Best Free Photo Editing Software

Last updated on August 27, 2026

Paid subscriptions are not a requirement for serious photo editing. Several free tools now cover RAW conversion, layer-based compositing, and detailed retouching well enough that many photographers never open a paid application at all. This guide compares five of the most capable free photo editors available in 2026 – GIMP, Photopea, Paint.NET, darktable, and RawTherapee – looking specifically at RAW file support, layer capabilities, and the practical limitations of each free tier. For a broader look at premium options alongside free ones, see our guide to the best Photoshop alternatives.

Before comparing individual tools, it helps to separate the two categories they fall into. Some of these programs are layer-based pixel editors built for compositing and retouching, in the same tradition as Photoshop. Others are dedicated RAW processors built for converting camera files accurately, in the same tradition as Lightroom. Knowing which category a tool belongs to matters more than any single feature, since it determines what the tool is actually good at.

GIMP: the most complete general-purpose free editor

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the closest free equivalent to Photoshop for pixel-based editing and compositing. The current stable release, GIMP 3.2, added non-destructive layer effects, link layers, and vector layers on top of its existing layer system, which already supported unlimited layers, layer groups, masks, and the full range of blend modes. For photographers who need to stack adjustments, composite multiple exposures, or do detailed retouching with selections and masks, GIMP covers essentially the same ground as desktop Photoshop, including tools like the healing brush, clone stamp, path-based selections, and a scripting console for automating repetitive edits.

The main limitation is RAW support: GIMP does not process RAW files natively. Instead, it relies on external plugins that hand off RAW decoding to darktable or RawTherapee before the image is opened as a working file in GIMP. This works reliably in practice, but it means RAW conversion and pixel editing are two separate steps rather than one integrated workflow, which is worth knowing before committing to GIMP as a single-app solution for RAW-heavy work. GIMP also lacks some of Photoshop’s newer AI-assisted features, such as generative fill, and its interface still asks more of new users than a more streamlined paid editor would. GIMP runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux, is fully open source, and has no ads or paid tier, and its large user community maintains extensive documentation, tutorials, and a active plugin ecosystem that fills in many of these gaps over time.

Photopea: Photoshop-style editing in a browser

Photopea runs entirely in a web browser and mimics Photoshop’s interface closely enough that most Photoshop users can start working in it immediately without a learning curve. The free tier includes full layer support – layers, layer masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, and blend modes – along with native RAW file support, so RAW images can be opened, edited, and exported without a separate conversion step. It also opens native PSD, AI, Sketch, XD, and PDF files directly, which makes it useful for anyone occasionally handed design files rather than photos, and it exports to standard formats without watermarks or quality restrictions on the free tier.

The free version is supported by ads displayed alongside the canvas, and some newer AI-assisted features, including generative fill, are gated behind a credit system on the paid Premium tier ($5/month or roughly $50/year), which also removes ads. AI-powered background removal is available on the free tier without a credit limit. Because Photopea runs in the browser, it works on any operating system without installation, though performance on very large files or complex multi-layer documents depends on the device and browser rather than dedicated GPU acceleration, and it can feel noticeably slower than a native desktop editor on older hardware. It also happens to be a fast option for isolating a subject from its background; see our comparison of background remover tools for dedicated alternatives if that is the main task.

Paint.NET: simple layers, no RAW support

Paint.NET is a lightweight, Windows-only editor that has stayed free to download directly from its official site since it started as a university project; a separate paid listing exists on the Microsoft Store purely for storefront convenience, with identical functionality either way. It supports layers with adjustable opacity and blend modes, basic selection and transform tools, and a large library of community plugins that add effects, adjustments, and additional file format support well beyond what ships in the base install.

Paint.NET does not support RAW files natively, and there is no officially maintained plugin that adds reliable RAW decoding. It is best treated as a tool for quick edits on already-converted JPEG or TIFF images – cropping, color adjustment, layer-based compositing, and simple retouching – rather than a full photography workflow tool. Its interface is noticeably simpler than GIMP’s, which makes it faster to pick up for basic tasks but less capable for advanced masking, complex selections, or color-managed editing. Photographers who shoot RAW will need to convert files elsewhere first, or choose a different free editor for that stage of the workflow.

darktable: a full RAW workflow with no traditional layers

darktable is a dedicated RAW processing and photo management application, closer in purpose to Lightroom than to Photoshop. Rather than raster layers, it uses a stack of non-destructive editing modules – exposure, color balance, denoising, lens correction, and dozens more – each of which can be masked and blended, producing layer-like control without traditional layers in the Photoshop sense. The current release, darktable 5.6, added an optional AI subsystem (disabled by default) with AI-assisted object masking and a neural restore module covering RAW denoising and upscaling, alongside a new color-harmony tool and HEIF export support, while keeping the traditional manual workflow fully available for anyone who prefers it.

