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Last checked October 29, 2026

Free alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud

Creative Cloud is the suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Acrobat. No single free app replaces all of them. This page maps each job to a free app and links to the per-app pages. The All Apps plan was renamed Creative Cloud Pro in 2025. This page does not describe a new 2026 price announcement. We did not find one.

DesignersIndividualsSmall teamsPrice checked

What you pay for Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe's help page lists Creative Cloud Pro at $69.99 a month on a yearly plan billed monthly, $104.99 month to month, or $779.99 for a year paid up front.

Adobe's help page says the All Apps plan was renamed Creative Cloud Pro and that the price is going up. A yearly plan billed each month is $69.99. Month to month is $104.99. A year paid up front is $779.99. The higher price starts at the next renewal on or after June 17, 2025 in North America, and on or after August 1, 2025 in most other places. The help page does not list the old price. The change is from 2025. People still meet it when a yearly plan renews.

Adobe Creative Cloud website·Price page

For designers, individuals, and small teams. Its price on file: Adobe's help page lists Creative Cloud Pro at $69.99 a month on a yearly plan billed monthly, $104.99 month to month, or $779.99 for a year paid up front. It is in the Marketing design group.

How to switch

The closest free app on the checklist is GIMP. Cost and details. Move from Adobe Creative Cloud to GIMP.

Which app replaces which Adobe app

These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.

GIMP is #1 (34). Krita is #2 (30). darktable is #3 (26). Inkscape is #4 (22).

GIMP

#1 · Closest

7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: page layout for print, a RAW photo catalog, and timeline video editing, and 1 more. You only get part of: painting and illustration and vector artwork.

Krita

#2

7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: page layout for print, a RAW photo catalog, and timeline video editing, and 1 more. You only get part of: raster photo editing and vector artwork.

darktable

#3

7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: painting and illustration, vector artwork, and page layout for print, and 2 more. You only get part of: raster photo editing.

Inkscape

#4

7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: raster photo editing, painting and illustration, and a RAW photo catalog, and 2 more. You only get part of: page layout for print.

Where they differ

  • Raster photo editing

    Worth 10 points. GIMP does all of it. Layers, masks, and photo retouching. Krita does part of it. It can edit a photo. It is built for painting. darktable does part of it. It develops RAW files. It is not a layered Photoshop clone. Inkscape does none of it.

  • Painting and illustration

    Worth 6 points. GIMP does part of it. You can paint. Krita is the stronger painting app. Krita does all of it. Painting and illustration are the main job. darktable and Inkscape do none of it.

  • Vector artwork

    Worth 8 points. GIMP does part of it. Paths exist. It is not a vector drawing program. Krita does part of it. Vector layers exist. Inkscape is the drawing tool. darktable does none of it. Inkscape does all of it. SVG drawing. An AI file does not open as a perfect copy.

  • Page layout for print

    Worth 6 points. GIMP, Krita, and darktable do none of it. Inkscape does part of it. One page, not a multi-page book.

  • A RAW photo catalog

    Worth 8 points. GIMP does none of it. It does not keep a RAW catalog. Krita does none of it. darktable does all of it. A non-destructive RAW catalog. Inkscape does none of it.

Also ranked: Kdenlive is #5 (20). Scribus is #6 (20).

Kdenlive (#5) and Scribus (#6) score 20 with the same share of the checklist checked. The order follows that tie.

Natron

No score

A compositor for motion work. Not scored on this checklist yet.

How close is it?

How this works

A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.

  1. #1 · ClosestOpen sourceNotes on the review

    GIMP

    The long-running open-source photo and raster editor.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: page layout for print, a RAW photo catalog, and timeline video editing, and 1 more. You only get part of: painting and illustration and vector artwork.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsHow to switchWebsite
  2. #2Open sourceNotes on the review

    Krita

    An open-source painting and illustration app.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: page layout for print, a RAW photo catalog, and timeline video editing, and 1 more. You only get part of: raster photo editing and vector artwork.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0

