There’s a lot to like about Adobe. The apps are powerful, integrated, capable of handling almost any creative workflow, and it’s the industry standard. But somewhere along the line, Adobe became more and more unlikable. Not only are the subscriptions expensive, the majority of the software is completely subscription-locked without any free tiers. Adobe Express is perhaps the only decent free option there is, in my opinion. There’s also the issue of bloated software with features many of us never use, and concern over data privacy, especially regarding training the Adobe AI models.

I’ve left the world of Adobe a while ago now, and have successfully replaced many of its software with free and open-source alternatives. Open-source apps are truly catching up with their modern-day proprietary counterparts, and they offer more benefits, such as being open, more secure, comprehensive free versions, and some even have unique features that outperform Adobe’s offerings. These are the best open-source Adobe graphics alternatives I’ve used to date…

GIMP

The best open-source image and graphics editor there is

GIMP has been around for decades, and it has aged really well. It’s still one of the few open-source graphics apps that can stand toe-to-toe with Photoshop. While I’m not a fan of the interface, its feature set and functionality more than makes up for it. You can customize the layout far more than Photoshop anyway, so I’ll take that as a win for the UI.

GIMP covers everything most photographers and designers need. It has advanced layer and mask management, and a full suite of selection tools – everything from freehand lasso to intelligent foreground select. Combine that with the healing and clone tools, blend modes, brushes, filters, and layering system, and it already covers much of what I used to use Photoshop for. The standout feature is the plugin and script support. The GMIC plugin is probably the most comprehensive suite of features I’ve ever used in an app, from advanced color adjustments to 3D effects.

GIMP handles high-res files and supports multiple color spaces like RGB, CMYK, and even LAB. Plus it supports a wide range of formats. Overall, if you’re looking for a professional image and graphics editor, you can’t go wrong with GIMP. The only downside is that it doesn’t support smart objects or adjustment layers. If you’re looking for something a little more creative and modern than GIMP, I highly recommend checking out Krita.

Inkscape

A vector powerhouse that rivals Illustrator

I’ve tried my fair share of open-source vector editors, but I always keep coming back to Inkscape. It is the Illustrator alternative. It’s a full-featured SVG editor that has you covered with anything from logos and icons to complex illustrations. At its core, it gives you precise path editing, node manipulations, and boolean operations, making it easy to create shapes and refine every curve exactly how you want.

The object management system is robust. You can layer, group, hide, and lock objects. And the snapping tools and guides make alignment painless. Inkscape also has advanced typography support, including text on paths and multi-line editing, which makes it viable for anything from branding to web graphics. It also supports extensions and plugins, letting you automate repetitive tasks and add extra effects. And, like GIMP, the interface is highly customizable. Overall, this is the go-to tool for anyone who’s serious about vector work but tired of subscriptions.

Penpot

It’s free and open-source, but most importantly: it gets updates

Adobe XD was the go-to for interface design, but it’s no longer available as a standalone app and is locked behind the All Apps subscription – it also doesn’t get updates anymore. Penpot, on the other hand, is a free, open-source, browser-based, self-hostable UI/UX design app, and it is actively maintained and getting updates. This is one of the best modern alternatives for product design.

It offers vector-based design tools such as frames, shapes, drawing, components, and so on, with adjustable properties for all of them, such as color, size, position, etc. If you’ve ever used Figma, you’ll feel right at home in Penpot since they’re mirrors of each other. There’s also an auto-layout function, prototyping, tokens, and dev hand-off. And the app is very collaborative by nature, making it ideal for team projects. I can’t rave enough about Penpot – it’s a must-try for anyone who wants a free option for UI design.

Darktable

A free and capable RAW image editor

I don’t shoot RAW that much, so Darktable isn’t my most frequent reach, but I had to include it in this list as an alternative to Lightroom. It’s a non-destructive RAW editor that handles everything from exposure adjustments and color grading to lens correction. All your edits get stored as metadata so the original files remain untouched – exactly what a professional workflow should look like.

The app uses a module-based system as opposed to Lightroom’s panel-based system. There are modules for tone curves, color balance, denoising, shadows/highlights, and even wavelet-based editing. Darktable also shines with batch workflows; you can apply the same edits to multiple images at a time. Beyond RAW, it also handles standard formats like JPEG and PNG, so it integrates perfectly into any editing workflow.

Adobe is falling behind

Open-source graphics tools have come a long way, and the options on this list prove you don’t need Adobe to work like a pro. GIMP handles image and graphics editing with precision, Inkscape covers everything you need in vector design, Penpot keeps UI design smooth (and up to date!), and Darktable takes care of your RAW processing. And for free.