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Alternatives to Google Photos and Instagram filters
Keep your pictures private and make new ones with tools that stay out of your way.
Pictures cover a lot: backing up a lifetime of photos, painting from scratch, playing with effects. Ente Photos keeps your photo library encrypted so only you can see it, and Krita is a full painting studio that costs nothing. PhotoMosh and Airtime are creative tools for glitching images and video and for dressing up a video call.
The scores differ a lot here, which is the point of scoring them.
The tools
Krita
A full painting and illustration studio that costs nothing.
Ente Photos
End-to-end encrypted photo backup and sharing.
PhotoMosh
Glitch your photos, videos and webcam in the browser.
Airtime
Camera and presentation tools for video calls, formerly mmhmm.
A benchmark review of the biggest tool in this category is on its way, so you can see what these are measured against.
How to choose
For backup, look at who can read your photos and what happens if you stop paying. For making things, free and open tools mean you keep your files and your skills, and a polished commercial tool may suit a deadline better. For effects and calls, check whether you need an account and where your video goes.
Questions people ask
What is a private alternative to Google Photos?
Ente Photos backs up and shares photos with end-to-end encryption, and its apps are open source. Storage plans are paid.
Is there a free alternative to Photoshop for drawing and painting?
Krita is free, open source and built for painting and illustration. It is not a photo-retouching tool.
What is a fun alternative to Instagram filters?
PhotoMosh applies glitch effects to photos, video and your webcam in the browser.