Photoshop open-source alternatives by task

If you are searching for an open-source alternative to Photoshop, the honest answer is that no single program covers everything Photoshop does, so the useful question is which job you need done. For retouching and compositing, GIMP is the default pick. For painting and illustration, Krita. For developing raw photos, darktable or RawTherapee. For vector work, Inkscape. PhotoCraft, a new Rust app that copies Photoshop’s layout, is worth trying but is still labeled early alpha by its own maintainers. This article, current as of October 18, 2026, picks a tool per task and says where each one stops. It does not repeat our look at the seven-app Adobe clone set, which covers Illustrator, Premiere Pro and the rest.

Key points

There is no one-to-one swap. Photoshop bundles photo retouching, digital painting, light vector work and raw-style adjustments. The free tools split that bundle across several programs, each good at one part.
Pick by task. Retouch and composite in GIMP, paint in Krita, develop raw files in darktable or RawTherapee, draw logos and icons in Inkscape.
PhotoCraft is the one that feels like Photoshop, and the one least ready for deadlines. Its maintainers call it an early alpha and say it is not yet a replacement for daily professional work.
All five established tools are GPL-licensed and run on Windows, macOS and Linux, per their own sites. Check the platform notes below, since darktable on macOS is Apple silicon only.

The short answer by task

Your task	Start with	Why	Main catch
Photo retouching, compositing	GIMP 3.2	Layers, selections and filters in a classic editor; GPL, three platforms	Layout differs from Photoshop; PSD import is partial
Digital painting, concept art, comics	Krita 5.3	Brush engines, stabilizers, animation, filter layers	A painting app first; its features page doesn’t list CMYK
Developing raw camera files	darktable or RawTherapee	Built for raw workflows, not general pixel editing	No layers-and-brush workflow like Photoshop
Logos, icons, illustrations	Inkscape	Native SVG vector editor, GPL	Not a photo editor
Trying a Photoshop-style interface	PhotoCraft	Familiar panels, PSD round-trips, scriptable	Early alpha; check your own files first

Photo retouching and compositing: GIMP

GIMP is the long-running answer to this task. Its downloads page lists GIMP 3.2.6, released September 10, 2026, with installers for Windows (x86_64 and ARM64), macOS (Intel and Apple silicon, macOS 11 or newer) and Linux (AppImage, Flathub, Snap). The project’s about page describes it as free software distributed under the GNU General Public License.

The 3.2 release notes matter for anyone who left GIMP years ago because it felt destructive. Non-destructive editing now reaches beyond text layers to Link and Vector layers, and filters can be applied to channels as well as layers and layer groups. On the Photoshop-compatibility side the notes list export of large PSB documents, import of .acv and .alv presets for Curves and Levels, and import of some layer styles such as drop shadows. The notes also mention a CMYK color selector that shows total ink coverage, which helps with print preparation but is not the same as a full CMYK editing workflow. If a client sends you layered PSDs with smart objects and complex styles, test a real file before committing; the release notes only promise the items above.

Painting and illustration: Krita

Krita is the better choice when your Photoshop time goes into brushes. The download page shows version 5.3.4.1, released October 7, 2026, under GPL v3, for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. Direct downloads are free; the Microsoft Store, Steam, Epic and Mac App Store builds are paid and fund development.

The features page lists more than 9 brush engines, over 100 preloaded brushes, three stroke stabilizers, perspective and vanishing-point assistants, and paint, vector, filter, group and file layers. It also covers ICC color management through LCMS, PSD support, HDR painting with OpenEXR, a timeline-based animation workspace and Python scripting. Filter layers are the closest thing Krita has to Photoshop adjustment layers. The page does not mention CMYK, so if your output is print, confirm that before you build a workflow around it.

Raw photos: darktable and RawTherapee

Photoshop users who shoot raw often only need a good developer, and the free options here are mature. darktable describes itself as a photography workflow application and raw developer: it keeps your files in a database, offers a lighttable and a darkroom, and states that all editing is fully non-destructive. It can also shoot tethered. On the install page the current release is 5.6.2 under GPL 3.0, with Windows (x86 and ARM), Linux and macOS builds. The macOS build is Apple silicon only, for macOS 13.5 or later, with no official Intel release, and the Flatpak leaves out the AI features.

RawTherapee is the other choice. Its site lists version 5.13, released July 26, 2026, under GPLv3 for Linux, Windows and 64-bit macOS. Our advice is to try both on the same few files from your own camera and keep the one whose rendering and interface you can live with. Neither replaces Photoshop for painting or compositing, and both are meant to sit before a pixel editor in the workflow.

Vector work: Inkscape

If you reach for Photoshop’s shape tools to make logos, icons or diagrams, switch to a real vector editor. Inkscape’s about page says it is free and open-source software licensed under the GPL. The release notes wiki lists 1.4 as the current stable series, with point releases up to 1.4.3 and 1.4.4 planned, and 1.5 in development. We did not find a first-party statement on CMYK on the pages we read, so check that before sending anything to a print shop that demands it.

PhotoCraft: the Photoshop look-alike

PhotoCraft is the project people mean when they ask for an open-source Photoshop. Its repository is dual-licensed MIT or Apache-2.0, ships for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD (plus a WebAssembly build), and had its v0.10.0 release on October 18, 2026. The maintainers call it “early alpha” and say it is “not yet a Photoshop replacement for daily professional work.” They also report that re-saving keeps the render of 307 of 309 files in the psd-tools test set.

The roadmap, last reviewed October 11, 2026, rates the app at about 45% ready for real work. It lists photo retouching and compositing with PSD save and reopen as working, PSD exchange as partial, and CMYK as unfinished. Its own gap list is blunt: Photoshop-oracle pass rate of 133 of 256 files, 14 of Photoshop’s 68 tools missing, and 579 open issues. For automation it has photocraft-cli run, photocraft-cli batch for a folder of images, and an MCP server so an agent can drive it. For a longer test, see our PhotoCraft hands-on.

What to install first

Photographers: install darktable (and RawTherapee if you want to compare), then GIMP for the pixel work darktable doesn’t do.
Illustrators and comic artists: install Krita and nothing else for now.
Designers making logos and icons: install Inkscape, and GIMP for the occasional photo edit.
Anyone who just wants the Photoshop layout: download PhotoCraft beside your current tool, open a copy of one real PSD, and compare. Don’t use it for client delivery yet.

All of the established tools are free to download, so the cost of trying is an afternoon and a copy of one of your own files.

FAQ

What is the best open-source alternative to Photoshop?

For general photo editing it is GIMP; for painting it is Krita. There is no single best, because Photoshop is several tools in one.

Is there an open-source program that looks like Photoshop?

PhotoCraft copies the Photoshop layout and reads and writes PSD files, but its maintainers describe it as early alpha.

Can these open PSD files?

GIMP, Krita and PhotoCraft all handle PSD to some degree; how well depends on the file. Test one of yours before you rely on it.