Adobe Photoshop is a desktop application with industry-standard tools and $20.99/month subscription cost, while Photopea is a free browser-based alternative with 90% feature parity that requires no installation or payment.
Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Industry-standard desktop image editor with AI tools and comprehensive feature set
Free browser-based image editor with Photoshop-compatible interface and PSD support
Price. Installation Required. File Format Support. Advanced Features. Performance Speed. Industry Standard Status. Offline Access
Choose Adobe Photoshop if you're a professional designer needing advanced AI tools, 3D capabilities, video editing, and industry-standard file support with the fastest performance on large projects. Choose Photopea if you're a casual user, student, or freelancer needing basic-to-intermediate editing without subscription costs, and you have reliable internet access.
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ AI tools | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100% (adjustment layers, smart objects, masks) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 90% of design professionals | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 25 million active users | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 4000+ MB optimized | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $281.88/year | Photopea: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $19.99/month | Photopea: N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $239.88/year | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500+ advanced tools | Photopea: N/A
Typical Learning Time (Beginner to Productive)
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ hours | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 90%+ of design agencies, studios, freelancers | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 7 (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Generative Expand, etc.) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100-200 hours | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100 (with scripts) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000 (PSD) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 70% (requires workarounds) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 300,000 x 300,000 | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 templates | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 60+ hours | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via third-party plugins/subscriptions | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (300+ camera profiles) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, desktop app | Photopea: No, browser-based
File Size Handling (optimal performance)
Adobe Photoshop: Handles 2000+ MB efficiently | Photopea: Optimal up to 500 MB
Adobe Photoshop: 100 Firefly credits | Photopea: 0 (not available)
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, full 3D and video timeline | Photopea: No, 2D image editing only
Adobe Photoshop: $20.99/month | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $251.88/year | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 4+ (Generative Fill, Firefly, Content-Aware, Super Resolution) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (full support) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (adjustment layers, smart objects) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 75,000+ | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Metal) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $251.88 | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 10,000+ | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8 seconds | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Windows, macOS, iPad, Web | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Firefly (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, removal tools) | Photopea: 0 (no native generative AI)
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (third-party required) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100+ hours | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (extensive RAW editing) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Limited (cloud sync only) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited (print-ready) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (Windows/Mac only) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Extensive (unlimited layers, advanced masks) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ tools (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Remove, Generative Expand, etc.) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (CUDA, OpenCL, Metal) | Photopea: N/A
Processing Speed (1GB file, typical operation)
Adobe Photoshop: 2-4 seconds | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ formats (PSD, JPEG, PNG, HEIF, WebP, AVIF, PDF, SVG) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $22.49 (Photography Plan with Lightroom included) | Photopea: Free (Pro: $9.99/month)
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 built-in templates | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 2GB (requires Creative Cloud) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Stock via Adobe Stock (requires separate subscription) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Fonts library (240,000+ via subscription) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Advanced: layers, masks, curves, healing brush, content-aware fill | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Used by 90% of professional designers/photographers | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (0-100) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8-12 weeks | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, AI Upscaler, Neural Filters) | Photopea: 0 AI tools
Adobe Photoshop: Full 1px-level control across 1000+ tools | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (100% functionality) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Estimated 15+ million | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB recommended | Photopea: 2
Adobe Photoshop: $9.99 (single app) / $55 (full Creative Cloud) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited with plugins; native support requires 3rd-party tools | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 90+ formats including PSD, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, AI, EPS | Photopea: 90+ formats
Adobe Photoshop: 12-15 seconds on standard hardware | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full offline editing with all tools available | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: No (native); requires external plugins or manual versioning | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 9.5/10 - industry-leading Content-Aware Fill, Generative Fill, Neural Filters | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 6.5/10 - possible but requires workarounds for design systems | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 80-120 hours | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited (30,000+ tested) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000+ MB per complex project | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 120-180 minutes (manual or scripting) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via Smart Objects/plugins (requires extra steps) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ (Magic Wand, Select Subject, Refine Edge, Content-Aware) | Photopea: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: Free (premium $9.99/month optional)
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 65,536 x 65,536 pixels (~4.3 billion pixels)
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 2 GB (browser-based)
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 0 GB (browser-based, no installation)
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: No 3D capabilities
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 0 GB (browser-based)
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 95% compatible
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: 15% of professional designers
Adobe Photoshop: N/A | Photopea: Required (web-based only)
How to choose between Adobe Photoshop and Photopea
Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea. Contains 93 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea.
Yes, Photopea supports PSD file opening and editing with approximately 95% compatibility. Most layer effects, blend modes, and text layers work correctly. However, some advanced Photoshop features like 3D objects, video layers, and certain Smart Objects may not render identically.
Is Photopea safe to use with my designs?
Photopea is legitimate and secure for personal and commercial use. Your files are processed in your browser and can be saved locally. For sensitive work, use the desktop version on your own computer. Photopea's privacy policy states that uploaded files are not stored on servers after editing.
What's the difference between free Photopea and Photopea Pro?
Free Photopea includes all core editing tools and supports most file formats. Photopea Pro ($9.99/month) adds cloud storage (1GB), removes ads, and enables offline editing via Progressive Web App technology. Pro users also get priority support and access to advanced plugins.
Can I use Photoshop without a subscription?
No, Adobe Photoshop (2024-2026) is subscription-only and requires a monthly payment. There is no perpetual license option. You can try a 7-day free trial, but continued use requires an active Creative Cloud subscription at $20.99/month or $251.88/year.
Which is better for video editing—Photoshop or Photopea?
Adobe Photoshop has full video editing capabilities with a timeline, keyframes, and effects. Photopea does not support video editing at all. For video work, Photoshop is the only option between these two. Consider Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve for dedicated video editing.
How to Choose Between Adobe Photoshop and Photopea
Price: Adobe Photoshop has $20.99/month or $239.88/year, while Photopea has Free (with optional $9.99/month pro).
Installation Required: Adobe Photoshop has Yes, desktop application (~3-4 GB), while Photopea has No, web browser only.
File Format Support: Adobe Photoshop has 100+ formats including PSD, AI, EPS, PDF, while Photopea has 90+ formats including PSD, XCF, TIFF (no native AI support).
Advanced Features: Adobe Photoshop has Neural Filters, Super Resolution, Generative Fill, 3D tools, Video editing, while Photopea has Basic Smart Objects, no AI enhancement, no 3D or video.
Performance Speed: Adobe Photoshop has Native processing, faster on large files (2GB+), while Photopea has Browser-dependent, slower on files exceeding 500MB.
Industry Standard Status: Adobe Photoshop has Used by 90% of professional designers, while Photopea has Used by 15% of professional designers.
Offline Access: Adobe Photoshop has Full offline functionality, while Photopea has Requires internet connection.