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Photopea Review: Transform Your Photos Instantly in 2025!

by | Last updated Jan 22, 2026

Photopea Featured Image

Are you tired of paying for expensive editing software?

Do you wish you could have powerful photo tools without the high price?

Many creators face this problem. They need to edit photos professionally, but they don’t have the budget.

This can stop your creative projects dead in their tracks.

But what if there was a completely free option?

This Photopea Review will show you the perfect solution. We’ll explore this free online editor and see if it can truly transform your photos.

Let’s find out if Photopea is the right tool for you in 2025.

Photopea CTA
Photopea

Join over 1 million daily users who create stunning photo and image edits with Photopea, the free online editor. Click now to unlock your creativity!

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What is Photopea?

Photopea is a free online photo editor.

Think of it like Photoshop, but it runs right in your web browser.

You don’t need to download any special software.

This powerful tool enables you to edit various file types.

It can even open PSD files, which are Photoshop files.

It’s easy to use for both quick edits and large projects.

Photopea Introduction

Who Created Photopea?

Ivan Kutskir created Photopea.

He is the single developer behind this amazing tool.

Ivan started working on Photopea in 2012.

His vision was to make a powerful alternative to professional photo editing software.

He wanted people to use Photopea easily.

This meant it had to run in any browser without any downloads.

It also needed to handle different formats and let users work with layers.

He built it so everyone could edit photos for free.

Top Benefits of Photopea

  • Free and Accessible: Photopea is completely free to use and runs right in your web browser. You don’t need to download or install any software, making photo editing accessible from almost any device.
  • Powerful Features: It offers a massive range of advanced graphic and editing tools. This includes features such as layers, masks, smart objects, and blend modes, allowing you to achieve professional control.
  • Broad File Compatibility: Photopea supports opening and saving files in various popular formats, including PSD (Photoshop), JPG, GIF, and PNG. It even supports more specialized file formats, such as RAW and XCF (GIMP).
  • Familiar Interface: If you’ve ever used Photoshop or a similar photo editing program, Photopea’s interface will feel very familiar. This makes it easier to transition and start working quickly.
  • No Downloads Needed: Since it’s a web-based tool, there’s no need to upload or install anything. Open your browser, navigate to the Photopea website, and begin editing.
  • Layer-Based Editing: Work non-destructively with layers, allowing you to organize elements and make changes with ease easily. This is crucial for complex graphic design and photo manipulations.
  • Advanced Adjustments: You can make detailed color corrections and tonal adjustments using tools like Levels, Exposure, and Curves. This helps in fine-tuning the look of your images.
  • Excellent Photoshop Alternative: For many users, Photopea serves as a robust and free alternative to paid software like Photoshop or even GIMP, offering most of the essential functionalities without the cost.
Photopea Top Benefits
Youtube Video

Best Features

Photopea has many cool things.

It helps you make great designs.

These features make it special.

They help you edit pictures fast.

Let’s examine its best features now.

1. Online Photo Editor

Photopea works right in your web browser.

You don’t download any software.

Just open a tab and start.

This means you can use it anywhere.

All you need is internet access.

It is very convenient for everyone.

Photopea Online Photo Editor

2. PSD Templates

Photopea can open Photoshop files.

It also uses many PSD templates.

These are pre-made designs.

You can easily change text and pictures.

This saves you a lot of time.

It’s great for quick projects.

Photopea PSD Templates

3. Magic Wand

The Magic Wand selects areas.

It picks parts of the same color.

This helps remove backgrounds easily.

It’s a very fast selection tool.

It makes tricky edits simple.

Photopea Magic Wand

Photopea has many cool filters.

You can add special effects.

These change how your photo looks.

Blur, sharpen, and artistic filters are here.

It’s fun to try different styles.

Your images can look amazing.

Photopea Filter Gallery

5. Powerful Plugins

These add extra features.

They bring new tools to the editor.

Plugins make Photopea even stronger.

You can do more with your pictures.

This expands its capabilities greatly.

Photopea Powerful Plugins

6. Web-Based Functionality

It runs completely in your web browser, meaning you don’t have to download or install any software.

This makes it accessible from almost any device, including computers, tablets, and phones.

7. Digital Painting

Photopea is a fantastic graphics editor.

It gives you a blank canvas to start your art. The brush tool is very powerful.

You can change its size and hardness. It also has a gradient tool for smooth color transitions.

This makes it a capable tool for creating digital paintings.

photopea digital painting

8. Remove Background 1Click

This feature is very powerful and quick.

With a single click, you can get rid of a background.

This is useful for product images or poster designs. It uses smart technology to select the subject.

