhone and Windows.

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • iOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Built to hand work off to Photoshop; PSD layer fidelity was not tested

    This replaces Clip Studio Paint and Procreate