GIMP vs Photopea
Photopea scores 7.6 to GIMP's 5.9 among the image editors we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Photopea wins, 7.6 to 5.9
Photopea is not open source; GIMP is free and open source, with no company behind it. Photopea offers generative fill and expand, automatic subject selection and one click background removal, none of which GIMP has. GIMP supports pressure sensitive tablets for drawing, while Photopea does not. Photopea exports to 7 file formats against GIMP's 6, though GIMP runs on 2 platforms compared with Photopea's single browser based one.
Pick GIMP if you need pressure sensitive drawing or fully open source code.
Pick Photopea if you want generative fill and background removal in a browser.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Generative fill and expand: Photopea yes, GIMP no
- Selects a subject or sky by itself: Photopea yes, GIMP no
- AI image editing: Photopea yes, GIMP no
- But GIMP leads on pressure sensitivity from a tablet or stylus: GIMP yes, Photopea no
- Apps it connects to: 5 integrations against 0 integrations
- File formats it exports: 7 export formats against 6 export formats
- But GIMP leads on where it runs: 2 platforms against 1 platforms
- Cheapest paid plan, monthly: GIMP $0, Photopea price shown only in the app
- Source published under an open licence: GIMP yes, Photopea no
- But Photopea leads on ways to reach support: 3 support channels against 2 support channels
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other image editors we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Photopea leads on 2 of 4 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (5)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
GIMP
Photopea
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
GIMP
- Free forever, with no paid tier, subscription or account required.
- Open source under the GNU General Public License, with commercial use explicitly allowed.
- Imports and exports PSD files with layers intact.
- Batch processing from the command line, driven by Script-Fu scripting.
- Full CMYK editing is not shipped; the project describes it only as a roadmap item.
- No AI-based editing tools: no generative fill, AI upscaling, or automatic background removal.
- Runs only as installed desktop software, with no web or mobile version.
Photopea
- Full editor is free to use, with no account required.
- Files are processed on your own device and never uploaded to a server.
- Fully supports opening and saving PSD, its main format.
- Supports a CMYK colour mode with colour profiles for print work.
- Premium's price is not published on the site; it only appears inside the app.
- Runs only in the browser, with no native desktop or mobile app.
- Its brush tools do not support pressure sensitivity from a tablet or stylus.
GIMP vs Photopea: common questions
Which is better, GIMP or Photopea?
Photopea scores 7.6 and GIMP 5.9 out of 10 among the image editors we rate. Photopea is ahead on what it adds beyond the basics and workflow and output. GIMP is ahead on privacy and trust.
Is GIMP or Photopea cheaper?
GIMP's cheapest paid plan is Free and Photopea's is Free (Premium removes ads). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
What can GIMP do that Photopea cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: pressure sensitivity from a tablet or stylus and source published under an open licence.
What can Photopea do that GIMP cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: generative fill and expand, selects a subject or sky by itself, aI image editing (erase, relight), one-action background removal, works in CMYK for print and template library.
