GIMPvsAffinity Photo

App

Score Comparison

Overall

100

Pricing

Usability

Performance

Support

Reliability

Onboarding

Mobile

Security

Integrations

GIMPAffinity Photo

Signals Comparison

Usability

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Outdated and confusing user interface(8/10)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)

Affinity Photo

No generative AI or content-aware fill(8/10)
No photo library or asset management(7/10)
Confusing mask layering system(6/10)
No Smart Objects like Photoshop(6/10)
No Save for Web feature(5/10)
Keyboard shortcuts differ from Photoshop(5/10)
UI text too small on high-DPI displays(5/10)
No video or animation timeline(4/10)

Integrations

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)

Affinity Photo

Limited plugin ecosystem(7/10)

Performance

GIMP

Slow startup and bloated installer(5/10)

Affinity Photo

Slow RAW file processing(8/10)
Limited AI noise reduction capabilities(5/10)

Reliability

GIMP

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

Affinity Photo

Crashes during RAW import and export(8/10)

Support

GIMP

No official customer support(5/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Mobile

GIMP

No signals

Affinity Photo

No iPhone or Android mobile app(5/10)

Security

GIMP

No signals

Affinity Photo

Forum shutdown and Discord migration concerns(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

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

Affinity Photo

Free (Current)

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Must have Canva account, no AI-powered tools in free tier, V1/V2 licenses no longer updated

Canva AI features (Generative Fill, AI expansion) require Canva Pro at $120/year

Canva Pro (for AI features)

$120/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB Canva cloud storage

Limits: AI features require Canva ecosystem integration

Monthly billing is $15/month ($180/year), additional team seats cost extra

Legacy V2 (No longer sold)

$69.99/mo

Users: 1 user per platform

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: No longer sold, existing licenses work but won't receive V3 features

Each platform (Mac, Windows, iPad) required separate purchase, V2 Universal was $169.99

Feature Comparison

Feature	GIMP	Affinity Photo
Core Features
Layer-based editing Full layer support
RAW development Non-destructive, but slow
Non-destructive editing Very limited
Layer effects/styles Must create manually
HDR merge Built-in HDR tools
Panorama stitching Automatic stitching
Focus stacking Multi-focus merge
Print
CMYK color mode Plugin workarounds only
Photography
RAW file support Requires external software
AI Features
AI Generative Fill Requires Canva Pro
Content-Aware Fill Traditional inpainting only
AI/Content-aware tools Not available
Organization
Photo library/catalog No asset management
Extensibility
Plugin support Limited ecosystem
File Formats
PSD compatibility Partial support
Platforms
Cross-platform Linux, Mac, Windows
Mobile version Not available
iPad version Full-featured
iPhone/Android app Not available
Licensing
Open source GPL license
Workflow
Batch processing Scripting required

Signals Comparison

Usability

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)

Affinity Photo

No generative AI or content-aware fill(8/10)
No photo library or asset management(7/10)
Confusing mask layering system(6/10)
No Smart Objects like Photoshop(6/10)
No Save for Web feature(5/10)
Keyboard shortcuts differ from Photoshop(5/10)
UI text too small on high-DPI displays(5/10)
No video or animation timeline(4/10)

Integrations

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)

Affinity Photo

Limited plugin ecosystem(7/10)

Performance

GIMP

Slow startup and bloated installer(5/10)

Affinity Photo

Slow RAW file processing(8/10)
Limited AI noise reduction capabilities(5/10)

Reliability

GIMP

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

Affinity Photo

Crashes during RAW import and export(8/10)

Support

GIMP

No official customer support(5/10)

Affinity Photo

No signals

Mobile

GIMP

No signals

Affinity Photo

No iPhone or Android mobile app(5/10)

Security

GIMP

No signals

Affinity Photo

Forum shutdown and Discord migration concerns(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

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

Affinity Photo

Free (Current)

Popular

Free

Users: Unlimited

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: Must have Canva account, no AI-powered tools in free tier, V1/V2 licenses no longer updated

Canva AI features (Generative Fill, AI expansion) require Canva Pro at $120/year

Canva Pro (for AI features)

$120/yr

Users: 1 user

Storage: 1TB Canva cloud storage

Limits: AI features require Canva ecosystem integration

Monthly billing is $15/month ($180/year), additional team seats cost extra

Legacy V2 (No longer sold)

$69.99/mo

Users: 1 user per platform

Storage: Local storage only

Limits: No longer sold, existing licenses work but won't receive V3 features

Each platform (Mac, Windows, iPad) required separate purchase, V2 Universal was $169.99

Feature Comparison

Feature	GIMP	Affinity Photo
Core Features
Layer-based editing Full layer support
RAW development Non-destructive, but slow
Non-destructive editing Very limited
Layer effects/styles Must create manually
HDR merge Built-in HDR tools
Panorama stitching Automatic stitching
Focus stacking Multi-focus merge
Print
CMYK color mode Plugin workarounds only
Photography
RAW file support Requires external software
AI Features
AI Generative Fill Requires Canva Pro
Content-Aware Fill Traditional inpainting only
AI/Content-aware tools Not available
Organization
Photo library/catalog No asset management
Extensibility
Plugin support Limited ecosystem
File Formats
PSD compatibility Partial support
Platforms
Cross-platform Linux, Mac, Windows
Mobile version Not available
iPad version Full-featured
iPhone/Android app Not available
Licensing
Open source GPL license
Workflow
Batch processing Scripting required