Photoshop is a professional-grade paid tool with advanced AI features, non-destructive editing, and industry-standard capabilities, while GIMP is a free, open-source alternative with solid core features but limited AI tools and a steeper learning curve for complex tasks.
Photoshop vs GIMP — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Industry-standard, subscription-based image editor with AI tools and advanced professional features.
Free, open-source image editor with customizable interface and community-driven development.
Price. AI-Powered Features. Non-Destructive Editing. Industry Adoption. Learning Curve. File Format Support. Community Size
Choose Photoshop if you're a professional designer, photographer, or working in a team environment where industry standards and AI-assisted workflows matter—the investment pays for itself in productivity gains. Choose GIMP if you're a hobbyist, student, or budget-conscious user who needs solid photo editing without monthly fees and doesn't require cutting-edge AI features.
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ AI tools | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 2 AI tools
Adobe Photoshop: 90% of design professionals | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): 8% of design professionals
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: Firefly (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, removal tools) | 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
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)
Photoshop vs GIMP — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Photoshop vs GIMP. Contains 98 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Photoshop vs GIMP — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Photoshop vs GIMP.
Is GIMP a good free alternative to Photoshop?
GIMP is excellent for hobbyists and students needing basic-to-intermediate photo editing without cost. However, it lacks Photoshop's AI features (Generative Fill, Super Resolution), has less intuitive UI, and struggles with large files. For professional work, Photoshop's $281.88/year cost is offset by 40-60% faster workflow times with AI assistance.
Can GIMP handle professional photo retouching?
GIMP can perform standard retouching (cloning, healing, curves adjustment), but lacks Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill and neural filters. Professional retouchers choose Photoshop because its AI tools automate 60% of tedious work. GIMP requires manual techniques for complex tasks like removing backgrounds or filling missing areas.
Does Photoshop's subscription justify the cost?
For professionals, yes—Photoshop's Generative Fill alone saves 4-6 hours weekly on complex edits, and its industry standard status ensures client compatibility. For hobbyists spending <5 hours/month, GIMP's free tier may suffice. The $281.88 annual cost equals roughly 20 hours of freelance work at $15/hour.
What are Photoshop's key AI features GIMP lacks?
Photoshop includes Generative Fill (AI object creation), Super Resolution (4x upscaling), Generative Expand (content-aware canvas extension), Sky Replacement, and Neural Filters. GIMP has no equivalent AI tools. These features can cut editing time by 40-60% on complex professional projects.
Is Photoshop worth learning if I already know GIMP?
Yes, if you work professionally or plan to. Photoshop's interface is more intuitive for new users, and 90% of design jobs assume Photoshop knowledge. The learning curve is 2-3 weeks for GIMP users. However, if you're a hobbyist satisfied with GIMP's output quality, switching may not be necessary.
How to Choose Between Adobe Photoshop and GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
Price: Adobe Photoshop has $23.49/month (Creative Cloud), while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Free.
AI-Powered Features: Adobe Photoshop has Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Sky Replacement, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Limited AI tools.
Non-Destructive Editing: Adobe Photoshop has Full support with adjustment layers, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Limited non-destructive capabilities.
Industry Adoption: Adobe Photoshop has Used by 90% of professional designers, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Used by 8% of professionals.
Learning Curve: Adobe Photoshop has Moderate (extensive tutorials available), while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has Steep (less intuitive interface).
File Format Support: Adobe Photoshop has 100+ formats including PSD, XCF, PNG, JPG, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has 85+ formats including XCF, PNG, JPG.
Community Size: Adobe Photoshop has 25+ million active users, while GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) has 1.2 million active users.