    MacWindowsLinuxAndroid
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. #3Open sourceNotes on the review

    darktable

    An open-source RAW developer, not a compositor.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: painting and illustration, vector artwork, and page layout for print, and 2 more. You only get part of: raster photo editing.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  4. #4Open sourceNotes on the review

    Inkscape

    A GPL vector editor for illustrations and logos.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: raster photo editing, painting and illustration, and a RAW photo catalog, and 2 more. You only get part of: page layout for print.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  5. #5Open sourceNotes on the review

    Kdenlive

    A multitrack editor from KDE.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: raster photo editing, painting and illustration, and vector artwork, and 2 more. You only get part of: motion graphics.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0-or-later

    LinuxWindowsMac
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  6. #6Open sourceNotes on the review

    Scribus

    Open-source desktop publishing.

    7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: raster photo editing, painting and illustration, and a RAW photo catalog, and 2 more. You only get part of: vector artwork.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsWebsite

Feature by feature

Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.

Scroll sideways to see every app.

Feature comparison. Full, partial, missing, or not checked.
FeatureGIMP#1 · 347 of 7 checked featuresKrita#2 · 307 of 7 checked featuresdarktable#3 · 267 of 7 checked featuresInkscape#4 · 227 of 7 checked featuresKdenlive#5 · 207 of 7 checked featuresScribus#6 · 207 of 7 checked features
Raster photo editingCounts for 10FullLayers, masks, and photo retouching.PartialIt can edit a photo. It is built for painting.PartialIt develops RAW files. It is not a layered Photoshop clone.MissingMissingMissing
Painting and illustrationCounts for 6PartialYou can paint. Krita is the stronger painting app.FullPainting and illustration are the main job.MissingMissingMissingMissing
Vector artworkCounts for 8PartialPaths exist. It is not a vector drawing program.PartialVector layers exist. Inkscape is the drawing tool.MissingFullSVG drawing. An AI file does not open as a perfect copy.MissingPartialYou can place vector art. The drawing tool is Inkscape.
Page layout for printCounts for 6MissingMissingMissingPartialOne page, not a multi-page book.MissingFullPrint page layout, in the InDesign role.
A RAW photo catalogCounts for 8MissingIt does not keep a RAW catalog.MissingFullA non-destructive RAW catalog.MissingMissingMissing
Timeline video editingCounts for 8MissingMissingMissingMissingFullA timeline editor. A Premiere project file does not open.Missing
Motion graphicsCounts for 4MissingMissingMissingMissingPartialTitles and simple motion. Not After Effects.Missing

What it costs

GIMP

Free plan
The whole application is free. There is no paid tier.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application. Nothing to host.

Krita

Free plan
The application is free.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop and Android app. Nothing to host.

darktable

Free plan
The application is free.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application.

Inkscape

Free plan
The application is free.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application.

Kdenlive

Free plan
Free desktop app.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application.

Scribus

Free plan
The application is free.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
This app does not run on your own computer. Desktop application.

Did you switch?

If you left Adobe Creative Cloud, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.

How did it go?

Closest pair

Move from Adobe Creative Cloud to GIMP

GIMP replaces Photoshop-style image work. Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, and Premiere need their own apps. Adobe project files do not convert cleanly.

Read how to switch

Related alternatives

Marketing design alternatives

Switch guides

Free apps in this group

Questions

Which free app replaces Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere?
GIMP and Krita for Photoshop-style images. Inkscape for Illustrator. Scribus for InDesign. darktable for Lightroom. Kdenlive for Premiere Pro. Penpot for interface design. Blender for 3D, and it can cover some motion work. None of them open an Adobe project file as a perfect copy. PSD, AI, and INDD support is partial at best. Export PDF, SVG, TIFF, or a high-quality image before you cancel.
Did Adobe raise the price in 2026?
The rename to Creative Cloud Pro and the $69.99 price are from 2025. Adobe's help page says the new price starts at renewal on or after June 17, 2025 in North America, and on or after August 1, 2025 in most other places. A plan can still renew onto that price in 2026. We did not find a separate 2026 announcement.
How do I cancel?
Use Adobe's own account help for the cancellation steps. A yearly plan can include an early termination fee. Read that page before you click cancel. This site does not quote a fee we have not checked.