GIMP vs Photoshop (2026): Free Editor or Creative Cloud?

GIMP 3.0 editing a gull-on-beach photograph with layers, tools, and histogram visible — GIMP. Source · License: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Adobe Photoshop 2023 workspace showing the splash screen, toolbar, layers, and color panels — Photoshop UI used to identify the commercial editor. Source · License: Adobe product screenshot.

Verdict. Choose GIMP 3.2.6 if you want a long-standing free GPL editor you can install from gimp.org this week. Choose Adobe Photoshop if you want the commercial Creative Cloud product and will pay for that suite. We have no sourced speed, quality, or plugin bake-off.

Compare GIMP and Photoshop.

Dimension	GIMP	Photoshop	Source
License	GPL-3.0-or-later (seed listing / GNOME GitLab)	Proprietary (Adobe General Terms of Use)	gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp; adobe.com/legal/terms.html
Price	free (open-source)	paid Creative Cloud (price not copied here)	Licenses / Adobe product page
Current release (this check)	GIMP 3.2.6, labeled current stable on gimp.org/downloads (notes date 2026-09-10)	Creative Cloud SKU; we did not copy a desktop version string from Adobe’s JS-heavy product page	gimp.org/downloads (2026-10-22); adobe.com/products/photoshop.html
Platforms (sourced)	Windows 10 1903+ (installer), macOS 11+, Linux AppImage/Flatpak/Snap; 32-bit binaries ended in 3.2	Adobe markets desktop plus an online photo/design app; we did not enumerate every SKU	gimp.org/downloads; GIMP 3.2 release notes; Adobe product page title
Native document	XCF stores layers, channels, paths (undo excluded). Other formats go through Export	PSD / PSB is the commercial interchange people search; we did not retest Photoshop’s own save	GIMP 3.0 User Manual ch. 6 (docs.gimp.org, opened 2026-10-22)
Documented 3.2 editing model	Non-destructive text, link, and vector layers; GEGL filters; MyPaint Brush v2; pass-through group filters	Commercial pixel editor with subscription extras we did not independently list	gimp.org/release-notes/gimp-3.2.html
Community snapshot (2026-10-22)	6,540 stars / 909 forks on the GitHub GNOME/gimp mirror; last push 2026-10-22	Not a public GitHub product in this check	GitHub API GNOME/gimp
Generative / hosted AI	Not a hosted image model. GEGL filters and plug-ins, not a Midjourney-class product	Commercial suite; we did not copy an Adobe Firefly feature list in this pass	gimp.org/about; Adobe product page (no feature table extracted)
Performance / quality	Not independently tested	Not independently tested	n/a

When to choose which

Production-proven free editor this week: GIMP — 3.2.6 is the stable download we opened on gimp.org. We did not test a client retouch.
Paid Creative Cloud pixel editor: Photoshop — That is the commercial product. Not a quality score.
Digital painting, comics, concept art: Krita — Different job. See Krita vs Photoshop and Krita vs GIMP.
Tracking a new Rust-native PSD-aware editor: PhotoCraft — Early alpha v0.12.0. See PhotoCraft vs Photoshop and PhotoCraft vs GIMP.
RAW catalog rather than layers: darktable — Different job. See darktable vs Lightroom.

Read the entity pages: GIMP and Photoshop (identification only). Hub: Photoshop alternatives. Same cluster: PhotoCraft vs GIMP (this site’s existing traffic landing), PhotoCraft vs Photoshop, Krita vs Photoshop, Krita vs GIMP. Install: How to install GIMP 3.2, Switch from Photoshop to GIMP.

GIMP vs Photoshop at a glance

GIMP is the long-standing GNU Image Manipulation Program. gimp.org/downloads presented GIMP 3.2.6 as the current stable release on 2026-10-22 (release notes date 2026-09-10). License in our seed: GPL-3.0-or-later. Canonical code: gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp. GitHub GNOME/gimp mirror on 2026-10-22: 6,540 stars / 909 forks.

Photoshop is Adobe’s proprietary Creative Cloud editor. The product page we opened on 2026-10-22 is adobe.com/products/photoshop. Terms: Adobe General Terms of Use. We did not copy a price or a version string from that page.

Stars and subscriptions are not quality. This page is a license / job split, not a retouch bake-off.

Features people actually search for

Copied from official docs. Not independently tested on a forkalt machine.

