I edit a lot of photos: barn owl and wildlife shots for this website, graphics for social media, thumbnails for YouTube, and all sorts of other bits and pieces. After years of doing it, I've found that no single program does everything best. You can't beat having a few options, and picking the right tool for each job.
So here are the 20 photo editors I'd recommend. Most are completely free, a few are free in your web browser or on your phone, and a couple are paid programs with a free trial that I think are worth every penny.
My two go-to tools
For photographs: ON1 Photo RAW
ON1 is still my first choice for editing and organising my photos. The AI masking is brilliant for wildlife: it picks out a bird or animal in a second, so I can brighten the subject without touching the background. It's paid, but there's a free trial, and it costs a lot less over time than Adobe's subscription. More about ON1.
For social media: Canva
For quick social media graphics and background removal, Canva now takes the crown for me. Cutting a barn owl out of a photo and dropping it onto a new design takes seconds. The free plan is great for designs, and background removal comes with Canva Pro. More about Canva.
All 20 at a glance
| Software | Best for | Works on | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ON1 Photo RAW | Editing and organising photos | Windows, Mac | Paid, free trial |
| Canva | Social media and quick designs | Browser, phone, desktop app | Free, or Pro |
| Affinity | A free Photoshop alternative | Windows, Mac, iPad | Free |
| GIMP | Detailed editing | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| Darktable | RAW files, a free Lightroom alternative | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| RawTherapee | RAW processing | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| Krita | Digital painting | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| Paint.NET | Simple, fast editing | Windows | Free |
| PhotoScape X | Easy all-rounder | Windows, Mac | Free, or Pro |
| Inkscape | Logos and graphics | Windows, Mac, Linux | Free |
| Photopea | Photoshop-style editing in a browser | Browser | Free |
| Pixlr | Quick edits in a browser | Browser, phone | Free, or paid |
| Fotor | Collages and quick fixes | Browser, phone | Free, or paid |
| BeFunky | Easy graphics and collages | Browser, phone | Free, or paid |
| Snapseed | Editing on your phone | iPhone, Android | Free |
| RIOT | Shrinking photos for websites | Windows | Free |
| Squoosh | Shrinking photos in a browser | Browser | Free |
| remove.bg | One-click background removal | Browser | Free previews, or paid |
| Luminar Neo | AI edits and skies | Windows, Mac | Paid, free trial |
| Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop | The industry standard | Windows, Mac, phone | Subscription, free trial |
My favourites
1. ON1 Photo RAW My pick for photos
ON1 Photo RAW is the program I use every week. It handles everything from organising and cataloguing thousands of photos to detailed edits, so it replaces both Lightroom and a lot of what I'd use Photoshop for. The AI masking picks out animals, birds, people, skies and objects in a second, which makes local adjustments very quick. Batch editing is a big time saver too.
Works on: Windows, Mac. Cost: paid, as a one-off purchase or subscription, with a free trial.
2. Canva My pick for social media
Canva is where I make most of my social media posts. There are thousands of templates, it's all drag and drop, and it resizes designs for different platforms. With Canva Pro, the background remover cuts out a subject in one click. It's the quickest way I know to put a barn owl onto a clean background or a new design.
Works on: any web browser, iPhone, Android, plus desktop apps. Cost: free plan, and background removal is included with Canva Pro.
Free photo editors for your computer
3. Affinity
This is the biggest change since I first wrote this list. Affinity Photo used to be a paid Photoshop alternative, and now Canva has combined Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher into one app that's completely free. It has proper professional tools, including layers, masks, RAW editing and retouching, and it opens Photoshop PSD files.
Works on: Windows, Mac, iPad. Cost: free with a Canva account. The AI tools, including background removal, need Canva Pro.
4. GIMP
GIMP has been the go-to free photo editor for years. It has layers, masks, detailed selection tools and plenty of plug-ins. Version 3 brought a more modern look and non-destructive filters, which you can tweak later without starting again. There's a learning curve, but it will do almost anything.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux. Cost: free and open source.
5. Darktable
Darktable is a free alternative to Lightroom. It edits RAW files without changing the original, and it's good for organising and processing large batches of photos. It's a great fit for anyone with a camera that shoots RAW.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux. Cost: free and open source.
6. RawTherapee
RawTherapee is another free RAW editor, with very fine control over exposure, colour and noise reduction. It's especially good at cleaning up noisy photos taken in low light, which is handy for dawn and dusk wildlife shots.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux. Cost: free and open source.
7. Krita
Krita is really made for digital painting and illustration, but it handles layers and masks well and is fine for photo work too. It's ideal if you like turning photos into artwork.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux. Cost: free and open source.
