Photoshop is a professional-grade desktop application with advanced AI tools and industry-standard features, while Pixlr is a browser-based editor offering free access with basic to intermediate capabilities. Photoshop costs $20.99/month but dominates professional workflows; Pixlr is free with optional premium ($9.99/month) for casual users.
Photoshop vs Pixlr — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Professional image editing desktop software with advanced AI, retouching, and design tools.
Free web-based image editor with AI tools, templates, and simplified interface for casual users.
Pricing Model. AI Image Generation. Platform Type. Layer Limit. File Format Support. Learning Curve (hours to proficiency). Professional Adoption Rate
Choose Photoshop if you're a professional designer, photographer, or agency needing unlimited layers, advanced retouching (Content-Aware Fill, liquify tools), RAW file support, and industry-standard file compatibility. Choose Pixlr if you're a casual user, social media creator, or small business needing quick edits, free access, no installation, and a gentler learning curve.
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ AI tools | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 94% of creative professionals | Pixlr: 8% of professionals as primary tool
Adobe Photoshop: 25 million active users | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 4000+ MB optimized | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $281.88/year | Pixlr: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $19.99/month | Pixlr: $0 (free) to $9.99/month (premium)
Annual Subscription Cost (Standard Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $239.88/year | Pixlr: $119.88/year (premium)
Adobe Photoshop: 500+ advanced tools | Pixlr: 80+ basic-to-intermediate tools
Typical Learning Time (Beginner to Productive)
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ hours | Pixlr: 1-2 hours
Adobe Photoshop: 90%+ of design agencies, studios, freelancers | Pixlr: <5% of professionals
Adobe Photoshop: 7 (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Generative Expand, etc.) | Pixlr: 2 (Basic upscaling, background removal)
Adobe Photoshop: 100-200 hours | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100 (with scripts) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000 (PSD) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 70% (requires workarounds) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 300,000 x 300,000 | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 templates | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via third-party plugins/subscriptions | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (300+ camera profiles) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, desktop app | Pixlr: N/A
File Size Handling (optimal performance)
Adobe Photoshop: Handles 2000+ MB efficiently | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 100 Firefly credits | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes, full 3D and video timeline | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $20.99/month | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 4+ (Generative Fill, Firefly, Content-Aware, Super Resolution) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (full support) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (adjustment layers, smart objects) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Metal) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Windows, macOS, iPad, Web | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (third-party required) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 50-100+ hours | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (extensive RAW editing) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Limited (cloud sync only) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited (print-ready) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (Windows/Mac only) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Extensive (unlimited layers, advanced masks) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 40-60 hours | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ (includes PSD, TIFF, RAW, PDF, AI) | Pixlr: 15+ (JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG, WebP)
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ tools (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Remove, Generative Expand, etc.) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (CUDA, OpenCL, Metal) | Pixlr: N/A
Processing Speed (1GB file, typical operation)
Adobe Photoshop: 2-4 seconds | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 40+ formats (PSD, JPEG, PNG, HEIF, WebP, AVIF, PDF, SVG) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Stock integration (millions via Adobe Stock) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Desktop application (offline capable) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: ~500 built-in templates | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 2GB (requires Creative Cloud) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Stock via Adobe Stock (requires separate subscription) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Fonts library (240,000+ via subscription) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Advanced: layers, masks, curves, healing brush, content-aware fill | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Used by 90% of professional designers/photographers | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $20.99 | Pixlr: Free (or $9.99 for premium)
