18 Best Free Photo Editor Apps in 2023

Using a photo editor app can help you edit your photos with ease and allow you to create high-quality small size images to share on the web.

Here we will consider the list of the top 18 best free photo editing apps in 2023 to get a perfect job done:

1. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor
2. Canva
3. Resizing.app
4. inPixio
5. Instasize
6. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
7. Fotor
8. VSCO
9. BeFunky
10. Pixlr
11. Snapseed
12. PhotoScape
13. Paint.NET
14. GIMP
15. Photo Pos Pro
16. Colorcinch
17. Apple Photos
18. Google Photos

Read on for the detailed analysis of each app.

How We Test the Best Photo Editing Apps

When evaluating the best free photo editing apps, we considered several criteria. Each aspect plays a crucial role in determining the functionality, ease of use, and overall quality of an application. Here's what we took into account:

Ease of Use: The app should have a user-friendly interface. Both beginners and professionals should be able to navigate through the application without any hassle.

Editing Tools: A good photo editing app should offer a wide range of editing tools. These should include basic features like crop, rotate, and adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. More advanced features like filters, effects, layer editing, and AI-powered tools also add value.

Image Quality: The app should maintain the quality of the image during and after editing. Compression or loss of detail after saving the photo should be minimal.

Performance: The app should run smoothly without any lags or crashes. Processing times for applying effects or saving the image should be reasonable.

Compatibility: The application should be compatible with various devices and operating systems. It should run seamlessly on both Android and iOS platforms.

Sharing Capabilities: Easy sharing options to various social media platforms is another essential feature. The app should allow direct posting or easy export options.

Cost: While we are focusing on free apps, it's worth noting if the free version offers a satisfactory range of tools. We'll also consider if there's a premium version and what additional features it brings.

User Reviews and Ratings: User reviews and ratings on app stores can provide real-world feedback about the app's strengths and weaknesses.

Updates and Support: Regular updates from developers and good customer support if issues arise are signs of a reliable app.

Privacy and Security: Last but not least, the app should respect user privacy and have adequate security measures to protect user data.

Using these list of criteria, we've evaluated each app to give you the most accurate information, helping you choose the best free photo editing app that suits your needs.

Top 18 Best Free Photo Editor Apps

You're convinced that you want to get a photo editor software, but not sure where to start. There are many free online photo editor programs to choose from. We've narrowed down the best free photo editor that you can use without paying a hefty price.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor

Best Photo Editing Software Overall

Although Photoshop can be a bit intimidating, its sister product Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is an altogether different animal. All the tools are readily accessible and easy to use.

Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a free photo editor. It is jam-packed with features that will allow you to make your images pop. You will be able to remove red-eye, resize images, make color corrections, and more.

It works right from your browser or mobile app. Editing photos is a snap with tools to balance color, resize, crop, change lighting, rotate, and more. The interface is appealing yet user-friendly. Our only gripes are that it was designed in Flash and not HTML5, and image formats can be somewhat limited.

👆 Special Features:

• Crop
• Rotate
• Remove Red and pet-eye
• Auto-Fix
• Text Tool
• Blemish Removal
• Corrections
• Customization
• Perspective Correction
• Pop-Color Tool
• Image Resize
• Watermark Images
• JPEG Quality Output
• Looks
• Borders

✅ PROS:

• Simple and complex customization
• Easy to use
• Compatible with other Adobe Products
• Gives you the edits you need to improve photos significantly

⛔️  CONS:

• Some features require creative cloud membership that has a fee
• The photo organizer tool is a separate app

2. Canva

Best Photo Editing App for Social Media

Canva is an easy to use photo editor app that allows users to create graphics and edit photos by merely dragging and dropping. It takes no time at all to build a design from scratch, and you don't have to be a pro to learn how to use this free photo editing software. It has tons of features that will help you create the ultimate design or touch up your pre-existing photos.

One of the best features of Canva is its extensive library of templates. Within minutes you can drop your photos into a preset layout and then style it using dozens of fonts, illustrations, graphics, colors, and design elements.

