Adobe Photoshop is a widely recognized software for photo and design editing, known for its advanced features and integration with other Adobe products. This article will explore its key features, user reviews, and alternative options to consider.

What is Adobe Photoshop?

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Adobe Photoshop is a software application for image editing and design, developed by Adobe Inc. It allows users to edit images and text, create new assets using AI-powered tools, and perform complex edits with ease. Known for its advanced capabilities, Photoshop offers features like removing backgrounds, combining images, and transforming text and color.

Users can make selections with a brushstroke, apply selective edits, and utilize generative AI for tasks like Generative Fill and Generative Expand. The software also includes Adobe Express for quick edits and templates, enhancing its utility for various creative needs.

What to Consider When Selecting a Adobe Photoshop Alternative?

When considering alternatives to Adobe Photoshop, it's essential to focus on features that cater to the needs of users who rely on advanced photo editing and design tools. Here are the top five factors to consider:

  1. Ease of Use: Look for software that offers an intuitive interface and user-friendly tools. This is particularly important for beginners or those who need to create designs quickly without a steep learning curve.
  2. Advanced Editing Tools: Ensure the alternative provides robust editing capabilities such as AI-powered background removal, object removal, and generative AI tools. These features can significantly enhance productivity and creativity.
  3. Template Availability: A wide range of pre-made templates can save time and provide inspiration. Templates for social media, marketing materials, and other common use cases are particularly valuable.
  4. Cross-Platform Compatibility: The ability to use the software across different devices and operating systems ensures flexibility and convenience. Web-based tools often offer seamless cross-platform synchronization.
  5. Integration with Other Tools: Consider software that integrates well with other platforms and services you use, such as social media, cloud storage, and other design tools. This can streamline your workflow and enhance efficiency.

Best Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop

1. Piktochart

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Piktochart is an AI-powered design tool that enables users to create stunning infographics, reports, presentations, and other visual content quickly and easily. It is designed to help users transform complex ideas into engaging visuals without requiring any design experience. Try Piktochart For Free!

Pros of Using Piktochart

  • AI-Powered Design Generator: Allows users to create professional infographics, banners, flyers, posters, and more in seconds from any idea or prompt.
  • Document to Visual Conversion: Effortlessly converts documents into engaging data visualizations without the need to copy and paste content.
  • Text-to-Image Generation: Creates high-quality, contextually relevant images from text prompts.
  • Extensive Visual Tools: Includes tools for creating charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, flowcharts, and tables.
  • Brand Consistency: Features a Brand Assets hub for easy access to brand fonts, colors, and logos, ensuring consistent branding across all designs.

Who should use Piktochart?

Piktochart targets businesses, educators, and marketers who need to create visually appealing content quickly and efficiently. It's ideal for anyone looking to enhance their visual communication without extensive design skills.

Pricing

  • Free: $0 (Free forever)
  • Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
  • Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
  • Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

Reviews

Piktochart has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 162 reviews. Users appreciate its ease of use, variety of templates, and the ability to create professional-looking graphics quickly. Check out more of our reviews here!

2. Stencil

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Stencil is an easy-to-use online graphic design tool aimed at bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. It allows users to create social media graphics, ads, blog headers, and more quickly and efficiently.

Pros of Using Stencil

  • Ease of Use: Simple interface for quick image creation.
  • Extensive Resources: Over 5,000,000 stock photos, 1,350+ templates, 6,550+ Google Web Fonts, and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.
  • Customization: Ability to upload and store multiple logos and custom fonts.
  • Social Media Integration: Direct sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Buffer.

Cons of Using Stencil

  • Limited Advanced Features: May not offer the same level of advanced design capabilities as more complex tools like Adobe Photoshop.
  • Internet Dependency: As an online tool, it requires a stable internet connection to function effectively.

Pricing

  • Stencil's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

Stencil has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limited customization options. Check out more Stencil reviews here.

3. Snappa

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Snappa is a graphic design software that allows users to create online graphics quickly and easily, even without graphic design experience. It offers pre-made templates, high-resolution stock photos, and a variety of design tools to help users create professional-looking graphics for social media, ads, blogs, and more.

Pros of Using Snappa

  • Speed: Designed to save time in creating graphics.
  • Ease of Use: No learning curve, easy for non-designers.
  • Comprehensive Resources: Includes all necessary photos and graphics, which are royalty-free and licensed for commercial use.
  • Pre-made Templates: Thousands of professional templates available.

Cons of Using Snappa

  • Limited Advanced Features: May not cater to advanced graphic design needs.
  • Dependency on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires an internet connection.

Pricing

  • Snappa's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

Snappa has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limited advanced features. Check out more Snappa reviews here.

4. Easil

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Easil is a design tool that empowers teams to create brand-compliant digital and print marketing materials with drag-and-drop ease. It offers pre-designed graphic templates that can be customized using a brand kit, images, and videos.

Pros of Using Easil

  • Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop interface with pre-designed templates.
  • Brand Consistency: Flexible locking permissions and design approval workflow to maintain brand integrity.
  • Versatility: Ability to create both digital and print materials in one place.
  • Collaboration: Tools for managing and editing groups of designs with collections.

Cons of Using Easil

  • Learning Curve: While the tool is user-friendly, non-designers might still need some time to get accustomed to all features.
  • Dependency on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.

Pricing

  • Enterprise: Custom pricing (Contact Easil for details)

Reviews

Easil has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it user-friendly but mention issues with customer support. Check out more Easil reviews here.

5. Fotor

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Fotor is an online photo editor that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for enhancing and editing photos. It provides features for basic adjustments like brightness and contrast, as well as advanced editing options such as retouching portraits, removing backgrounds, and applying AI effects. Fotor is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for both amateurs and professionals. It is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and offers both free and premium plans.