This makes editing faster. You can then save your edited image as a JPEG to share on Facebook or other sites.

photopea Remove Background 1Click

Pricing

Plan NamePricing (One Time Payment)
Free$0
Premium$5
Photopea Pricing

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Free, no cost.
  • Browser-based, easy access.
  • Opens Photoshop files.
  • Many powerful features.
  • It’s a great free alternative.

Cons

  • It needs good internet.
  • It can be slow sometimes.
  • Steep learning curve.
  • Ads can be distracting.

Alternatives to Photopea

  • Picsart: A very popular app for creative edits and social media graphics. It’s known for its huge library of stickers, effects, and its easy-to-use video editor.
  • Canva: A very popular design platform with tons of templates. It’s great for social media graphics and presentations, with a focus on ease of use.
  • Pixlr: A popular online photo editor with two main versions (X and E), one for quick edits and one with more advanced tools. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and AI-powered features.
  • Photoshop: The industry standard for professional image editing, with a much broader feature set and is a desktop software.
  • Fotor: This platform is known for its wide range of AI tools, including photo enhancers, object removal, and AI art generators. It’s a solid option for users who need a comprehensive suite of editing features.
  • Design Pickle: An on-demand graphic design service, not a software. It’s for businesses that need a lot of design work done quickly, from logos to social media graphics.
  • Blaze: This is the name of a smartphone brand and an AI image editor. The AI image editor is known for its ability to edit images using simple text prompts.
  • Remini: This app is a go-to for enhancing and restoring photos, especially old, blurry, or low-resolution ones. It’s known for its powerful AI photo enhancement.
  • Photoleap: A mobile app focused on advanced AI image generation and editing. It’s a good choice for users who want more creative control over their AI-generated art.
  • Pixelcut: An AI-powered photo editing app that’s great for e-commerce. It uses AI to quickly remove backgrounds and create product photos.
  • VSCO: A well-known app for its unique filters and editing presets. It’s popular with photographers who want to achieve a specific aesthetic or “look” for their photos.
  • Photoroom: A mobile-first app designed to create professional product photos. It focuses on background removal, batch editing, and creating product mockups.
  • YouCam Perfect: A popular app for portrait and selfie editing. It’s known for its beauty filters, effects, and tools to perfect your portraits.
  • Photoshop: The industry standard for professional photo editing. It offers a vast range of advanced tools for complex editing and design, but it has a steep learning curve.
  • Pixlr: A web-based photo editor that offers both a simple and an advanced version. It’s a solid choice for quick edits and is often seen as a free alternative to Photoshop.
  • Photopea: A free, web-based photo editor that’s very similar to Photoshop. It supports PSD files and is a powerful tool for those who need more advanced features.
  • Phedra: An AI image editor that lets you make complex changes to images using simple text prompts. It is not an image generator but an editor.

Photopea Compared

It’s helpful to see how Photopea stands against other popular tools.

Here’s how Photopea vs some alternatives stack up:

  • Photopea vs Picsart: Photopea offers a full Photoshop-like toolset, while Picsart is more focused on creative effects and social media editing.
  • Photopea vs Canva: Photopea provides deep photo editing control; Canva focuses on easy, template-based graphic creation for beginners.
  • Photopea vs Design Pickle: Photopea is a free DIY editor; Design Pickle is a subscription service for custom, human-powered graphic design.
  • Photopea vs Blaze: Photopea is a comprehensive web-based photo editor; Blaze is an AI image editor and less well-known.
  • Photopea vs Fotor: Photopea offers a more robust editing interface; Fotor excels in quick edits, collages, and a wide variety of templates.
  • Photopea vs Remini: Photopea is a general-purpose editor, while Remini specializes in using AI to enhance blurry or low-quality photos.
  • Photopea vs Photoleap: Photopea is a powerful web-based editor, whereas Photoleap is a mobile app known for its AI-powered art and effects.
  • Photopea vs Pixelcut: Photopea is a broad design tool; Pixelcut is a mobile app that focuses on AI-powered features for product photos.
  • Photopea vs VSCO: Photopea provides advanced editing capabilities, whereas VSCO is primarily a mobile app for applying filters and presets.
  • Photopea vs Photoroom: Photopea is a customizable editor with deep features; Photoroom is an AI tool for quick product photo creation.
  • Photopea vs YouCam Perfect: Photopea is for serious design work; YouCam Perfect is a mobile-first app for enhancing selfies and portraits.
  • Photopea vs Photoshop: Photopea is a free web-based alternative that mimics Photoshop’s interface, while Photoshop is the industry-standard, professional software.
  • Photopea vs Pixlr: Photopea supports more file formats and offers a more robust interface, while Pixlr has more AI-powered tools.
  • Photopea vs Phedra: Photopea is a traditional editor; Phedra is an AI-driven tool for editing with text or voice commands.