With Canva, you can create stunning pieces quickly that you can share, print, or export. This online photo editor also comes complete with built-in support using search, tabs, and articles to find help with any issue.

👆 Special Features:

• Photo Straightener
• Image Cropper
• The Ability to Add Text
• Speech Bubble Maker
• Transparency Tool
• Photo Enhancer
• Photo Blur
• Photo Vignette
• Design Grids
• Free Icons
• Photo Frames
• Web Wireframe
• Stickers
• Badges
• Add Texture

✅ PROS:

• Great for marketing photos on social media
• Make and design ebooks
• Excellent for web presentations
• Tons of great features for free
• Saves project history

⛔️  CONS:

• Unable to remove an image’s background
• Needs to increase font size

3. Resizing.app

Best Photo Resizer

One of our favorites is an online image resizer, called Resizing.app. The company has a straightforward website and processes to resize images online within seconds! One of the coolest features is the ability to export your newly sized image into a different format.

Resizing.app couldn’t be easier to use. You simply drag and drop your images into the box on the home page. Then you select how you want to resize your image (by width, by height, custom size,  by percentage, or by the largest side of the image).

You can choose to compress your image for quality assurance and then just pick your new file format (jpg, png or webp). Once you hit the save button, your new image is saved to your computer. Voila’ all done. No frills but also no hassles.

Unfortunately, this online service does not have any additional photo editing capabilities to go along with resizing. But hey! It’s free, and we like free and simple.

If you resize your images and photos regularly, we highly recommend you to add the Resizing extension to your Google Chrome; it is also entirely free.

👆 Special Features:

• Resizing by width, by height, custom size, by percentage, and by the largest side of the image.
• Compress a photo
• Crop an image
• Convert an image to JPEG, PNG, WEBP
• Optimize a picture

✅ PROS:

• Free
• Easy to use
• Online
• Convert TIFF and HEIC files into JPEG, PNG or WEBP
• Has extention for Google Chrome

⛔️ CONS:

• Doesn't have any additional photo editing capabilities

4. inPixio

Another app we tested looking for the best free photo editor was inPixio. In reviews, inPixio earns high marks for usability, features, support, speed, and pricing. It has some fantastic tools to fix perspective (straighten buildings), image correction, dehaze, and you can even edit metadata right within the app to add headlines, captions, and copyright details.

inPixio also offers a free tool to remove the background from an image. It works pretty well if the photo has a clear color distinction between what you want to remove and what you want to keep. inPixio is fun to use, although it may not rank as the best free photo editor on the block, it is worth checking out.

To purchase the full program, you will need to select either the inPixio Photo Studio 10 for $49.99 or inPixio Photo Studio Professional version for $59.99. The price is for the full software you can install and use on your Mac or Windows PC.

Looking for one for your Mac? Read our review of the best mac photo editor.

👆 Special Features:

• Eraser
• Correction Patch
• Cloning stamp
• Cutter
• Retouching and Correction
• Perspective correction
• Film grain module

✅ PROS:

• Tools for retouching photos, resizing, removing backgrounds, cropping, fixing sharpness, trimming, and adding filters.
• Share images within the app.
• Erase objects easily from photos.
• No ads.
• It doesn’t “push” you to upgrade.
• Special effects to enhance your images.

⛔️  CONS:

• The background removal tool doesn’t always yield perfect results.
• Some users complain that it does not work as advertised.
• Puts watermarks on images with the free version.
• Cannot batch edit.
• Works by installing multiple modules.

5. Instasize

If you are in the market for the best free photo editing app, you will want to check out Instasize. The app was designed for social media and influencers who want to create eye-catching, creative photos, and videos for their social feeds. The software includes dozens of visually stunning filters, color editing tools, and you can even edit your videos with it.

Instasize has a broad fan base of more than 500,000 users. The plethora of editing tools also include photo retouching features, fonts, and text editing. The free version is limited, but if you are willing to pay $4.99/month, the Premium version is loaded with goodies.