Job	GIMP 3.2 (release notes / 3.0 manual, 2026-10-22)	Photoshop (identification)
License / price	GPL-3.0-or-later, free	Proprietary Creative Cloud, paid (price not copied)
Layers	Pixel layers plus non-destructive text, link, and vector layers	Commercial layer model; we did not retest
Adjustments / filters	Non-destructive GEGL filters; filters on channels; GEGL Vibrance; pass-through groups can stack filters like an adjustment stack	Commercial adjustment/filter stack; not listed here
Native file	XCF is the only format that stores everything except undo	PSD / PSB is the commercial interchange
Other formats	Import then Export; other formats keep some properties and lose others	Commercial codecs; not retested here
Brushes	Own brush engine + MyPaint Brush v2 (20 new brushes in 3.2)	Commercial brush engine; not listed here
32-bit OS	3.2 ended 32-bit binary distribution	Not copied
Generative AI	Not a hosted image model	Commercial suite extras not copied in this pass

GIMP 3.2 link layers are documented as similar to a “linked smart object” idea: an external file (for example an SVG edited in Inkscape) can update in the composition. That is GIMP’s own analogy, not a Photoshop feature claim we tested.

When to pick each

Need a production-proven free editor this week: GIMP 3.2.6 from gimp.org/downloads.
Need the commercial Creative Cloud editor: Photoshop (identification) via Adobe.
Need painting, comics, concept art: Krita 5.3.4.1 — Krita vs Photoshop.
Need a new Rust-native PSD-aware editor and accept alpha: PhotoCraft v0.12.0 — PhotoCraft vs Photoshop, PhotoCraft vs GIMP.
Need a RAW catalog, not layers: Lightroom alternatives — darktable vs Lightroom.
Need SVG / vectors as a primary job: Inkscape on Adobe Illustrator alternatives.
Need UI frames, not pixels: Figma alternatives.
Need local text-to-image, not a pixel editor: ComfyUI vs Midjourney.

Install notes (GIMP 3.2.6)

Official host: gimp.org/downloads (opened 2026-10-22). Checksums on that page:

Asset	SHA256 (gimp.org, 2026-10-22)
`gimp-3.2.6-setup.exe`	`9337cccbc01d4098ee7a3dab215b3afbe6ece99c5287c92441d6f12cf541ebca`
`gimp-3.2.6-arm64.dmg`	`854573aec2be6a185aa021109c3c0ca94f210379204b704231bdd191b4060294`
`gimp-3.2.6-x86_64.dmg`	`ebe633642445d4d6fc6b68e7be7ca581c0b28c18dc9de7747849528c982e5677`
`GIMP-3.2.6-x86_64.AppImage`	`79ea41bc9b06f78fda181849a9ca8e42d83f1124dedb756f4d52352e2465010f`

Documented constraints from the same page: Windows installer needs Windows 10 1903+; macOS needs 11 Big Sur+; AppImage notes Debian 13 or newer; the GIMP team does not ship Apple App Store packages. We have not run these installers on a named forkalt machine. Longer outline: How to install GIMP 3.2.

FAQ

GIMP vs Photoshop — which is better?

We have no sourced bake-off. GIMP 3.2.6 is free GPL software from gimp.org. Photoshop is Adobe’s paid Creative Cloud editor. License and price are the sourced differences, not a quality rank.

Can GIMP open Photoshop PSD files?

GIMP reads many graphics formats through plug-ins. The 3.0 user manual (chapter 6, opened 2026-10-22) says only native XCF stores everything about an image (except undo). Other formats preserve some properties and lose others. We did not retest PSD import quality on a named machine.

Is GIMP 3.2 a Photoshop alternative with non-destructive layers?

The 3.2 notes highlight non-destructive text, link, and vector layers, plus GEGL filter updates and a pass-through group trick that can mimic an adjustment-layer stack. That is GIMP’s own wording, not a Photoshop parity claim.

How do I install GIMP instead of Photoshop?

Use gimp.org/downloads. Current stable on 2026-10-22 is GIMP 3.2.6. Do not use Apple App Store listings — the download page says the GIMP team does not ship those. Guide: How to install GIMP 3.2, and Switch from Photoshop to GIMP.

Should I use PhotoCraft instead of GIMP?

PhotoCraft v0.12.0 is early-alpha Rust. GIMP is the mature free editor. See PhotoCraft vs GIMP and PhotoCraft vs Photoshop.

Can I use GIMP and Photoshop together?

Yes. Licenses differ (GPL-3.0-or-later vs proprietary). That is not legal advice.

Sources & verification

Last verified 2026-10-22 · Last updated 2026-10-22· Edited by forkalt editors · Editorial policy

License notes are not legal advice. Read the original LICENSE. Trademark & disclaimer.