Adobe charges for Photoshop, and the free alternatives have gotten genuinely good, including options Apple ships with macOS that plenty of users walk right past.
Whether you need a quick crop, layer-based compositing, or a proper RAW workflow, there’s a free tool for it. Here are the four worth using on macOS Sequoia in 2026.
What We’re Looking For
A free photo editor worth recommending has to actually be free: not “free for 14 days” or “free unless you want to export.” It also has to run on current Macs, including Apple Silicon. And it should handle a real editing task well enough that you’d choose it over paying.
These four picks range from built-in and overlooked to serious open-source tools.
Apple Photos
Cost: Free, built into macOS Sequoia Best for: Everyday edits on photos you’ve already taken
Apple Photos looks like a photo library app, so it’s easy to overlook as an editor. The toolset covers exposure, contrast, brilliance, highlights, shadows, saturation, sharpness, and more, all non-destructive, so your original is always preserved. There’s also Auto Enhance (the wand icon in the toolbar) for a one-click correction when a shot looks flat or underexposed.
Open Photos, select an image, and click Edit in the top-right corner. Use Adjust, Filters, or Crop from the toolbar. Click Done when you’re finished. Photos saves automatically without touching the original.
For iPhone photos that need a brightness bump or a color correction, this is the fastest option already on your Mac.
Downside: No layers, no masking, no selection tools. Apple Photos can’t handle complex compositing; that’s what GIMP is for.
GIMP
Cost: Free (open source; download at gimp.org) Best for: Advanced editing, layer-based work, Photoshop-level control
GIMP is the go-to free answer when you need real editing power. It has layers, masks, selection tools, curves, levels, channels, and a plugin ecosystem deep enough to extend it almost indefinitely. If you already know Photoshop, you’ll adapt faster than you expect. The concepts carry over even when the menu paths differ.
Open your image in GIMP, use the layers panel and tools to edit, then go to File > Export As to save as JPG or PNG. (GIMP’s native save creates an XCF project file; export is how you get a standard image out.)
Check the download page to confirm you’re getting a native Apple Silicon build. It runs noticeably faster on M-series Macs.
Downside: The learning curve is real. GIMP’s interface takes adjustment, and some tasks that feel natural in Photoshop work differently here. Give it a few sessions before writing it off.
Photopea
Cost: Free in the browser (ad-supported); paid plan removes ads Best for: Photoshop-like editing without installing anything
Photopea (photopea.com) is a browser-based editor that’s a lot closer to Photoshop than you’d expect from a free web tool. Open it in Safari or Chrome, upload a file (or drag one onto the window), and you get layers, masks, adjustment layers, blend modes, and full PSD support. No installation, no account required.
When you’re done, go to File > Export As and pick your format. If someone sends you a layered Photoshop file and you don’t own Photoshop, Photopea opens it cleanly.
Photopea is one of the bigger surprises in this category. Layer-based editing, PSD support, and an interface that feels familiar, all in a browser, for free.
Downside: Large files can feel sluggish compared to a desktop app. If you’re privacy-conscious, uploading photos to a web tool involves trade-offs worth thinking through before you start.
darktable
Cost: Free (open source; download at darktable.org) Best for: RAW photo processing, non-destructive editing workflows
If you shoot RAW, or want to start, darktable is the strongest fully free option available. It handles RAW files from most major cameras through a non-destructive pipeline, so the original is never touched no matter how many edits you make.
The workflow follows how photographers actually work: import your files, develop them (exposure, tone, color, noise reduction), and export when done. The module-based approach takes time to learn, but the level of control you get, for a free tool, is genuinely hard to beat.
When downloading, grab the Apple Silicon-native build if you’re on an M-series Mac. The performance difference is real, especially on large RAW files.
Downside: Not the right choice for casual iPhone snapshots. If RAW files aren’t in your workflow, Apple Photos or GIMP will serve you better.
Which One Should You Use?
- Quick edits on everyday photos: Apple Photos (already on your Mac and handles more than you’d think)
- Advanced editing with layers and masks: GIMP (free, powerful, and close to Photoshop)
- Photoshop-like editing in the browser: Photopea (no install, no account, PSD support included)
- RAW photo processing: darktable (the best fully free option for a proper RAW workflow)
Apple Photos handles more than it gets credit for. When it hits its limits, GIMP, Photopea, and darktable cover the rest, and all three are actually free.