Adobe Photoshop: $276/year (or $55/month for annual plan) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB (16 GB optimal) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 15+ (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, Neural Filters, Style Transfer, etc.) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 90% of professional designers/photographers | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (adjustment layers, smart objects, layer masks) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Minimal (0-100) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8-12 weeks | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8+ (Generative Fill, Super Resolution, AI Upscaler, Neural Filters) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full 1px-level control across 1000+ tools | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full (100% functionality) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Estimated 15+ million | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 8 GB recommended | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $9.99 (single app) / $55 (full Creative Cloud) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited with plugins; native support requires 3rd-party tools | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 12-15 seconds on standard hardware | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Full offline editing with all tools available | Pixlr: Limited; requires internet
Adobe Photoshop: No (native); requires external plugins or manual versioning | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 9.5/10 - industry-leading Content-Aware Fill, Generative Fill, Neural Filters | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 6.5/10 - possible but requires workarounds for design systems | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 80-120 hours | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 500-2000+ MB per complex project | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 120-180 minutes (manual or scripting) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Via Smart Objects/plugins (requires extra steps) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ (Magic Wand, Select Subject, Refine Edge, Content-Aware) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Not available | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: $900 (single app) / $1,800 (Creative Cloud) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Generative Fill, Object Selection, Super Resolution, Neural Filters (8+ AI tools) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 15,000+ plugins available | Pixlr: N/A
Large File Processing Speed (800MB file)
Adobe Photoshop: 45-60 seconds | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Limited (Smart Objects, adjustment layers require workarounds) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Yes (Adobe Cloud + shared projects) | Pixlr: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single App Plan)
Adobe Photoshop: $9.99/month | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Firefly (Generative Fill, Expand, Super Resolution, 150+ filters) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 25+ (Smart Objects, adjustment layers, clipping masks) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 20+ (PSD, PSB, PDF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, WebP, EPS, AI import, SVG import) | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: 12+ major updates monthly | Pixlr: N/A
Adobe Photoshop: Unlimited | Pixlr: 50 (free) / Unlimited (premium)
Adobe Photoshop: 100 credits included | Pixlr: Limited in premium tier
Adobe Photoshop: Desktop only (Windows 10+, macOS 11+) | Pixlr: Web + iOS + Android
Adobe Photoshop: 40-60 hours | Pixlr: 5-10 hours
Adobe Photoshop: 30+ template packs | Pixlr: 500+ pre-designed templates
How to choose between Adobe Photoshop and Pixlr
Photoshop vs Pixlr — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Photoshop vs Pixlr. Contains 109 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Photoshop vs Pixlr — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Photoshop vs Pixlr.
Can I use Photoshop online without downloading?
Photoshop has a web version (beta) available through Creative Cloud, but it offers limited functionality compared to the desktop version. For full features, you need the desktop application. Pixlr, by contrast, runs entirely in your browser with no download required.
Does Photoshop's subscription include cloud storage?
Yes. The $20.99/month Photoshop subscription includes 100GB of Creative Cloud storage for saving and syncing projects across devices. Pixlr's free tier offers 2GB of cloud storage, while premium adds 100GB for $9.99/month.
No. Pixlr does not support RAW files from cameras. If you shoot in RAW format, you'll need to convert to JPG or PNG first, or use Photoshop, which natively supports 500+ camera RAW formats without conversion.
Is Pixlr good enough for professional photo editing?
Pixlr is suitable for social media graphics, basic retouching, and simple edits, but lacks professional tools like non-destructive adjustment layers, Content-Aware Fill, advanced color grading, and RAW support. Professional photographers and agencies require Photoshop's depth for client work.
What's the difference between Pixlr's free and premium tiers?
The free version offers 50 layers, basic AI tools, and standard templates. Premium ($9.99/month) adds unlimited layers, advanced AI upscaling (4x resolution), priority rendering, and 100GB cloud storage. Both versions are ad-free.
How to Choose Between Adobe Photoshop and Pixlr
Pricing Model: Adobe Photoshop has $20.99/month (Creative Cloud subscription), while Pixlr has Free (basic) / $9.99/month (premium).
AI Image Generation: Adobe Photoshop has Firefly AI (100 credits/month included), while Pixlr has Limited Pixlr AI (premium only).
Platform Type: Adobe Photoshop has Desktop application (Windows/Mac), while Pixlr has Web-based + mobile apps.
Layer Limit: Adobe Photoshop has Unlimited layers, while Pixlr has 50 layers (free) / Unlimited (premium).
File Format Support: Adobe Photoshop has 40+ formats (PSD, TIFF, RAW, PDF, etc.), while Pixlr has 15+ formats (JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG, etc.).
Consider: Learning Curve (hours to proficiency)
Learning Curve (hours to proficiency): Adobe Photoshop has 40-60 hours for intermediate skills, while Pixlr has 5-10 hours for basic editing.
Professional Adoption Rate: Adobe Photoshop has 94% of creative professionals use Photoshop, while Pixlr has 8% of professionals use Pixlr as primary tool.