European Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the world's most used photo editing and digital painting software. Adobe requires a cloud subscription, collects extensive telemetry, and stores your files and assets on US servers.
Why Switch from Adobe Photoshop?
- ⚠Monthly subscription model — no perpetual licence available
- ⚠Usage telemetry and behavioural data sent to Adobe (US servers)
- ⚠Controversial new AI terms allowing Adobe to train on your work
- ⚠Lock-in with .psd format and Creative Cloud ecosystem
2 European Alternatives
Sorted by privacy score
Krita
Professional digital painting. Free, open-source, artist-focused.
| Tool | Score | Privacy | Pricing | OSS | EU Data | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1Krita Professional digital painting. Free, open-source, artist-focused. High Trust | 86 | 96 | Free | ✓ | ✓ | 🇳🇱 | |
Free image editor for photo retouching, composition, and image authoring. High Trust | 82 | 96 | Free | ✓ | ✓ | 🇩🇪 |
Free image editor for photo retouching, composition, and image authoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best European alternative to Photoshop?
Krita is the most powerful European alternative — a professional digital painting and photo editing application built by KDE, a German open-source foundation. GIMP is another strong option for photo editing and manipulation. Both are free and open-source.
Is Krita suitable for professional work?
Yes — Krita is used by professional digital artists, illustrators, and concept artists worldwide. It excels at digital painting and supports brush engines, layer management, HDR, and animation. GIMP is better suited to photo manipulation and compositing.
Are Krita and GIMP completely free?
Yes — both Krita and GIMP are entirely free, open-source software with no subscription fees. They receive regular updates from active development communities.
Can I open Photoshop files in Krita or GIMP?
GIMP and Krita both support .psd files with good compatibility for layers and basic effects. Complex Photoshop files with advanced effects may need manual adjustment after import.