Pros of Using Fotor

  • AI-Powered Features: Fotor offers advanced AI tools for quick and efficient photo editing, including background removal and object removal.
  • Comprehensive Design Assets: Access to a vast library of high-quality photos, stickers, and fonts to enhance your designs.
  • Cross-Platform Accessibility: Available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, allowing for seamless editing across devices.

Cons of Using Fotor

  • Advanced Features Require Premium: Some of the more advanced editing tools and features are only available with a premium subscription.
  • Internet Dependency: As an online tool, Fotor requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.

Pricing

  • Fotor's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

Fotor has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limited advanced features. Check out more Fotor reviews here.

6. DesignBold

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DesignBold is a digital agency that aims to democratize design by making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or background. They offer a variety of tools and services to help users create stunning visuals for any project.

Pros of Using DesignBold

  • User-Friendly Interface: The platform is designed to be easy to use, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
  • Vast Library of Resources: DesignBold offers a wide range of templates, graphics, and fonts to help users create stunning visuals.
  • Comprehensive Services: From a graphics marketplace to a website builder platform, DesignBold provides a one-stop solution for various design needs.

Cons of Using DesignBold

  • Potential Overwhelm for Beginners: Despite the user-friendly interface, the vast array of tools and options might be overwhelming for complete beginners.
  • Dependence on Internet Connection: As a digital platform, users need a stable internet connection to access and use the tools effectively.

Pricing

  • DesignBold's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

DesignBold has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention occasional bugs and issues with drag-and-drop functionality. Check out more DesignBold reviews here.

7. PicMonkey

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PicMonkey is a photo editing and design tool that allows users to create eye-catching images for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as for ads and logos. It offers a wide range of templates for various design needs, including flyers, presentations, logos, and invitations.

Pros of Using PicMonkey

  • Wide Range of Templates: Offers stunning templates for logos, banners, thumbnails, and more.
  • Advanced Photo Editing Tools: Includes features like Touch Up, Color Changer, and background remover.
  • Extensive Library: Provides access to 9,000+ graphics and textures, 100s of fonts, and thousands of templates.
  • Stock Photos and Videos: High-quality stock images from Shutterstock are available.

Cons of Using PicMonkey

  • Browser Compatibility: Some features may not be supported by all browsers.
  • Subscription Required: Full access to all features requires a subscription.

Pricing

  • Business: $228.00 USD billed annually per user or $23.00 USD billed monthly per user

Reviews

PicMonkey has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limited advanced features. Check out more PicMonkey reviews here.

8. Vectr

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Vectr is an AI-powered vector graphics editor that allows users to create and edit vector images online. It offers features like background removal, image to vector conversion, real-time collaboration, and cross-platform sync.

Pros of Using Vectr

  • AI-Powered Tools: Advanced generative AI tools for tasks like background removal and image to vector conversion.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Allows users to share their design workspace live and collaborate with integrated chat features.
  • Cross-Platform Sync: Ensures designs are synchronized across all devices in real-time.

Cons of Using Vectr

  • Premium Features: Sharing vector graphics with others or downloading them requires a premium account.
  • Browser Compatibility: Works best on Chrome; other browsers may have compatibility issues.

Pricing

  • Vectr's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

Vectr has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limited advanced features. Check out more Vectr reviews here.

9. Lucidpress

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Lucidpress is a web-based design and publishing tool that allows users to create and collaborate on various types of visual content such as brochures, flyers, newsletters, presentations, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible to users with varying design skills. The platform enables teams to create, customize, and share branded content while maintaining brand control.

Pros of Using Lucidpress

  • Guarantee Brand Consistency: Ensures logos, colors, and other brand elements remain consistent across all content.
  • Speed Up Content Creation: Allows faster delivery of content to the audience.
  • Reduce Creative Requests: Minimizes repetitive design requests and long wait times.
  • Empower Teams: Enables teams to self-serve their content needs, leading to personalized and timely content production.

Cons of Using Lucidpress

  • Learning Curve: Users may need time to familiarize themselves with the platform's features and functionalities.
  • Dependency on Internet: As a web-based tool, it requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.

Pricing

  • Lucidpress's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

Lucidpress has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention occasional issues with downloading large projects and file format support. Check out more Lucidpress reviews here.

10. BeFunky

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BeFunky is an all-in-one online creative platform that provides tools for photo editing, graphic design, and collage making. It aims to simplify the creative process with features like crop and resize, batch editing, background remover, artsy filters, and customizable design templates.

Pros of Using BeFunky

  • Ease of Use: The platform is designed to be user-friendly, with drag-and-drop simplicity and intuitive tools.
  • AI-Powered Tools: Includes advanced features like AI-powered background remover and batch processing.
  • Customizable Templates: Provides professionally designed templates that can be easily customized.

Cons of Using BeFunky

  • Limited Advanced Features: While it offers a variety of tools, it may not have the advanced features that professional designers require.
  • Subscription for Full Access: Some of the more powerful features are locked behind a subscription service (BeFunky Plus).

Pricing

  • BeFunky's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.

Reviews

BeFunky has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Users generally find it easy to use but mention limitations in advanced features. Check out more BeFunky reviews here.

Which One Should You Go With?

While each of these design tools offers unique features and benefits, Piktochart stands out for its AI-powered capabilities and ease of use. Whether you're a business, educator, or marketer, Piktochart can help you create stunning visuals quickly and efficiently. If you're looking for a versatile and user-friendly alternative, Piktochart is a fantastic choice to consider.