10 Photoshop Alternatives: Features, Pricing, and Essential Tips

Are you looking for Adobe Photoshop alternatives? Photoshop is one of the best software for editing photos with a polished look. However, Photoshop may seem complex and have many advanced features. As a beginner, you may feel overwhelmed by the software’s learning curve and would like to explore other graphic design tools. 

Therefore, we have compiled a list of ten graphic design software programs with exclusive features and pricing. These tools offer photo editing features, graphic design assets, and advanced features. With this comprehensive guide, you can gain insights into each tool’s design capabilities and get pro tips for choosing the right tool. And the best part? These powerful and affordable alternatives ensure you don’t have to break the bank for your graphic design needs.

Best Photoshop Alternatives

Let’s explore the ten alternatives to Photoshop to help you compare each tool’s features, cost, and suitability.

1. DocHipo

If you’re searching for a Photoshop alternative that goes beyond photo-editing capabilities, DocHipo is your go-to solution. Along with the integrated photo editor, the tool also offers generative AI features to create images and text. 

You can arrange the images at exact angles, rotate them vertically, or flip them horizontally. With these capabilities, you can achieve the perfect orientation. Plus, you can select a layer, such as front, back, forward, or backward, to set its position with a single click.

Learn more about arranging design elements within DocHipo.

Moreover, if you want the perfect fit for your images in the designs, crop images to different geometrical shapes with just one click. 

DocHipo also applies filters to enhance your images. Furthermore, you can select ‘Adjust’ to revamp your picture by adjusting the tonal components, such as contrast, brightness, grayscale, hue, blur, sepia, and invert.

Furthermore, with powerful AI tools, you can remove the background of the images with a single click. You can upload pictures or search for an image in the stock images library in the editor and customize it using the editing bar. However, an AI text-to-image generator comes in handy when you want to skip the search and generate the exact picture with a text prompt. 

Check out the possibilities of the DocHipo AI Images feature with this tutorial.

To revamp your graphics, you can access a wide range of design widgets in a library offering numerous fonts, backgrounds, shapes, stock images, icons, stickers, illustrations, and more. For instant edits, you can enhance the pictures with shadow and blur effects.

Learn to add effects around the pictures with this tutorial.

Furthermore, it helps you manage all designs in one place, featuring advanced features such as Brand Kit, Company Templates, and real-time team collaboration.

Ideal for

DocHipo is suitable for businesses, busy entrepreneurs, and creators. It’s your go-to tool for a hassle-free photo editor and collage maker, featuring a simple user interface. 

Pricing

DocHipo offers a free plan to access many features, including the photo editor.

The software also offers affordable paid plans:

• Pro Plan for solopreneurs and small teams at $7.5/month per user (billed annually).
• Pro Unlimited for large teams, allowing you to add unlimited users at $225/month (billed annually).

You can avail of the paid plan easily as DocHipo allows you to buy the plan in 15+ different currencies with country-specific pricing.

Get started with DocHipo to create stunning designs.

2. Canva

Canva is also a robust Photoshop alternative that is easy to use and offers abundant templates. The tool is a complete package for all graphic design endeavors. Primarily targeted for beginners, Canva has a lucid learning curve and advanced AI features. Magic Studio uplifts the photo editing game with the power of filters, autofocus, and generative AI. 

In addition, the Magic Grab feature can help you make quirky stickers by selecting exclusive elements in the picture. Canva’s strength lies in its features, templates, and real-time collaboration capabilities. However, advanced features are part of Magic Studio and are only accessible with a paid plan. For similar or better features in free plan, explore other Canva alternatives.

Ideal for

Canva is best for beginners who want to create designs for social media platforms. You can also get professional templates with plenty of options to choose from.

Pricing

You can try Canva for free with limited access to templates and features.

Moreover, to access most premium capabilities, Canva offers two paid plans:

• Canva Pro at  $119.99/ year for one person.
• Canva for Teams at $300/ year for the first five users.

3. Fotor

Fotor is another versatile alternative to Photoshop with advanced photo editing capabilities. If you want to make a mark on social media, Fotor can help you enhance your images with unique features like AI enlarger, background remover, AI skin retouch, Old photo restorer, etc. In addition, you can access numerous marketing templates and web and social media posts. 

The generative AI features are part of premium capabilities you can use with a limited free trial. Moreover, you can also get unique grid frames for making a collage in Fotor. Users may note that Fotor is suitable for working individually on designs. For team collaboration, you can explore other Fotor alternatives that are more oriented for business purposes.

Ideal for

Fotor is suitable for advanced photo editing with the power of generative AI. Since most advanced features have a limited trial period, the application is ideal if you are ready to avail the paid plan.

Pricing

Fotor offers a free plan with limited capabilities.