👆 Special Features:

• Collage maker
• Naturally enhancing filters
• Advanced editing adjustments
• Borders
• Beauty tools: edit blemishes, whiten teeth, remove redness, etc.
• Social media formats
• Pro fonts and text editor
• Video editing

✅ PROS:

• Geared toward creating engaging content for social media.
• Dozens of useful features, including backgrounds, beauty enhancements, borders, and filters, to make content creation easy.
• Create collages in a snap.
• Automatic resizing for social media formats.
• Fast and easy to use.

⛔️  CONS:

• The free version is stripped down and includes ads.
• Some users complain about the ads and some glitches.
• Only works on mobile devices, no app for PC or Mac.

6. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

A well-known name in the photo game is Adobe, which makes dozens of photo enhancement and editing products. One such app is the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom app.

This product is a cloud-based product where you can upload batches of images and edit them together. It wouldn’t be from Adobe without excellent photo editing tools built-in, and if you run into trouble, they have online tutorials to walk you through it all.

You can edit photos easily with all the expected features, share photos, take pictures from inside the app and sync them across all your devices. The Premium version cost is $9.99/month, which may be more than most users want to pay. If you want access to all the creative cloud apps, that figure balloons to $52.99/month.

👆 Special Features:

• Preset creation
• Split Toning
• Tone Curve
• Batch editing on desktop
• Camera
• Healing Brushes
• RAW Editing
• Cloud Storage
• Sync Presets & Profiles

✅ PROS:

• Runs on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS.
• Easy to use, clean interface.
• Create albums to organize all your photos.
• Built-in presets to make editing easy.

⛔️  CONS:

• Costly to use cloud storage.
• May be too much for some users.

7. Fotor

Best Free Photo Editing App Online

Fotor is a photo editor software that allows you to utilize its photo editing suite to create top-notch photos. In just a few clicks you can adjust the color, size, lighting and more. It also has an HDR effect for your advanced editing needs.

The magic of Fotor is its extensive library of one-click filters to enhance and liven up any photo. Although Fotor is not as powerful as Photoshop and not as feature-rich as GIMP, it holds its own with a solid set of skills such as RAW file processing, borders, frames, color enhancement, and lighting adjustments.

If you like Fotor, there is also a Pro version you can purchase. However, it only works on the Windows platform. Read our review of the best windows photo editor.

👆 Special Features:

• Image Shape
• Fonts
• Stickers
• Align
• Drop Shadow
• Transparency
• CLone
• Color Picker
• Photo Collage
• Filters
• HDR
• Beauty Retouching

✅ PROS:

• Has web, mobile and desktop version
• Smart filters and effects
• Collage maker
• Raw file converter
• Has a social network

⛔️  CONS:

• Lots of ads
• Inability to edit photos at a deeper level
• Incompatible with creating images from scratch

8. VSCO

VSCO is another contender in our line-up of the best free picture editing apps. VSCO is a minimalistic app with a simple interface and powerful features. Its best feature is the vast library of filters to enhance your images and make them share-worthy.

You can do so within the VSCO social media channel. Yes, they have their own social network but you aren’t limited to just that one. VSCO also offers some other photo editing tools such as adjusting color, balance, highlights, cropping, and spot healing. The free version is limited to only ten filters, which isn’t very many compared to the 200+ you get with the paid version. A VSCO premium membership costs $19.99/year.

👆 Special Features:

• Filters
• Clarity
• Tint
• Fade
• X-Skew
• Y-Skew
• Skin Tone
• Highlights Tint
• Shadows Tint

✅ PROS:

• Includes its own social network to share images.
• Easy to use interface.
• Excellent editing tools with the paid version.
• Powerful camera features like ISO, exposure, white balance, and focus.
• Save images in RAW format.
• Video editing.
• Create montages easily.
• The ability to share from within the app.

