Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea: pricing, features and which to choose

Photoshop is Adobe's raster image editor, first released in 1990 and sold by subscription through Creative Cloud since 2013. It runs on Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone and the web, and its PSD format remains the default exchange file for agencies, print shops and retouching studios. Adobe says 85 percent of films premiering at Sundance 2026 used Creative Cloud, which shows how deeply its apps sit in professional pipelines. Photoshop's role in AI image work is different from Midjourney or GPT Image. It is where generated pixels get masked, retouched, color matched and prepared for delivery. That makes it less of a generator and more of a finishing tool, with generation available on any selection.

A typical AI edit starts with a selection. The user draws or brushes an area, opens Generative Fill, types a prompt or leaves it blank, and Photoshop returns three variations on a new layer with its own mask. Generative Expand extends the canvas, the Remove tool erases objects and distractions, and Reference Image lets you drop in a product or object that Photoshop then matches to the scene's scale, lighting and perspective. Harmonize, released at Adobe MAX in October 2025, adjusts color and light so a composited subject fits its background. Generative Upscale, built with Topaz Labs technology, enlarges low-resolution images to 4K. Every result stays on its own layer, so manual retouching continues as before.

Photoshop's weaknesses are cost and complexity. There is no free desktop tier, the learning curve is steep, and the credit system makes partner models expensive on the single-app plan. Affinity, now owned by Canva and free to use, covers most layer-based editing without a subscription. GIMP is free and open source but has no comparable generative tools. Canva and Adobe Express suit quick social graphics better, and Pixelmator Pro is a cheaper one-time Mac purchase. Photoshop is still the strongest option when generated content must be blended into real photography with precise masks and color control. Pick it if retouching or compositing is paid work; skip it for occasional edits.

Photopea is a one-person project by Ivan Kutskir, a developer from Ukraine based in the Czech Republic, who launched it in 2013. It has grown into one of the most widely used free image editors on the web because it copies Photoshop's layout and shortcuts closely, so Photoshop users can work in it immediately. The app runs entirely in the browser using your CPU and GPU, and files do not upload to a server, which keeps editing fast and private. It is funded mainly by ads shown in a side column or a bottom banner on phones. Schools, hobbyists, freelancers and people who receive PSD files without owning Photoshop use it heavily.

Editing tools include layers, masks, layer styles, smart objects, adjustment layers, channels, paths, the pen tool, healing and clone tools, Liquify, Puppet Warp and a full set of filters and adjustments such as Levels and Curves. Photopea opens and saves PSD files with layers intact, and reads more than 40 other formats, including PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG, PDF, AI, XCF, Sketch, Figma, INDD, CDR, HEIC and AVIF. It handles RAW files from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and others with exposure and color controls. Vector shapes and text support logo and layout work, and scripts and plug-ins extend the editor.

Photopea's strengths are price, PSD fidelity and the ability to run on almost any device without installation, including Chromebooks. Its limits are ads on the free tier, a dense interface for beginners, no real-time collaboration and generative AI that trails Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop offers Firefly Generative Fill and better performance on large files, at a subscription price. Pixlr and Canva are easier for quick edits and social graphics. GIMP is free open-source desktop software, and Affinity Photo is a one-time purchase. Choose Photopea if you need Photoshop-style editing and PSD support for free in a browser.