Best Free Design Software in 2026: 16 Free Alternatives to Paid Apps

Free Photoshop alternatives

$22.99/mo

Affinity Established
Canva's former paid suite, free since October 2025. Opens PSD files and combines photo, vector and layout tools. Needs a free Canva account; AI tools need Canva Pro.
Photopea Established
Photoshop-style editor in a browser tab, nothing to install. Opens PSDs faithfully. Free with ads; about $5/mo removes them.
GIMP 3 Established
The original open-source image editor, modernized with the 3.0 release. Powerful, with a steeper learning curve.
Krita Established
Open-source painting app built for illustrators and concept artists. Excellent brushes, layers and PSD support.
Pixlr Established
Quick browser photo editor for crops, cutouts and fixes. Free with ads and limited AI credits.
PhotoCraft (ArtCraft) Early alpha
October 2026's viral AI-built Photoshop clone, part of a free 7-app Adobe rebuild. Fun to try, not ready for client work.

$22.99/mo

Affinity Established
Its vector tools are a direct Illustrator rival, free with no subscription.
Inkscape Established
Open-source vector editor built around SVG. Great for logos, icons and Cricut-style cut files.

$22.99/mo

Affinity Established
Includes the former Affinity Publisher layout tools for books, magazines and flyers.
Scribus Established
Open-source desktop publishing with print-ready PDF export.

$12.00/mo

Canva Free Established
Many people don't need Pro. The free plan keeps thousands of templates; you lose brand kits, premium stock and the background remover.
Adobe Express (free plan) Solid
Template-based social graphics with a generous free plan and some free AI image generation.
Microsoft Designer Solid
AI-assisted graphics and social posts, free with a Microsoft account.
Vectr Solid
Simple free vector editor in the browser.

$20.00/mo

Figma (free plan) Established
Solo designers can often stay on the free Starter plan; limits apply to files and team features.
Penpot Solid
Open-source design and prototyping. Free on penpot.app or self-hosted.