Photoshop is powerful and sleek, but it’s also heavy, expensive, and a bit overkill for the average editor. Among the many other alternatives I’ve come to love, I recently also started playing around with a web-based editor. It’s a simple option for anyone looking for a capable Photoshop alternative without a subscription.

I’m talking about BitMappery, and you can use it in your browser or self-host it. This makes it a much more flexible option for people who want control over their files or environment, whether you’re editing on a personal device or hosting it yourself. It’s lightweight, responsive, and surprisingly capable for both simple tweaks and more detailed work.

What is BitMappery?

In a nutshell

BitMappery is a free, open-source, web-based image editor that you can run in your browser or self-host on your own server. It offers a very minimal and frictionless interface with layers, masks, selections, adjustment tools, and everything else you need for photo and graphic manipulation. There are no paid tiers or paywalls, and running it locally gives you more control over your graphic files and assets. Both the browser and self-hosted versions are super lightweight and fast.

It’s perfect for anyone who needs to edit something simple and fast, but it’s also capable of handling more complex and involved edits. You can create graphics from scratch, touch up photos, experiment with styles, or prepare designs for all sorts of projects. Overall, BitMappery provides a practical way to do editing without relying on cloud subscriptions or heavy desktop installs - it’s a pretty solid addition to any Photoshop alternative toolkit.

Self-hosting BitMappery

How I set it up

To self-host BitMappery, I started by cloning the project repository into my local machine using Git, navigated to my preferred development folder in PowerShell, and ran the git clone command. Then I entered the project folder with cd bitmappery and ran docker build -t bitmappery to build the Docker image.

During this process, Docker downloaded the Node.js base image, installed the interdependencies through Yarn, and processed the project files. Once the build completed, I ran a Docker container from the image, and BitMappery launched in the background. Then I just went to my browser and entered the local host ID. You can find the self-host guide from their GitHub repo here.

Non-destructive, layer-based editing

Keeping the layers intact

BitMappery uses a non-destructive layer-based system, which means edits don’t overwrite your original photo or graphic. Each adjustment or effect can happen on its own layer or adjustment layer, which lets you toggle visibility, reorder elements, retweak the adjustment from where you’ve left off, or remove changes without losing earlier work.

Many Photoshop alternatives don’t have non-destructive editing, so I always take it as a win when an editor ships with this function. Working non-destructively also makes experimentation easier, which is perfect for newbie editors who perhaps don’t yet want to commit to enterprise software, but want advanced functions like non-dstructive editing.

A solid effects toolkit

It gets the job done

BitMappery is quite watered down compared to Photoshop - you won’t find menus full of effects and adjustment properties. There’s pretty much only one button that takes you to a window where you can alter the look of the image (the slider icon on the layers). And while it’s not much, if you know how to use these controls, you can create some pretty cool styles.

There’s an Opacity and Blend Mode selection, which lets you create stylized masks and overlays. The Color and Tone adjustment controls let you alter lighting and colors. And then there's the Filter control, which basically lets you add duotone colors to an image - and they’re also adjustable with the opacity control and blend modes.

Decent selection tools

Isolate subjects quickly

BitMappery’s selection tools are also sparse compared to Photoshop’s, but they’re surprisingly capable. There’s the Rectangle selection tool, which is great for working with straight lines in graphics. The Polygonal Lasso select tool is really accurate and you can easily create detailed masks with it. And there’s also the Magic Wand select, which I’ve never cared for in any editing software, including Photoshop, since it’s rarely accurate.

A comprehensive text tool

No editor is complete without one

A lot of editors slack off when it comes to their text tools, especially the lighter-weight options. But BitMappery has a comprehensive text editor with a huge font selection. You can also adjust the spacing, line height, size, colors, and so on. This makes it a perfect option for quickly editing graphics that require text edits and effects. Combined with its layer system and effects toolkit, you can get pretty creative with the text.

A self-hosted Photoshop alternative

BitMappery isn’t a one-to-one Photoshop replacement - you can’t do advanced editing techniques like skin retouching or green screen effects. But it does step up as a decent editor for anyone who wants to do basic or mid-level graphic and photo editing. I also really like that it’s browser-based so I can use it on my Chromebook, plus, you can self-host it for an extra layer of security and ownership.