Adobe Photoshop is a premium, industry-standard image editor with advanced AI tools and professional features, while GIMP is a free, open-source alternative that lacks some professional capabilities like non-destructive editing and comprehensive AI integration.
Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Industry-leading professional image editing software with AI tools, non-destructive editing, and advanced features.
Free, open-source image editor with core photo editing tools, layer support, and customizable interface.
Cost Model. Non-Destructive Editing. AI-Powered Features. Content-Aware Fill Technology. Professional Plugins & Extensions. Industry Adoption. Learning Resources
Choose Adobe Photoshop if you're a professional designer, photographer, or creative who needs industry-standard tools, AI-powered workflows, non-destructive editing, and seamless integration with other Adobe apps—the $23.49/month investment pays dividends in productivity and output quality. Choose GIMP if you're a hobbyist, student, or budget-conscious user comfortable with a steeper learning curve and fewer advanced features, and who needs powerful image editing capabilities without any subscription cost.
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ AI tools | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 2 AI tools
Adobe Photoshop: 99% of design studios | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 5-10% (hobbyist/education focus)
Adobe Photoshop: 25 million active users | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 1.2 million active users
Adobe Photoshop: 4000+ MB optimized | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 500 MB before lag
Adobe Photoshop: $281.88/year | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): $0/year
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $19.99/month | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $239.88/year | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500+ advanced tools | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Typical Learning Time (Beginner to Productive)
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 90%+ of design agencies, studios, freelancers | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 3-5% (primarily hobbyist/educational use)
Adobe Photoshop: 7 (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Generative Expand, etc.) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100-200 hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $22.49 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100 (with scripts) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000 (PSD) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 70% (requires workarounds) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 300,000 x 300,000 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 templates | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 60+ hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via third-party plugins/subscriptions | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (300+ camera profiles) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $239.88 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, desktop app | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
File Size Handling (optimal performance)
Adobe Photoshop: Handles 2000+ MB efficiently | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100 Firefly credits | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, full 3D and video timeline | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $20.99/month | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Free
Adobe Photoshop: 4+ (Generative Fill, Firefly, Content-Aware, Super Resolution) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0 (native)
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (full support) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): No (RGB only)
Adobe Photoshop: Full (adjustment layers, smart objects) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Limited (manual workarounds)
Adobe Photoshop: 75,000+ | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 5,000+
Adobe Photoshop: Full (NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Metal) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Limited
Adobe Photoshop: 8/10 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 5/10
Adobe Photoshop: $251.88 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): $0
Adobe Photoshop: 8 seconds | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 200+ | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100GB | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Windows, macOS, iPad, Web | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $378/year | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (third-party required) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100+ hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (extensive RAW editing) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Limited (cloud sync only) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited (print-ready) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (Windows/Mac only) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Extensive (unlimited layers, advanced masks) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 40-60 hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ formats (PSD, TIFF, RAW, HEIF, WebP, PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 85+ formats
Adobe Photoshop: 7 days | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ tools (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Remove, Generative Expand, etc.) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (CUDA, OpenCL, Metal) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Minimal/No
Processing Speed (1GB file, typical operation)
Adobe Photoshop: 2-4 seconds | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 15-25 seconds
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ formats (PSD, JPEG, PNG, HEIF, WebP, AVIF, PDF, SVG) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 30+ formats (XCF, JPEG, PNG, limited HEIF/AVIF)
Adobe Photoshop: Stock integration (millions via Adobe Stock) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Desktop application (offline capable) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 built-in templates | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 2GB (requires Creative Cloud) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Stock via Adobe Stock (requires separate subscription) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Fonts library (240,000+ via subscription) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Advanced: layers, masks, curves, healing brush, content-aware fill | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Used by 90% of professional designers/photographers | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $23.49/month | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): $0 (Free)
Adobe Photoshop: $276/year (or $55/month for annual plan) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): $0/year
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0.2 GB
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB (16 GB optimal) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
Adobe Photoshop: 15+ (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Neural Filters, Style Transfer, etc.) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0 native (requires plugins)
Adobe Photoshop: 900+ | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 200
Adobe Photoshop: 90% of professional designers/photographers | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): < 5% professional adoption
Adobe Photoshop: Full (adjustment layers, smart objects, layer masks) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Limited (no native adjustment layers)
