Photopea
A free Photoshop-style editor that runs instantly in your browser and opens PSD files.
Photopea is a free web-based editor whose interface and shortcuts closely mirror Photoshop's, with the best PSD compatibility of any free tool — it also opens Illustrator, XD, and Sketch files. Despite running in a browser, it processes everything on your device: by its own documentation it uploads none of your files, and a loaded tab keeps working offline. It is the fastest way for a Photoshop user to get real work done at zero cost, but it is not open-source and cannot be self-hosted — the free version is ad-supported, with an optional Premium subscription (about US$5/month) — which its Sovereignty Score honestly reflects.
What it does well
- +Closest free match to Photoshop's interface and shortcuts — minimal relearning
- +Best-in-class PSD compatibility among free tools; also opens AI, XD, and Sketch files
- +Nothing to install; files are processed on your device, not uploaded to a server
- +Works on any OS with a modern browser, including Chromebooks and tablets
Where it falls short
- −Not open-source and not self-hostable — you depend on Photopea.com remaining available
- −Free version is ad-supported
- −Very large or complex documents are constrained by browser memory
- −Offline use works in an already-loaded tab, but it is not an installable local app you control
Hardware note
Runs on anything with a modern browser, including low-end laptops and Chromebooks; browser memory is the practical ceiling for very large documents.
Photopea as an alternative to
Where Photopea shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Photopea head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.