darktable’s RAW support is extensive and covers a wide range of camera sensors, with strong tools for color grading, tone mapping, geometric corrections, and batch processing across large photo libraries, including tagging, star ratings, and collection filters similar to a Lightroom catalog. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and remains completely free and open source, with development funded through community donations rather than a paid tier. The tradeoff is that it is not built for compositing or retouching that requires true layers; for that stage, photographers typically export a processed file to GIMP or another pixel editor to finish the work.

RawTherapee: detail-focused RAW conversion

RawTherapee is another dedicated, open-source RAW processor, currently at version 5.13. Like darktable, it has no layer system; editing happens through a stack of non-destructive tools applied directly to the RAW data, including detailed color management options, a gamut compression tool, and tone-mapping controls that go deeper than most consumer RAW converters. Recent releases have focused on refining color accuracy tools, including expanded controls for highlight attenuation, custom color primaries, and a simplified tone mapper aimed at making advanced adjustments more approachable for photographers moving over from a paid tool.

RawTherapee tends to appeal to photographers who want granular manual control over color and tone rather than a library-management layer on top, which is where it differs most from darktable in day-to-day use; it has a smaller, less integrated library and tagging system by comparison. It is cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux), free, and does not display ads or gate features behind a paid tier, making it a reasonable second option to test alongside darktable since both can be installed at no cost.

RAW processors vs. layer editors: picking the right tool for the job

The clearest dividing line among these five tools is not price but purpose. GIMP, Photopea, and Paint.NET are layer-based pixel editors: they excel at compositing, masking, retouching, and building an image up from multiple elements. darktable and RawTherapee are RAW processors: they excel at getting the most accurate color, exposure, and detail out of a single RAW file, but neither offers traditional layers for combining multiple images or doing heavy manual retouching.

Photographers who only shoot JPEG and want to retouch or composite images are best served by GIMP or Photopea. Photographers who shoot RAW and mainly need accurate conversion, batch adjustments, and library organization are better served by darktable or RawTherapee. Paint.NET sits in a narrower niche: fast, simple layer edits on Windows when neither RAW support nor advanced masking is required. Choosing based on this distinction first, rather than on feature checklists alone, avoids the most common frustration new users report – expecting a RAW processor to behave like a pixel editor, or the reverse.

What free tools still can’t do

Free software has closed most of the gap with paid editors, but a few limitations are worth knowing before switching entirely. None of these five tools include the kind of integrated generative AI editing that has become standard in the latest paid releases, beyond Photopea’s limited, credit-gated generative fill. None offer official phone or tablet apps with a matching feature set, so mobile editing generally means falling back to a separate app. Cloud syncing across devices is either absent or handled manually by moving files yourself, rather than the automatic library sync paid subscriptions typically include. Support is community-based rather than a dedicated help desk, which is usually adequate given how active these communities are, but it does mean slower turnaround on obscure issues.

None of this makes these tools worse for their intended purpose – it simply means the gap that remains is in convenience and polish rather than core editing capability. For most hobbyist and semi-professional photography work, the five tools above cover RAW conversion, layer-based retouching, and export at a level that is functionally indistinguishable from paid software.

Performance is the other practical consideration. Desktop applications like GIMP, darktable, and RawTherapee generally handle large RAW files and long editing sessions better than Photopea, since they run natively and can use local system resources and GPU acceleration directly rather than working through a browser tab. On modest or older hardware this can matter more day to day than any single feature comparison, so it is worth testing a candidate tool with your own files and camera’s RAW format before settling on it as a primary editor.

Building a complete free workflow

Because none of these tools charge anything, there is no cost penalty to using more than one. A common free workflow pairs a RAW processor with a layer editor: import and adjust RAW files in darktable or RawTherapee, export the result as a TIFF or PNG, then finish compositing, masking, or retouching in GIMP or Photopea. This mirrors how many paid workflows split RAW conversion (Lightroom) from pixel editing (Photoshop), just without a subscription on either end, and it lets each tool do the part of the job it was actually designed for.

For photographers evaluating whether to stay fully free or add a paid tool for specific gaps – generative AI editing, tighter Adobe file compatibility, or dedicated mobile apps – the comparison in our Photoshop alternatives guide covers where paid options still pull ahead of the free tier.