Personal Experience with Photopea

Our team needed a way to create graphics without spending a lot of money.

We also needed to work together. We found Photopea was a great tool for us.

We were able to work from different locations with just an internet connection.

The user interface was familiar, which was a huge help for our students.

Here are some ways Photopea helped us:

Photopea Personal Experience
  • Free Photo Editor: We did not need to buy expensive software.
  • Easy to Use: The user interface was very simple.
  • Accessible: We could use it on any computer or tablet.
  • Collaboration: We were able to share files easily. This helped our team work together on one poster or event graphic.
  • High-Quality Output: We made professional-looking illustrations and designs.
  • Powerful Features: We used adjustment layers to change highlights and shadows in our pictures.
  • Learning Resources: The tutorials on YouTube and the site were very helpful.

Final Thoughts

Photopea is a truly amazing tool.

For our team, it was a great example of how a free, web-based editor can handle big tasks.

It allows you to log in, save your data, and create high-quality graphics.

You can easily paste elements, scale them, and adjust the contrast.

It works on any page or browser, from Chrome to Safari.

It is a great resource to teach yourself design skills without spending money.

The biggest challenge might be the advertisements.

So, should you “buy” Photopea? It’s free!

You can use it without creating an account. Dive in and try it today.

It’s a perfect solution for anyone needing a powerful, accessible editor without the cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Photopea safe to use?

Yes. Photopea is extremely safe because it runs locally in your browser. Your files are not uploaded to a server for processing, keeping your data private. It’s a trusted tool used by millions globally.

Is Photopea really free?

It is. You get access to the full suite of professional tools without spending a cent. The platform is supported by a single sidebar ad. It’s the ultimate “no-catch” creative software.

How much does Photopea cost?

The core version is $0. If you hate ads, a Premium account costs around $5 per month. This subscription also grants you extra storage and AI-powered features. Most users stick to the free version.

Can I use Photopea offline?

Surprisingly, yes. Once you load the website, the code stays in your browser cache. You can lose your internet connection and keep editing without a hitch. It works like a local app.

Is Photopea better than Canva?

It depends on your goal. Canva is for quick templates and social media. Photopea is for serious, layer-based manipulation. If you want Photoshop-level control for free, Photopea wins every time.

How has Photopea not been sued?

The creator, Ivan Kutskir, wrote the entire program from scratch. It doesn’t use any of Adobe’s proprietary code. Emulating a layout and supporting file formats like .PSD is perfectly legal under current software laws.

Do professionals use Photopea?

Absolutely. While agencies use the Adobe suite, many freelancers and designers use Photopea for quick edits or when working on guest machines. It’s powerful enough for professional-grade production work.

More Facts about Photopea

  • What is it? Photopea is a free website for editing photos. It is a great choice for students, beginners, or anyone who doesn’t want to pay for expensive software.
  • How it works: You don’t have to download anything to your computer. It works right in your web browser (like Chrome or Safari) on Windows, Mac, or even phones.
  • The Photoshop Connection: It looks and feels almost exactly like Adobe Photoshop. This makes it easy to use if you have used Photoshop before.
  • Files it uses: It works perfectly with PSD files (Photoshop files). It can also open over 40 other file types, such as RAW photos from cameras, PDFs, and files from Illustrator or Sketch.
  • Internet needs: You need the internet to load the page, but once it opens, you can keep working even if your Wi-Fi goes out. However, if you close the tab before saving, your work will be gone!
  • Tools you get: It includes many pro tools, such as layers, masks, and brushes. You can use it to crop photos, change colors, or make posters.
  • The AI gap: While it has some smart tools, it isn’t as fast or powerful as Photoshop when it comes to the newest AI features. Some edits might not look as “perfect” as they would in Photoshop.
  • Speed and Power: Because it runs on a website, it might be a bit slower than a normal computer program. It can also struggle if you try to edit a giant file with hundreds of layers.
  • Is it really free? Yes! The free version has ads on the side of the screen. If you want to hide the ads and get faster support, you can pay for a “Premium” account. Prices usually start around $5 per month for one person, though group plans for many users can cost more.
  • Learning to use it: There are many free YouTube videos that teach you how to use the tools. Many people learn best by just playing around with the buttons and making their own projects.
  • Saving your work: You can save your finished pictures as JPEGs, PNGs, or many other formats to share with friends or turn in for school.
  • Professional use: It is amazing for quick edits or people on a budget. However, top-tier professional photographers still usually prefer Photoshop because it is faster and has more advanced 3D and AI tools.

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