Best GIMP Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from photo editing software ranked against GIMP on the same published basis.
- 1GIMP vs ImageMagick
- 2GIMP vs Cutout.Pro
- 3GIMP vs darktable
- 4GIMP vs Photopea
- 5GIMP vs PhotoDirector
- 6GIMP vs RawTherapee
- 7GIMP vs VSCO
- 8GIMP vs BeFunky
- 9GIMP vs Adobe Lightroom
- 10GIMP vs Pixlr
- 11GIMP vs Hasselblad Phocus
- 12GIMP vs Capture One
- 13GIMP vs Showfoto
- 14GIMP vs PhotoPad
- 15GIMP vs Adobe Photoshop
- 16GIMP vs Adobe Creative Cloud
- 17GIMP vs PaintFE
- 18GIMP vs IrfanView
- 19GIMP vs PhotoKit Background Remover
- 21GIMP vs ON1 Photo RAW
GIMP alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ImageMagick | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | Cutout.Pro | 7.4 | Free plan | $4.99/mo | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | darktable | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Photopea | 7.3 | Free plan | $37.50/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | PhotoDirector | 7.3 | Free plan | — | Mac, Windows |
| 6 | RawTherapee | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | VSCO | 7.1 | Free plan | $2.50/mo | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | BeFunky | 7.1 | Free plan | $6.99/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 9 | Adobe Lightroom | 7.0 | No | — | — |
| 10 | Pixlr | 7.0 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 11 | Hasselblad Phocus | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Capture One | 6.9 | No | — | iOS |
| 13 | Showfoto | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | PhotoPad | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 15 | Adobe Photoshop | 6.8 | No | — | — |
| 16 | Adobe Creative Cloud | 6.8 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 17 | PaintFE | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 18 | IrfanView | 6.8 | Free plan | $18/mo | Windows |
| 19 | PhotoKit Background Remover | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API |
| 21 | ON1 Photo RAW | 6.7 | No | — | — |
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Questions about GIMP alternatives
What is the best alternative to GIMP?
ImageMagick, number 1 in photo editing software with a score of 8.2 out of 10. The others here: Cutout.Pro, darktable, Photopea and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to GIMP?
ImageMagick is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 14 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.