Photoshop vs GIMP: Paid or Free Image Editor?

Compare Adobe Photoshop and GIMP for pricing, platforms, offline use, features and learning curve.

Design and GraphicsOnly tools in this category are shown.View category
Build your comparisonStart with two tools, then expand up to four if needed.
2–4 tools

Photoshop is a commercial industry-standard image editor, while GIMP is a free and open-source alternative. Your decision usually comes down to budget, required professional workflows, plugin compatibility and collaboration needs.

Bottom lineChoose GIMP when a free, open-source offline editor covers your needs. Consider Photoshop when specific professional workflows, ecosystem compatibility or team standards justify the subscription.

2 tools selected · 11 feature rows shown

Feature

Adobe Photoshop

★ 3.55 View details

GIMP

★ 3.95 View details
Category Design and GraphicsDesign and Graphics
PricingDifferent PaidFree
Open sourceDifferent NoYes
Offline support YesYes
AI featuresDifferent YesNo
PlatformsDifferent Windows, macOS, iPadOSWindows, macOS, Linux
Minimum RAM 4 GB4 GB
System level mediummedium
Languages UnknownUnknown
RatingDifferent 7.1 / 107.9 / 10
Target users Designers and creative teams, Marketing teams, Freelancers and content creatorsDesigners and creative teams, Marketing teams, Freelancers and content creators
Pros
  • Visual workflow focused
  • Useful templates or creative tools
  • Supports collaborative production
  • Visual workflow focused
  • Useful templates or creative tools
  • Supports collaborative production
Cons
  • Advanced exports may be paid
  • Large projects can require stronger hardware
  • Advanced exports may be paid
  • Large projects can require stronger hardware
Use cases

Photo Editing

Photo EditingRasterDesignCreative

Photo Editing

Photo EditingRasterOpen SourceDesign

Which one fits you best?

Use AtlasFind’s transparent local scoring rules to see which selected tool better matches your needs. No external AI API is used.