Photoshop is $263/year as a single app and most home users open it for crops, color corrections, and the occasional composite. GIMP is the long-running open-source raster editor and covers that workload, even if the muscle memory is different.

What you gain

• Layers, masks, curves, levels, and a pen tool for paths
• Plugin and script ecosystem with G’MIC and Resynthesizer
• Runs on every desktop OS, no subscription, no cloud login
• Active development and a stable file format (.xcf)

What you give up

The interface is a culture shock if you have a decade on Photoshop. Native non-destructive editing is limited; smart objects don’t have a real equivalent. CMYK is third-party only. No Generative Fill or Adobe AI tools. RAW workflow goes through darktable or RawTherapee.

The math

GIMP is free. Photoshop alone is $263/year, Adobe Photography plan with Lightroom is $120/year, full Creative Cloud is $660/year. Five years on GIMP saves $1300+ for a single Photoshop user.

Who should switch

Hobbyists, occasional editors, and Linux users who never had Photoshop available anyway. If you’re a heavy Photoshop user with custom brushes and ten years of muscle memory, GIMP is going to hurt. Photopea will hurt less.