Private and open-source alternatives to Adobe Photoshop
15 creative tools rated against the same public privacy criteria as Adobe Photoshop (Photoshop), with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: no. Closed source.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. The privacy policy discloses website and app activity to advertising partners and social media platforms. Content analysis of cloud files for product improvement and desktop app usage data are on by default for personal accounts and can be turned off.
- No ads or data sales: no. Sold by subscription, but the privacy policy shares personal information with advertising partners and with third parties for their own marketing.
- Independent audit: partial. Adobe lists SOC 2 and ISO 27001 audits, but SOC 2 reports are only shared under NDA; only SOC 3 summary reports are public.
See the full Adobe Photoshop rating.
The alternatives
Blender Grade B
A 3D creation suite for modeling, sculpting, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking and video editing, extendable with add-ons.
Based in the Netherlands (Nine Eyes). Blender scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Cinelerra GG Infinity Grade B
A non-linear video editor and compositor for Linux, with multi-track editing, effects, transitions and titling.
Cinelerra GG Infinity scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
DarkTable Grade B
A photography workflow application and non-destructive raw developer for managing and editing digital negatives.
DarkTable scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
FlowBlade Grade B
A multi-track non-linear video editor for Linux, based on the MLT framework.
FlowBlade scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
FreeCAD Grade B
A parametric 3D CAD modeler for product design, mechanical engineering and architecture, with a Python scripting interface.
Based in Belgium (Fourteen Eyes). FreeCAD scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Gimp Grade B
A free, open source, cross-platform raster image editor for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring, with support for many file formats.
Gimp scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Glaxnimate Grade B
A vector animation program by KDE for creating 2D animations, with support for Lottie, animated SVG, GIF and video export.
Glaxnimate scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
InkScape Grade B
A free, open source vector graphics editor for illustrations, icons, logos, diagrams, maps and web graphics, using SVG as its native format.
InkScape scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Kdenlive Grade B
A non-linear video editor from KDE, based on the MLT framework, Qt and FFmpeg.
Based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes). Kdenlive scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Krita Grade B
A free and open source digital painting application for Windows, macOS and Linux, developed by the Krita Foundation and KDE.
Based in the Netherlands (Nine Eyes). Krita scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
LibreSprite Grade B
An animated sprite editor and pixel art tool, forked from the last GPL-licensed version of Aseprite.
LibreSprite scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
LMMS Grade B
A digital audio workstation for making music, with a pattern and song editor, piano roll, built-in synthesizers and support for VST and LADSPA plugins.
LMMS scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Natron Grade B
A node-based video compositing application for visual effects and motion graphics.
Natron scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Pinta Grade B
A simple open source drawing and image editing program with layers, adjustments, effects and unlimited undo, for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Pinta scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
RawTherapee Grade B
A cross-platform raw photo processor for non-destructive editing of raw digital photos.
RawTherapee scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the creative tools criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.