What it does
Photopea is a browser-based Photoshop clone. It opens and saves native PSD files (with layers, masks, smart objects, adjustment layers, blend modes preserved), Illustrator AI files, Sketch, XD, RAW camera formats, SVG, PDF, GIMP XCF. The layout, keyboard shortcuts, and tool behavior mirror Photoshop closely enough that anyone with PS muscle memory is productive in five minutes. Built by Ivan Kutskir (a solo developer) since 2013, still solo-maintained. Runs entirely in the browser, no install, no account required, files stay on your machine.
Free tier
Yes
Starts at
$5/mo
Setup
easy
Key features
Who this fits
- Freelancers and solo designers who cannot justify $20+/mo for Adobe Photoshop
- Anyone needing to open a PSD quickly on a machine without Adobe installed
- Chromebook users, Linux users, and anyone outside the Mac/Windows Adobe world
- Ecommerce operators editing product photos and social graphics
- Real estate agents doing quick photo edits (dehaze, crop, adjust)
- Small agencies handling occasional PSD deliverables from clients
Who it does NOT fit
- Professional retouchers doing high-end product/beauty work (Photoshop's frequency separation, generative fill, and Camera Raw are ahead)
- Teams needing Adobe Creative Cloud interop and libraries
- Anyone whose workflow includes video (Photoshop Extended features) or 3D
- Users needing plugin ecosystems (Nik Collection, Topaz, etc.)
- Anyone whose org already pays for Creative Cloud
Pricing
Real gotchas
- Solo developer, no enterprise SLA, no support contract, no compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA), do not use for regulated workflows
- Ads on the free tier are display banners, not blocking overlays, but they get in the way. Premium is $5/mo well spent for daily users
- Browser-based means large PSDs (500MB+ with many high-res layers) can slow down or crash the tab, Photoshop desktop handles this better
- No Camera Raw parity, Photopea reads RAW but the tone/color engine is not on par with Adobe Camera Raw for serious color work
- No generative-fill AI at Photoshop's quality (Adobe Firefly integration is a real Photoshop advantage)
- Files are processed locally in the browser, that is a privacy win but also means no cloud sync between devices unless you save to Google Drive/Dropbox
- Non-renewal is a feature (no surprise charges) but also means you must remember to renew if you want continuous premium
Integrations that matter
Otto’s take on this tool
Recommend Photopea when: user occasionally needs to open PSDs, edit product photos, or do quick graphic work without paying for Adobe. Highest fit for freelancers, solo operators, ecommerce, and anyone on Linux/Chromebook. Recommend Premium ($5/mo) for daily users to kill the ads. Do NOT recommend for professional retouchers, teams already on Creative Cloud, or regulated-industry work. If the user asks "free Photoshop alternative," Photopea is genuinely the answer, GIMP is powerful but the UI is a productivity tax, Photopea wins on time-to-competence for anyone with prior Photoshop experience.
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