Adobe Photoshop Competitors & Alternatives
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular design solutions on the market today. That market, however, is competitive. Therefore, we recommend comparing Adobe Photoshop against its top competitors before purchasing.
There are many excellent competitors in the design space that are worth considering. Most of Adobe Photoshop’s top competitors offer similarly or less robust features at more affordable prices. Some, however, fall short in both of these categories.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figma | 96 | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 8.5 |
| Adobe Illustrator | 94 | 10 | 9 | 8.5 | 10 |
| Adobe Photoshop | 94 | 10 | 9 | 8.5 | 10 |
| Canva | 93 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Sketch | 93 | 9 | 10 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Adobe XD | 91 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 |
| Visme | 89 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 10 |
| InVision | 87 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| PicMonkey | 86 | 8 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| Adobe Spark | 85 | 7 | 9.5 | 9 | 10 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main Adobe Photoshop competitors and alternatives, which are:
In this guide, we examine Adobe Photoshop’s features and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a better understanding of Adobe Photoshop as a solution, you can read our in-depth Adobe Photoshop review.
All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with small business owners, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader human resource software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.
Table of Contents
- Adobe Photoshop Features
- Adobe Photoshop Competitor Overview: Features
- Adobe Photoshop Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top Adobe Photoshop Competitors
- Bottom Line
Adobe Photoshop Features
Before we compare Adobe Photoshop against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features included in Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop offers features geared more towards ready-made, highly sharable content.
The five most important features that Adobe Photoshop offers are described in the table below. Adobe Photoshop’ compliance support and unlimited payroll are its strongest features.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Designs | Photoshop specializes in photo creation and editing. It is designed to be as flexible for designers as possible. This means that your options for creating designs are virtually limitless, but come with a steep learning curve. |
| Tool Kit | Adobe Photoshop’s tool kit is very advanced compared to alternative tools. However, newer designers will find its learning curve much steeper than beginner-friendly tools like Canva and Visme. This means that Photoshop is best for intermediate and advanced designers. |
| Collaboration | Adobe Photoshop’s collaboration is its weakest feature. Photoshop does not feature real time editing like Canva and Visme. |
| Cloud Storage | Adobe Photoshop can be fully cloud-based like Canva. You have the option to keep files fully in the cloud or save local files for personal use. This means that you do not need to save your own projects before uploading them to the cloud which takes up space on your hard drive. |
| Exporting | Adobe Photoshop’s exporting options are not built for marketers and content creators like Canva’s. You can, however, export images at much higher resolutions than alternatives. |
Adobe Photoshop Competitor Overview: Features
Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how affordable each platform is and how wide their breadth of features is.
For example, solutions like Adobe Illustrator are built more for scalable graphics creation rather than ready-made content. This presents a steep learning curve for businesses that might find solutions like Adobe Photoshop and Visme more suitable for their needs.
Adobe Photoshop Competitor Overview: Pricing
Adobe Photoshop pricing starts at $12.99 per month for up to 5 users. Monthly prices increase with more users. It is one of the most affordable solutions on the market today. Adobe Photoshop also provides a free plan with 5 GB of cloud storage.
Here are the prices of Adobe Photoshop and its top competitors with additional pricing details:
| Software Vendor | Starting Monthly Price per User | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Figma | Free | Yes |
| Adobe Illustrator | $20.99 | Yes |
| Adobe Photoshop | $20.99 | Yes |
| Canva | Free | Yes |
| Sketch | $9 | Yes |
| Adobe XD | $9.99 | Yes |
| Visme | Free | Yes |
| InVision | Free | Yes |
| PicMonkey | $7.99 | Yes |
| Adobe Spark | $9.99 | Yes |
Top Adobe Photoshop Competitors
Below are one-to-one comparisons between Adobe Photoshop and the top alternatives. Adobe Photoshop is best for customers who want the most robust photo editing software. We’ve ranked Adobe Photoshop’s top three competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.
#1: Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is Adobe Photoshop’s closest competitor in regards to its target user-base and features. Both come packaged with Adobe Creative Cloud. Although both solutions share a similar breadth of features, Adobe Illustrator is built more so for scalable graphics creation.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Adobe Photoshop vs. Adobe Illustrator.
- You want the most advanced photo editing software
- You are an advanced graphic designer with flexible design needs
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You want the most advanced scalable graphics creator
- You’re in need of print friendly exporting options
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
#2: Canva
Canva is a competitor to Adobe Photoshop focused on readymade content creation for marketers and bloggers. Its learning curve and pricing are far more accessible for newer users. However, Adobe Photoshop’s photo creation and editing capabilities are truly more advanced than Canva’s.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Adobe Photoshop vs. Canva.
- You want the most advanced photo editing software
- You are an advanced graphic designer with flexible design needs
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You primarily use design software for ready-made content
- You want to automate social media posts with a content calendar
- You are a beginner to design software
#3: Visme
Visme is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop with a similar feature set as Canva. Similar to Canva, Visme is easy to use and affordable, but ultimately pales in comparison to Adobe Photoshop.
- You want the most advanced photo editing software
- You are an advanced graphic designer with flexible design needs
- You do not need to directly post to a variety of social media platforms
- You primarily use design software for ready-made content
- You leverage design software primarily for presentations and infographics
- You are a beginner to design software
Bottom Line
Adobe Photoshop is the best option for experienced designers in need of highly advanced photo creation and editing features. Photoshop’s tool kit is built for a variety of use cases and is highly adaptable. Note, however, that this flexibility comes at the expense of an easy learning curve.
- If you’re a beginner in need of design software for readymade and highly shareable content, try Canva.
- If you are interested in more robust scalable graphic creation, try Adobe Illustrator.
- If you are in need of prototyping and wireframing software, consider Sketch or Figma.