⛔️  CONS:

• Requires a paid subscription for the best features.
• Only works on mobile devices, no app for PC or Mac.
• Not as good for social media image creation.
• Pushes upgrading.
• No option to take selfies with the app.
• No zoom features.

9. BeFunky

BeFunky is much more than just a free photo editor. With easy to use features, this photo editor app provides high-quality results whenever you use it to edit photos or make collages. You’ll have fun using this software for years to come.

Using the myriad of free collage layouts and design elements, you can quickly create a new Facebook banner or other social media image. The program is an online photo editor but also supports a handy mobile app. Integrations allow you to save your masterpiece to Dropbox or Google Drive and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. BeFunky’s drag-and-drop functionality makes it a breeze to use.

👆 Special Features:

• Collage
• Crop
• Resize
• Digital Art
• Cartoonizer
• Enhance DLX
• Font Pairing
• Create Wallpapers for Your Device
• Edit and Replace Colors
• Batch Processing

✅ PROS:

• Complete control of your work
• Easier than most programs to use
• Privacy
• Editing tools have variety

⛔️  CONS:

• No eraser tool
• Additional content has  a cost

10. Pixlr

You can’t beat the convenience factor of a powerful photo editor that runs in your browser, and Pixlr delivers. Pixlr is a great way to have a convenient photo editor at your fingertips that is user-friendly and can provide the professional-looking images you imagined.

Pixlr is a Photoshop clone that offers a generous treasure trove of image-editing features along with the ability to import photos from Facebook. Pixlr has also been compared to GIMP in terms of functionality and user interface. Although it may be overkill for some, it’s just the right balance of form and functionality for others.

👆 Special Features:

• Edit Photos Using Dropbox
• Layers
• Filters
• Adjustments
• Texts
• Fonts
• Magic Wand
• Lasso
• Brushes
• Eraser
• Object Transform
• Color Replace
• Digital Painting
• Image Retouching
• Digital Inking
• Photo Collage
• Effects

✅ PROS:

• Available on desktop and mobile
• Supports layers and masks
• Customize the interface

⛔️  CONS:

• Some ads

11. Snapseed for Android and iOS

Best Photo Editing App for Professional Photographers

Snapseed is a free online photo editor designed for the serious photographer who wants to enhance their photos professionally. Its primary focus is on providing filters that will change the effects. You can also share your creations with its export tool.

The software uses stacks/layers of edits so you can remove, arrange, or apply them at will. These stacks can be saved as a “look,” meaning a style which you can then use to apply to other photos. Compared to other apps, Snapseed shines with an impressive array of filters, brushes, and nondestructive editing tools that will delight any serious photo editing buff.

👆 Special Features:

• Pre-Made Filters
• Looks
• Tools
• Export

✅ PROS:

• Nondestructive editing
• Selective edit brushes
• Photographic filters

⛔️  CONS:

• More suitable for experienced users
• No auto-save

12. PhotoScape

PhotoScape was designed for the beginner, but don’t let that fool you; it is a powerhouse of features and functionality. Although the layout of PhotoScape is a bit clunky, the tools are solid, and along with retouching features, you can easily add filters to your images, create animated GIFs, batch edit photos, create slideshows and more using dozens of free templates.

The list of accolades is impressive for a free photo editor app.

PhotoScape gives you the ability to create stunning images with access to multiple tools. Enhancing your photos becomes more convenient, and you aren't disappointed by a system that doesn't deliver. It has your basic features and more advanced ones such as Batch Processing, Font pairing, and Digital Art.

👆 Special Features:

• Viewer
• Editor
• Batch Editor
• Page
• Combine
• Animated GIF
• Print
• Splitter
• Screen Capture
• Color Picker
• Rename
• Raw Converter
• Paper Print
• Face Search

✅ PROS:

• Plenty of Features
• Effects Preview

⛔️  CONS:

• Redundant Interface

13. Paint.NET

Paint.Net started as a built-in program on the Windows platform and evolved into its own standalone photo editing software with an innovative user interface that supports many features. This photo editor can be extended through plug-ins to give a wide variety to what the photo editor app can do.

