Try or ByeTry or Bye

Adobe PhotoshopvsGIMP

App
vs
App

Score Comparison

52
Overall
52
30
Pricing
100
70
Usability
40
65
Performance
60
25
Support
45
60
Reliability
60
50
Onboarding
30
45
Mobile
0
55
Security
90
85
Integrations
45
Adobe PhotoshopGIMP

Signals Comparison

Pricing

Adobe Photoshop

  • 50% early termination fee buried in fine print(10/10)
  • Subscription model eliminates software ownership(9/10)
  • AI features limited by generative credits system(7/10)
  • Free trial secretly activates annual subscription(9/10)

GIMP

No signals

Usability

Adobe Photoshop

  • Cancellation process designed to be intentionally difficult(9/10)
  • Constant updates break established workflows(6/10)
  • No real-time collaboration features(5/10)

GIMP

  • Extremely steep learning curve(9/10)
  • Outdated and confusing user interface(8/10)
  • Non-destructive editing not supported(8/10)
  • No AI or content-aware features(7/10)
  • Keyboard shortcuts differ from industry standards(6/10)
  • Missing layer effects and styles(6/10)
  • Selection and resize tools are painful(5/10)
Support

Adobe Photoshop

  • Customer support wait times exceed 2 hours(8/10)

GIMP

  • No official customer support(5/10)
Performance

Adobe Photoshop

  • Severe lag with large files and many layers(7/10)
  • High system requirements exclude older hardware(6/10)

GIMP

  • Slow startup and bloated installer(5/10)
Mobile

Adobe Photoshop

  • iPad app missing crucial desktop features(7/10)

GIMP

No signals

Security

Adobe Photoshop

  • Terms of service controversy over content access(8/10)

GIMP

No signals

Onboarding

Adobe Photoshop

  • Steep learning curve intimidates beginners(6/10)

GIMP

No signals

Reliability

Adobe Photoshop

  • Frequent crashes and bugs after updates(7/10)

GIMP

  • GIMP 3.0 early release bugs and crashes(7/10)
Integrations

Adobe Photoshop

  • Plugin ecosystem requires additional purchases(5/10)

GIMP

  • No native CMYK color mode support(8/10)
  • No native RAW file support(6/10)
  • Limited third-party plugin ecosystem(5/10)
  • No native HEIC file support(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop Single App
Popular
$22.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required for advertised price. Monthly plan costs more. No Lightroom included. iPad version has limited features compared to desktop.

50% early termination fee if cancelled within first year on annual plan. Generative AI credits are limited and don't roll over - unlimited requires separate Firefly plan at $9.99/month extra.
Photography Plan (20GB)
$9.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 20GB cloud storage

Limits: Only 20GB storage is inadequate for serious photographers. Cannot be purchased without annual commitment. No iPad Photoshop included in base plan.

Early termination fee applies on annual plan. Very limited 20GB storage fills up quickly with RAW files. Generative credits still limited.
Photography Plan (1TB)
Popular
$19.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. No true monthly option available. iPad Photoshop has feature limitations.

Annual commitment with 50% early termination fee. Price doubles vs basic Photography plan for 1TB storage. Still has generative credit limits.
Creative Cloud All Apps
$59.99/mo

Users: 1 user

Storage: 100GB cloud storage

Limits: Annual commitment required. Standard tier (cheaper) excludes iPad/mobile apps and has very limited Firefly credits. Pro tier required for full access.

50% early termination fee on annual plan. Only 100GB storage included despite paying for entire suite. Extra storage costs more. Standard tier excludes iPad and mobile apps.
Creative Cloud for Teams
$89.99/mo

Users: Per user

Storage: 1TB per user

Limits: Expensive for small teams. Still lacks real-time collaboration. SSO/Enterprise features require Enterprise tier (custom pricing).

Requires minimum annual commitment. No real-time collaboration features despite 'Teams' naming. Each seat is billed separately.

GIMP

Free
Popular
Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: No official support, community-driven help only, some features require plugins

None - completely free forever

Feature Comparison

FeatureAdobe PhotoshopGIMP
Editing
Non-destructive editing

Via smart objects and adjustment layers

RAW file processing

Via Camera Raw integration

Core Features
Layer-based editing

Full layer support

Layer effects/styles

Must create manually

Print
CMYK color mode

Plugin workarounds only

AI Features
AI-powered selection

Select Subject, Sky, Hair refinement

Generative Fill (AI)

Limited by monthly credits

Neural Filters

Some require cloud processing

AI/Content-aware tools

Not available

Content-Aware Fill
Photography
RAW file support

Requires external software

Collaboration
Real-time collaboration

Not available - major gap vs Figma

Storage
Cloud storage

Limited by plan (20GB-1TB)

File Formats
PSD compatibility

Partial support

Mobile
iPad version

Limited features vs desktop

Platforms
Cross-platform

Linux, Mac, Windows

Mobile version

Not available

Usability
Offline mode

Some AI features require internet

Licensing
Open source

GPL license

Integrations
Plugin support

Extensive ecosystem, many paid

File Support
PSD file format

Industry standard

Workflow
Batch processing

Scripting required

Advanced
3D capabilities

Being phased out in newer versions

Video editing

Basic timeline editing

Productivity
Actions/automation

Powerful batch processing