For a long-term use, there are two paid plans:

• Pro plan at $3.33/month (billed annually)
• Pro Plus plan at $7.49/ month (billed annually)

4. BeFunky

BeFunky is another creative alternative to Photoshop with lots of design assets. Designed to simplify graphic design and photo editing for users, Befunky caters to beginners as an all-in-one platform offering customizable design templates and an advanced photo editor. Some popular design capabilities include cropping and resizing photos, turning images into art, batch photo editing, and portrait retouching. 

Along with the Collage Maker tool, BeFunky aces the game with Collage Wizard, which helps you design a collage that aligns with your purpose. The best part about the application is the layer editing of images, where you can focus on specific elements like colors, HDR, Background fill, and much more. Although a robust tool, BeFunky offers most AI-powered features in the paid plan.

Ideal for

BeFunky suits beginners who want top-notch photo editing and collage-making features.

Pricing

You can use BeFunky for free by signing up with the software.

Further, to access all the features, you would require BeFunky Plus, which costs $6.99/month per person, billed annually.

5. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is a versatile photo editing and graphic design tool that caters to business-centric design needs. Users like the ease of use and template designs to increase engagement for digital promotions. With basic photo editing capabilities, you can add filters, crop or resize, adjust color and tone, and more. You can also apply pro effects such as outline, glitter shadow, glitch, etc., to make your image stand out. 

However, with a paid plan, you can only use background removal and pro effects capabilities. PicMonkey templates exude professional design sensibilities and allow users to edit with the team in real-time. Users can take the free trial but must buy a plan to download any document. You can also explore other PicMonkey alternatives that allow free downloading.

Ideal for

PicMonkey is an affordable Photoshop alternative with an easy-to-use interface. Businesses, enterpreneurs, marketers, and professionals can benefit from this software as it saves time creating stunning designs.

Pricing

You can try PicMonkey for free to get the hang of its primary design assets.

Moreover, there are three paid plans to access all the features:

• Basic Plan at $7.99/month per person (billed yearly).
• Pro Plan at $12.99/month per person (billed yearly).
• Business Plan at $23/month for teams (billed yearly). 

6. Picsart

Picsart is a wholesome graphic design software that aims to help creators, brands, and businesses grow in a community. Unlike other Photoshop alternatives, Picsart specializes in fulfilling the needs of growing brands in many industries. The application’s diverse capabilities allow users to create designs in less time. The Picsart photo editor has an impressive AI toolkit that enables background removal, object removal, AI enhancement, and expansion.  

In addition, you can leverage the creative output of an AI GIF generator and AI text styles. Batch editor and collage maker tools help the creator to work with multiple images simultaneously. Nonetheless, the application can improve the customization process of templates for the users.

Ideal for

If you are a content creator, marketer, or social media manager, Picsart can be your go-to tool for creating designs and staying updated with the latest trends.

Pricing

Picsart offers a free plan with standard photo and video editing features.

There are three paid plans:

• Picsart Plus at $5/month per person (billed annually)
• Picsart Pro at $7/month per person (billed annually)
• Picsart Enterprise at custom pricing.

7. VistaCreate 

VistaCreate is another graphic design platform that allows you to create professional designs within minutes. Like Photoshop alternatives, it offers an intuitive interface with convenient drag-and-drop functionality to facilitate the design process. With a vast collection of template layouts, stock images, icons, shapes, and vectors for every purpose, VistaCreate aims to satisfy all basic design needs. The built-in photo editing tool allows you to crop, resize, and enhance images with the filter. 

In addition, functionalities like animation, background removal, and applying color from the image help create a holistic design using images in the templates. VistaCreate also facilitates designing with your team members. However, the tool can improve its capabilities by introducing generative AI features. Until then, you can give other VistaCreate alternatives a shot for advanced capabilities.

Ideal for

Overall, VistaCreate is a simple graphic design tool suitable for beginners who want a hassle-free design experience with limited features. If you wish to use software focusing on print-ready designs, VistaCreate can be your go-to choice.

Pricing

VistaCreate offers a limited free plan. The Pro plan costs $10/month (billed annually).

8. Xara

This Photoshop alternative is a one-stop solution for multiple graphic design tasks, helping you create, produce, and manage content for your brand. Xara Cloud includes integrated applications such as Xara Designer Pro, Xara Web Designer, and Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. The user-friendly interface and business-centric templates make it easy for the user to carry out the design. However, the true strength of Xara lies in seamless on-brand design. 

Compared to Photoshop alternatives, the editor offers basic photo editing features. Additionally, Xara’s photo editing includes advanced photo manipulation tools that help you enhance your images. The intelligent scaling technique helps create graphics at any resolution. In addition, the software offers advanced and complex tools like generative AI, automated marketing processes, and collaboration in real-time. Because of its complex capabilities, users may prefer Xara alternatives with smaller learning curve.