While it provides a clean layout and powerful tools, this program is not for beginners. It boasts of a main working window with the tools corralled into their own movable windows. The program uses layers to keep everything organized. A design aficionado will be disappointed with the lack of some features, but for most users, it’s a great solution.

👆 Special Features:

• Layers
• Unlimited Undo
• Special Effects
• Powerful Tools
• Unlimited History

✅ PROS:

• Innovative Interface
• Keyboard Shortcuts for Tools and Menu Items
• Font Previews

⛔️  CONS:

• Little Control Over Text
• Minimal Layer Effects
• Few Brush Options

14. GIMP

Best Open-source Photo Editor

GIMP is open-source software and a favorite among many graphic designers. GIMP has often been compared to Photoshop. While it shares many of the same features and functionality of the popular photo editing software, GIMP is free.

Some of the highlights are a plethora of brushes to choose from, filters, and even plugins to make the software more desirable. GIMP also supports animation. Because of all this, GIMP is by far our pick for the best free photo editor.

👆 Special Features:

• Color Correction
• Skin Retouching
• Eyes Brightening
• Customizable Interface
• Graphic Design Elements
• Original Artwork
• Photo Enhancement
• Inkscape
• Swatch booker

✅ PROS:

• Compatible With Many File Types
• Developer Support
• User-Friendly Interface
• Open Source Code

⛔️  CONS:

• Functionality

15. Photo Pos Pro

Photo Pos Pro is excellent for creating computer graphic designs and text that will pop. It is a powerful software that can be mastered by advanced and beginner photo editors. The system has a program that offers assistance for beginners who need step by step instructions.

With Photo Pos Pro, you get the best of both worlds, the choice of a beginner or expert interface. Photographers will love the support for RAW files, the many filters, and retouching tools. Both the novice and pro interfaces are a bit confusing and cluttered. It’s a very personal preference when picking the best free photo editor for you.

👆 Special Features:

• Filters
• Layers
• Masks
• Curves
• Scripts
• Effects
• Brushes
• Frames and Collages
• Text Effects
• RAW Files Support
• Remove, Erase, and Replace Backgrounds

✅ PROS:

• Great For Any Level of Experience
• Superb Help and Tutorials
• Manual Editing and Automatic One-Click Editing Balance

⛔️  CONS:

• Large Learning Curve
• Software Glitches

16. Colorcinch

Colorcinch is another great free photo editor with some advanced features that rival PhotoShop. The one-click photo cartoonizer is a fun feature to turn a photo into a cartoon and a work of art all in one. Check out this complete how-to guide to turn your photo into a cartoon.

This free photo editor app is easy to use and full featured, with the ability to use layers, overlays, artistic masks, blur, blend, frames, or eliminate blemishes. The free version works very well, but you can also pay for an enhanced version for $4-$6/month, depending on the plan you choose.

Some features are not available in the free plan, like premium filters and enhancements.The interface is super simple. Just drag and drop a photo and begin editing. People seem to love the cartoon feature; however, some users have experienced bugs. The company recently rebranded; let’s hope they upgraded the app to go with the new name.

✅ PROS:

• One-click cartoon feature.
• Layers.
• Easy to use.
• Full-featured photo editor and text editor.
• Advanced features.
• Inexpensive

⛔️ CONS:

• No batch edit feature (yet).
• Premium features not included with the free version.

Apple Photos

17. Apple Photos

Apple Photos is another free photo editor that comes built-in to the entire Apple ecosystem, and you can use it on any device. The software is easy to use and powerful. Like most things Apple, it is based on simplicity.

Not only does the software expertly edit photos, but it includes a powerful photo organizer with automated features to group images into albums.

The early versions of Apple Photos were limited, with few usable features. However, the latest version is much more robust, and even professional photographers can use it to get the best out of their images.

Although the software has significantly improved, some users may require additional features not included with Apple Photos.