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (0-100) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8-12 weeks | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, AI Upscaler, Neural Filters) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full 1px-level control across 1000+ tools | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (100% functionality) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Estimated 15+ million | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB recommended | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $9.99 (single app) / $55 (full Creative Cloud) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited with plugins; native support requires 3rd-party tools | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 12-15 seconds on standard hardware | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full offline editing with all tools available | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: No (native); requires external plugins or manual versioning | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 9.5/10 - industry-leading Content-Aware Fill, Generative Fill, Neural Filters | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 6.5/10 - possible but requires workarounds for design systems | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 80-120 hours | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000+ MB per complex project | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 120-180 minutes (manual or scripting) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via Smart Objects/plugins (requires extra steps) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ (Magic Wand, Select Subject, Refine Edge, Content-Aware) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Not available | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $900 (single app) / $1,800 (Creative Cloud) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Generative Fill, Object Selection, Super Resolution, Neural Filters (8+ AI tools) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 15,000+ plugins available | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Large File Processing Speed (800MB file)
Adobe Photoshop: 45-60 seconds | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Limited (Smart Objects, adjustment layers require workarounds) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (Adobe Cloud + shared projects) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single App Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $9.99/month | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): Free
Adobe Photoshop: 4GB | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0.5GB
Adobe Photoshop: 4GB | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 0.1GB
Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Firefly (Generative Fill, Expand, Super Resolution, 150+ filters) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): None
Adobe Photoshop: 25+ (Smart Objects, adjustment layers, clipping masks) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 12+ (basic layers, masks only)
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ (PSD, PSB, PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, WebP, EPS, AI import, SVG import) | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 10+ (XCF, PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, SVG limited)
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ major updates monthly | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 2-3 updates per year
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) — Wikipedia
How to choose between Adobe Photoshop and GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Compare Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP. Contains 104 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP.
Can I use GIMP as a professional replacement for Photoshop?
GIMP is suitable for basic to intermediate image editing tasks, but it lacks professional features like non-destructive editing, AI tools (Generative Fill), and the plugin ecosystem that professionals rely on. 90% of professional designers use Photoshop specifically because of its industry-standard tools, collaboration features, and integration with Adobe Creative Cloud. GIMP is best for hobbyists and students, not professional workflows.
Is Photoshop worth $23.49/month for casual photo editing?
For casual users, GIMP's free option is likely better value. However, Photoshop's subscription cost equals $282/year, which includes Lightroom (worth $120 alone) and cloud storage. If you edit photos frequently and want AI features like Super Resolution or Generative Fill, the subscription pays for itself. For occasional edits, free alternatives like GIMP or Pixlr are more economical.
What are the key AI differences between Photoshop and GIMP?
Photoshop has 15+ integrated AI tools powered by Adobe Firefly, including Generative Fill (intelligently remove/expand content), Super Resolution (upscale images 4x with no quality loss), and Neural Filters (apply artistic effects). GIMP has zero native AI tools and would require manually installing third-party plugins, which lack the sophistication and ease of Photoshop's AI suite. This is Photoshop's biggest competitive advantage in 2026.
Can I edit Photoshop files (.PSD) in GIMP without issues?
GIMP can open and edit PSD files, but it doesn't fully support all Photoshop features like adjustment layers, smart objects, or advanced blending modes. Complex PSD files may lose formatting or layers when opened in GIMP. If you regularly work with PSD files, Photoshop is essential; GIMP is a fallback for basic editing only.
Which software has better tutorials and learning resources?
Photoshop has a massive ecosystem with official Adobe tutorials, 1000+ paid online courses (Udemy, Skillshare), LinkedIn Learning subscriptions, and countless YouTube channels. GIMP relies on community documentation and fewer professional training options. If you're learning image editing from scratch, Photoshop's abundance of resources makes it significantly easier to master, though GIMP has adequate free tutorials for basic tasks.
How to Choose Between Adobe Photoshop and GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Cost Model: Adobe Photoshop has $23.49/month or $276/year (Creative Cloud), while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Free (Open Source).
Non-Destructive Editing: Adobe Photoshop has Full support with adjustment layers, smart objects, and layer masks, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Limited - no native adjustment layers or smart objects.
AI-Powered Features: Adobe Photoshop has Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Neural Filters, Super Resolution (Adobe Firefly), while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has No integrated AI tools; relies on third-party plugins.
Content-Aware Fill Technology: Adobe Photoshop has Adobe's Generative Fill (uses deep learning, 2023+), while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Resynthesizer plugin available but requires manual installation.
Consider: Professional Plugins & Extensions
Professional Plugins & Extensions: Adobe Photoshop has 900+ official Adobe plugins plus third-party ecosystem, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Limited plugin support; smaller ecosystem (~200 active plugins).
Industry Adoption: Adobe Photoshop has 90% of professional designers and photographers use Photoshop, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Primarily hobbyists and budget-conscious users; rare in professional studios.
Learning Resources: Adobe Photoshop has Massive ecosystem: Adobe tutorials, LinkedIn Learning, 1000+ online courses, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Community-driven docs; fewer professional training options available.