8. Paint.NET
Paint.NET sits nicely between Microsoft Paint and GIMP. It's quick, light and easy to learn, with layers, effects and plug-ins. It's great for everyday jobs such as cropping, resizing and adding text.
Works on: Windows. Cost: free from the official website.
9. PhotoScape X
PhotoScape X is a friendly all-rounder with editing, filters, collages, batch editing and a photo viewer, all in one. It's a good choice for family photos and quick jobs.
Works on: Windows, Mac. Cost: free, with a paid Pro version for extra features.
10. Inkscape
Inkscape is for vector graphics rather than photos, so think logos, icons and illustrations that stay sharp at any size. It's very useful alongside a photo editor when you're making website graphics.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux. Cost: free and open source.
Free photo editors in your browser or on your phone
11. Photopea
Photopea looks and works very much like Photoshop, but it runs in your web browser, so there's nothing to install. It opens PSD files and supports layers and masks. It's perfect on a laptop, a borrowed computer or a Chromebook.
Works on: any web browser. Cost: free with adverts, or a small fee to remove them.
12. Pixlr
Pixlr has two browser editors: Pixlr Express for quick fixes and Pixlr Editor for more detailed work with layers. It also has handy AI tools.
Works on: browser, phone. Cost: free, with adverts and limits on some tools. A paid plan removes them.
13. Fotor
Fotor is simple to use for cropping, resizing, colour fixes, filters and collages. It's good for quick jobs when you don't want anything complicated.
Works on: browser, phone. Cost: free, but many of the best tools are in the paid plan.
14. BeFunky
BeFunky mixes photo editing with easy graphic design, including one-click enhancements, collages and templates for social media.
Works on: browser, phone. Cost: free, with more tools in the paid plan.
15. Snapseed
Snapseed is Google's free photo editor for phones, and it's one of the best. It has precise brush tools, healing, perspective correction and RAW editing, and there are no adverts.
Works on: iPhone, Android. Cost: free.
Snapseed for iPhone Snapseed for Android
Handy tools for website images
16. RIOT (Radical Image Optimisation Tool)
I use RIOT a lot. Big photos slow a website down, and RIOT shrinks them without making them look worse. You can compare the before and after side by side, strip out hidden information such as camera details, and process a whole folder at once. It's an old program, but it still does the job brilliantly.
Works on: Windows. Cost: free.
17. Squoosh
Squoosh is Google's free image shrinker that runs in your browser. Drag in a photo, pick a format such as WebP, and slide the quality until it looks right. It's great if you're on a Mac or can't install RIOT.
Works on: any web browser. Cost: free.
18. remove.bg
If you don't have Canva Pro, remove.bg removes a background in one click in your browser. It's fast and accurate, even with fur and feathers.
Works on: any web browser. Cost: free downloads are lower resolution. Full-size images need credits or a subscription.
Paid, but worth a free trial
19. Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is built around AI tools such as sky replacement, relighting and quick portrait fixes. It's very easy for beginners to get impressive results with.
Works on: Windows, Mac. Cost: paid, with a free trial.
20. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
These are the industry standard, and everything else on this list gets compared with them. They're excellent, but you pay a monthly subscription for as long as you use them. If you'd rather not, ON1 and the free Affinity cover most of the same ground.
Works on: Windows, Mac, phone, tablet. Cost: subscription, with a free trial.
Which one should you use?
- Editing and organising your photos: ON1 Photo RAW if you'll pay, or Darktable for free.
- A free Photoshop alternative: Affinity first, then GIMP.
- Social media posts and quick designs: Canva.
- Removing backgrounds: Canva Pro, or remove.bg without a subscription.
- Editing on your phone: Snapseed.
- No installing allowed: Photopea.
- Photos for your website: edit them, then shrink them with RIOT or Squoosh so your pages load quickly.
Tip for website owners: resize photos to the size they'll actually be shown before you upload them. A photo straight from the camera can be ten times bigger than it needs to be, and that's one of the most common reasons a website feels slow.
Questions people ask
What is the best free photo editing software?
For most people, Affinity is now the best free all-round photo editor, as it's professional software that has become completely free. GIMP is a great open source alternative, and Darktable is best for RAW photos.
Is Affinity really free now?
Yes. Canva made the new Affinity app free in October 2025. You need a free Canva account, and the AI tools, such as background removal, need Canva Pro.
Can Canva remove backgrounds for free?
No. Canva's background remover is a Canva Pro feature. For free background removal, try remove.bg, although free downloads are lower resolution.
What's the best free photo editor for a phone?
Snapseed. It's free, has no adverts, and has professional tools including RAW editing, on both iPhone and Android.
If you also edit videos, have a look at my picks for free video editing software and royalty-free music and sound effects. And if you'd like to see what I do with these tools, take a look at our Peak District wildlife photo gallery.
Paul