Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, one of its free alternatives, side by side.
Adobe's raster editor for photo retouching, compositing and digital art, sold as a subscription.
Best for open-source editing on any desktop
| Fact | Adobe Photoshop | GIMP |
|---|---|---|
| License | License: Paid | License: Open sourceGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Maintenance | Status: Verified | Status: Unknown |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | No | Yes |
| Web | Yes | No |
| iOS | Yes | No |
| Android | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| No account needed | No | Yes |
| Parity with Adobe Photoshop | The reference | 50% |
License classes: Paid and Open source. Status rules: Active means a commit in the last 90 days. See the methodology.
How GIMP covers what people use Adobe Photoshop for.
| Feature | GIMP |
|---|---|
| Editing | |
| Layers, masks and blend modes | Yes |
| Adjustment layers and smart filters | PartialNote 1Non-destructive filters since GIMP 3.0; no adjustment layers yet |
| Selection | |
| Subject selection and edge refinement | PartialNote 2Foreground Select and paths; no AI subject selection |
| Retouching | |
| Healing, clone and content-aware fill | PartialNote 3Heal and Clone are built in; content-aware fill needs the Resynthesizer plug-in |
| AI | |
| Generative fill and expand | No |
| Design | |
| Editable type and vector shapes | PartialNote 4Text layers; no editable vector shape layers |
| Photo | |
| RAW development (Camera Raw) | PartialNote 5Opens RAW files through darktable or RawTherapee |
| Output | |
| CMYK and print color management | PartialNote 6Soft-proofing and CMYK export since 3.0; editing stays in RGB |
| Parity score | 50% |
| Format | Adobe Photoshop | GIMP |
|---|---|---|
| .psd | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesNote 1Layers, groups, masks and CMYK carry over; adjustment layers and smart objects do notPartial fidelity |
| .psb | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesNote 2PSB import since 3.0 and export since 3.2Partial fidelity |
| .tiff | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |
| .png | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |
| .jpg | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |
| .webp | Opens and savesFull fidelity | Opens and savesFull fidelity |