⭐️  Special Features

• Apple does not analyze your images for data (increased privacy).
• Easily sort or group photos by memories and albums.
• Filters included.
• App creates "memory" videos, automatically adding music and effects.

✅ PROS:

• View photos by Photos, Moments, Collections, or Years.
• Basic editing tools like red-eye removal, white balance, and crop so you can focus on only the section you want to see.
• Advanced features like color adjustments for saturation, hue, RGB curves, noise reduction, brilliance, highlights, shadows, and contrast.

⛔️ CONS:

• Only works on Apple devices.
• You have to pay for iCloud storage if you have a lot of photos.
• Some missing features include brushes, radial/graduated filters, no history panel, no shared presets, and missing third-party integration.
• Can't edit multiple photos at once.
• Limited exporting options.

18. Google Photos

Google also offers a free photo editing app, but they no longer offer free iCloud storage, which may seal the deal for some users. The tool lacks a few basic editing capabilities, such as red-eye removal and blemish correction.

However, the interface is easy to use, clean, and makes it easy to organize and search for photos. Google also uses AI for facial recognition to help group photos of the same person together. Although not quite as polished as other free photo editors, the app also has decent photo editing tools.

Using Google Photos, you can adjust the color, balance, and even add a vignette to your images. If you aren't comfortable making individual changes, you can try the "auto" button to edit your picture automatically. The crop and rotate features are helpful, and a dozen filters make enhancing photos fun.

⭐️  Special Features

• Built-in same-day photo printing services through Walmart or CVS.
• Google Photos' Assistant feature that creates animated collections of your favorite photos with music.

✅ PROS:

• Good interface.
• Nice features.
• Easy to use.
• Works well on Android.
• Filter and search tools to find images.

⛔️ CONS:

• iCloud storage is no longer free.
• No undo button with edits.
• Lacks basic features like blemish and red-eye removal.
• No third-party sharing integration.

How to Choose The Best Free Photo Editor?

When it comes to choosing the best photo editor software, there are many things to take into account. The top features to look at are the file formats, organizing tools, photo sharing, and standard editing tools. These items are significant for those who're interested in doing photo editing whether it is for pleasure or career.

File Formats

File formats like jpg, gif, and png are essential to have if you're uploading your photos to the Internet. These formats allow you to compress the file size of the images to publish them on the web.

Organizing Tools

Having a free online photo editor should come with tools to help keep you organized. It is essential to have features that will keep track of your photos by using thumbnail previews, search, and naming schemes.

Standard Editing Tools

Having the basics is vital to being successful at photo editing and utilizing the photo editor software of your choice. Some of the typical tools you'll need are adjusting brightness and contrast in your photos, crop, resize, and rotating the images. They should be easy to catch onto and fast to use.

Searching for how to resize images without losing quality? Follow our step-by-step guide on how to do it at no time.

Photo Sharing

We all know how eager we get to post our work and personal photos online. With the right program, it will reduce the time it'll take to upload the image online. That will decrease the need to have a photo editor software that has blogging tools to get your photos posted.

Finding the best free photo editor is what will set you apart with your photography whether it's a hobby or your career. Choose from these free online photo editor apps to enhance your photos with a few simple clicks. The best part about photo editor online software is that you don't have to break the bank with these free, high-quality programs and can do it from any device, because they are web-based.

Free Photo Editor FAQS

Below are some frequently asked questions about free photo editors.

What is the best free photo editor?

The best free photo editor for you will depend on your specific needs. There are some great options for creating and editing social media content like Canva and some powerful full-featured options for deep editing like Adobe Photoshop Express. The choice is really yours based on the interface, ease of use, and features.

What is the best photo editing software for beginners?

Many would automatically point beginners towards Adobe Photoshop. However, the interface can be overwhelming, and the program takes time to learn. We think the best photo editor for free that would work for beginners is Canva. Get your feet wet, learning the ropes there, and then move on to the more advanced programs.

What is the best free Photoshop alternative?

The best free alternative for Photoshop is GIMP. Two runners-up would be Pixlr and Colorcinch.

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