Try Pixlr if you want another browser interface for layers and effects. Try GIMP if you can install a local raster editor. Try Krita if drawing and brush control matter more than photo effects. If you only need to change a JPEG and export an image, a smaller browser tool such as Photo Studio may be enough. Before switching, decide whether you need to open an existing PSD, keep editing a project later, or return an editable PSD to someone else.
These three requirements can look identical until you try to save. An editor can import a PSD without preserving the features that made it useful. A different editor can save its own layered project perfectly yet never produce a PSD for a client. Define what must survive before comparing interfaces.
Free choices by kind of work
| Editor | Access | Editable work | Main decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photopea | Browser access with optional Premium | PSD is its main project format | Keep it in the shortlist if a browser PSD round trip is your main requirement |
| Pixlr Editor | Browser access with free features and paid plans | Layered workspace | Check import, save, and export for the exact assignment |
| GIMP | Free, open source desktop installation | Local raster projects with layers and masks | A strong candidate when you can choose the project format |
| Krita | Free download from the project and a desktop install | Drawing and painting with layers | Choose it when illustration tools drive the work |
| Photo Studio | Free browser editor. No account for core editing | Text, shapes, brush, layer erasing, and an editable Photo Studio project | Useful for images starting as JPEG, PNG, or WebP. No PSD support |
Photo Studio is our product. It appears for the single-image workflow where its narrower feature set makes sense.
If the browser is a requirement
Try Pixlr Editor with a duplicate of the project. First check whether it can open your source and whether objects remain independently editable. If it imports the artwork, switch off the main subject layer. You should be able to tell whether the background and foreground are independent. Then change a word, move one object, and save. Reopen the saved project before deciding it can replace your regular editor.
Pixlr’s public pricing page describes paid plans and feature differences. It is sensible to verify a full editing and download path with the access level you plan to use. If the task calls for a specific AI action or design asset, check that action individually rather than assuming every part of the editor has the same free limits.
For a simple single-file edit, a PSD-focused workspace may be more than you need. In Photo Studio, open a supported image, adjust its color, and add a text or shape layer if necessary. In Layers, bring the caption in front of its background panel. Save a project if the wording is subject to approval, and download an image for the reviewer. This is a convenient workflow if nobody needs the working file in a different editor.
If you need a desktop raster editor
GIMP is a useful switch for work such as combining a transparent product image with a background, adjusting parts of the composition, or working from files on a local drive. It takes a different approach from Photopea in how its tools are arranged. Learn the parts you need for a repeated task first, such as the Layers panel, selection tools, and export.
Use GIMP’s editable project for work that stays in GIMP. If the recipient expects a PSD, check the actual file rather than relying on the extension. A text layer that changes into pixels can be visually acceptable for a finished image, but it prevents the recipient from fixing the wording later. Ask them to check an exported duplicate when editability is required.
If you open a photo on a shared computer, think about where the editor will store working files and how you will remove them afterward. That matters even when the software operates locally. Keep confidential material in a folder you control. Export a clean delivery file into a separate location so it is easy to distinguish from your source project.
If drawing is your reason to switch
Krita documents its brush tools, drawing assistants, and layers. Those are useful when your Photopea work mainly involves sketching, painting, or inking over a reference. Try a small illustration using the device you normally draw with. Pressure response, edge quality, and the comfort of changing brush size can matter more than the number of filters.
Use one layer for the sketch and another for the final lines. Test what happens when you move, scale, and hide each layer. Save an editable version before merging anything. Krita also documents PSD support, but compatibility with one layered drawing does not tell you whether a commercial mockup, special type layer, or linked asset will survive.
If the assignment is a photo with a short label, you may not need to install a drawing application. The text-on-photo guide covers how to set the type, outline, and background shape in a browser instead.
Decide what should leave the editor
A project file and an image have different readers. A teammate may need the layers. A marketplace only wants the finished image. A family member may only need a JPEG that opens on their phone. Export for that destination, and keep your editable source independently. If a client needs to change the design later, confirm which project format their team accepts.
Take special care with transparent artwork. A composition that looks right over an editor’s checkerboard might contain a faint edge from the original background. Put the finished PNG on a solid light and dark color to inspect it. If the buyer wants a white background, flatten it deliberately rather than leaving the receiving system to interpret alpha transparency.
How the options were compared
The comparison uses vendor and project documentation for access, platform, and file handling. The order follows the intended job and does not represent a scored benchmark. A useful check is a three-file trial of your own: a plain photo, a small composition with live text, and a demanding PSD that contains the features you use most. Record what opens, what can still be edited, and what happens after saving and reopening. Compare the final handoff with the original before moving active projects.
For general browser photo editing, try one image in Photo Studio. For the wider decision around Photoshop interoperability and desktop editing, read our Photoshop alternatives guide.