Ideal for

Xara is ideal for businesses, brands, and marketers who create and monitor web content daily.

Pricing

Xara offers a free plan, but you must buy a paid one to access all the features.

There are three paid plans:

• Essential at $12/month for three users (billed annually).
• Scale at $20/month for three users (billed annually).
• Enterprise at custom pricing.

9. Visme

Visme is a modern and versatile Photoshop alternative offering professional design templates and customization options. The tool also provides numerous icons, vectors, stock images, fonts, etc., for customization and real-time collaboration. Visme’s real strength lies in simplifying data visualization and virtual assets that give an edge to your designs. As a photo editor tool, this software helps you to enhance images with filters, scale adjustments, and creative frames.

In addition, the touch-up tools in the photo editor bring AI capabilities like background remover, erase and replace, and upscale. Undoubtedly, Visme is a robust graphic design tool, yet a more contemporary interface would enhance the user experience. Further, the accessibility of many design assets is difficult because of the paywall. However, users may prefer Visme alternatives for similar features at competitive pricing.

Ideal for

Visme is perfect for entrepreneurs, corporations, businesses, and marketers who want to present data visually appealingly. 

Pricing

You can use Visme for free with limited features.

Further, the tool offers two paid plans:

• Starter plan at $12.25/month per user, billed annually.
• Pro Plan at $24.75/month per user, billed annually.
• Visme for Teams offers a customized pack.

10. Adobe Express 

Photoshop can transform your pictures for photo editing. Nonetheless, Adobe Express does an excellent job of quick photo enhancements. You can add filters, apply text effects, and adjust the photographs’ tone, saturation, brightness, and opacity. Most importantly, Express lets you explore the vast array of templates you can use with stunning images. This tool also supports advanced generative AI capabilities to add or remove elements from pictures.

The simple and intuitive interface removes the complexity that users often face with advanced tools like Photoshop. As an Adobe tool, you can continue editing Photoshop by exporting files from Express without hassle. However, users may encounter glitches while using the application in the browser. Users can also consider Adobe Express alternatives minimalistic and seamless interface.

Ideal for 

Adobe Express is suitable for beginners who want to design creative documents. If you want to use an application along with Photoshop, you can choose Express.

Pricing

The software offers a free plan with primary design assets. 

Further, there are two paid plans:

• Premium plan at $99.99 per year with expansive features and storage.
• Teams plan at $77.88 per year with a minimum of two seats required.

Choosing the Right Photoshop Alternative

With so many Photoshop alternatives, choosing the most suitable one for you becomes daunting. It all depends on what you want in the Photoshop alternative. Thus, follow these tips to select the best Photoshop alternative tool.

Assess the Ease of Use

The choice of application depends on your level of graphic design skills. A beginner would need a simple user interface with a zero-learning curve. Thus, you should assess if the layout is simple and organized without confusing the user about the capabilities. 

Check the Features and Capabilities of the Photo Editing Tool

Photo editing tools have basic features like resize, crop, and filter enhancements. Yet, graphic design tools can offer much more, such as generative AI capabilities, design templates, design assets, collaboration tools, etc. These tools are not a necessity but help you create professional designs. 

Assess the Free and Paid Capabilities

The Photoshop alternatives have some limitations, including limited access to features. Every application imposes limitations, but some are more generous than others. Thus, explore the free features and compare them with other applications. It will help you decide what you need to pay for.

Set a Budget for the Photoshop Alternatives

Once you have checked all the capabilities, you can keep a few options for long-term use. Set a budget and assess what you can get with the paid plan. Pay for the features that are essential for you.

Check for Different Downloading Formats

After you have customized the template designs in the application, check for the various formats the tool offers for download. Ensure that the tool provides different options for downloading files into multiple formats. Also, check the convenience of sharing your designs directly within the application.

Wrapping it Up

We have compared ten Photoshop alternatives with their exclusive features and pricing. You can understand what to expect from these applications by emphasizing the photo editing capabilities. Although all these applications are good Photoshop alternatives, the right one will align with your needs. 

Whether you want a simple photo editor tool or design templates with advanced features, you can try DocHipo. It has a vast design widget library, advanced features, and sharing capabilities. Sign up with DocHipo and get started with designing right now.

FAQs

Is there a free alternative to Photoshop?

Yes, there are plenty of free alternatives to Photoshop, such as DocHipo, Canva, BeFunky, PicMonkey, etc.

What is better than Photoshop?

Depending on your needs, you can choose Photoshop alternatives, such as Canva, Adobe Express, DocHipo, Visme, etc.

Which photo editor is 100% free?

Some photo editor applications, such as Canva, DocHipo, BeFunky, Visme, etc, are free. However, the paywall might restrict advanced photo editing capabilities.

Is there a free Photoshop for PC?

You can try Photoshop for a 7-day trial period, which converts to the paid plan after the trial period.