GIMP vs Krita
Both are alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Krita vs GIMP — same comparison, one verdict.
GIMP and Krita are closely matched on ownership (96 vs 96) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
GIMP
TOP PICKThe long-standing open-source image editor for photo retouching and compositing.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the most complete open-source counterpart to Photoshop for photo retouching, compositing, and image authoring, in development since the 1990s. The 3.x era has modernized it substantially: GIMP 3.0 (March 2025) introduced non-destructive editing for most commonly used filters, better PSD export, and editable text styling, and the project has kept a steady release pace since (3.2.4 as of April 2026). It runs entirely on your own machine with no account, and the honest trade-off is a learning curve: the interface and shortcuts differ from Photoshop's, and some professional features — full adjustment-layer parity, CMYK prepress — are still behind.
Krita
A professional open-source studio for digital painting that doubles as a capable image editor.
Krita is a KDE project stewarded by the Krita Foundation, built first for digital painting and illustration: its brush engines, pen-tablet support, and animation tools are best-in-class among free software. It is also a genuinely capable general raster editor with layers, masks, filters, and PSD import/export, which makes it the strongest pick for people who use Photoshop mainly to draw and paint rather than to retouch photos. The direct download is completely free; identical GPL-licensed builds are sold on Steam and the Microsoft, Epic, and Mac App Stores purely to fund development.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| GIMP | Krita | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 96 | 96 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | GPL-3.0-only |
| Pricing | Free and open-source | Free download; optional paid store builds fund development |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 4 GB for large multi-layer images | 8 GB for large canvases at print resolution |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $0 — it runs on the machine you already own | $0 — it runs on the machine you already own |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 20 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | None beyond updates. | None beyond updates. |
GIMP is Macrostack's recommended Adobe Photoshop alternative, so it's our pick here.
Weighing both against staying on Adobe Photoshop? Is Adobe Photoshop free? What it actually costs →
GIMP
Strengths
- +Free and open-source (GPL-3.0-or-later) with decades of development and a large community
- +Deep retouching and compositing tools; non-destructive filter editing since 3.0
- +Big ecosystem of plugins and scripts (Script-Fu, Python)
- +Opens and exports PSD files (within limits) plus virtually every common format
- +Runs fully offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux — no account required
Trade-offs
- −Interface and shortcuts differ from Photoshop — expect a real adjustment period
- −PSD support is partial; complex layered files may not round-trip cleanly
- −No full equivalent of Photoshop's adjustment layers yet, and CMYK/prepress workflows are still limited
- −No built-in generative AI tools comparable to Firefly
Krita
Strengths
- +Free and open-source (GPL-3.0-only), developed by the Krita Foundation with a steady, funded release cadence
- +Best-in-class brush engines, tablet support, and painting workflow
- +Solid layer, mask, and filter tools for general raster work; opens and exports PSD
- +Cross-platform — Windows, macOS, Linux, and an Android/ChromeOS build
Trade-offs
- −Painting-first by design — photo retouching and selection tools are shallower than Photoshop's or GIMP's
- −PSD round-trips can lose advanced Photoshop-specific features
- −No built-in generative AI features
- −Large canvases with many layers want plenty of RAM
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose GIMP
if free and open-source (GPL-3.0-or-later) with decades of development and a large community.
Choose Krita
if free and open-source (GPL-3.0-only), developed by the Krita Foundation with a steady, funded release cadence.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — interface and shortcuts differ from Photoshop — expect a real adjustment period, and painting-first by design — photo retouching and selection tools are shallower than Photoshop's or GIMP's. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
GIMP vs Krita — common questions
Is GIMP a better fit than Krita for image editing?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: GIMP scores 96 to Krita's 96 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Krita earns its place on a different axis — free and open-source (GPL-3.0-only), developed by the Krita Foundation with a steady, funded release cadence. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
GIMP keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Krita is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host GIMP or Krita?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are GIMP and Krita both alternatives to Adobe Photoshop?
Yes — both appear in our Adobe Photoshop comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Adobe Photoshop and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-06. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.