GIMP
A long-running image editor for retouching, compositing and creating pictures.
Instead of Adobe Photoshop
Screenshot from www.gimp.org, taken 2026-10-23, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.
GIMP is a free image manipulation program for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring, released under the GNU General Public License. Community authors and contributors develop it, and it takes donations and sponsors.
It is the best-known free answer to Photoshop, and what you make is yours in standard image formats. The interface has long been a sticking point for people coming from Adobe, and it has no sign-in or upsell to push you around. Expect to spend time learning where things live.
- A long-running image editor for retouching and compositing
- Free under the GPL, with no sign-in or upsell
- The interface takes time to learn
What stands out
Do you make GIMP? Get the badge for your site
This badge reports a dated review. It is not a certification and it costs nothing. Link it to this page and leave the numbers alone: the image always shows the current score.
For dark backgrounds, use gimp-dark.svg in place of gimp-light.svg.
For comparison, we also reviewed Adobe Creative Cloud (12/30) as a benchmark.
Other tools for “draw, design and edit”
- KritaA full painting and illustration studio that costs nothing.
InkscapeA vector graphics editor for logos, illustrations and diagrams, built on the open SVG format.
BlenderA complete 3D creation suite for modelling, animation, rendering and more.- darktableA non-destructive RAW photo editor and library for photographers.
- PenpotAn open-source design and prototyping tool for interfaces, built on web standards.
KdenliveA free multi-track video editor from the KDE community.