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The Adobe apps are powerful, but most of us don’t need many of their features. So, is there a way to pay less for the features that we do use? Well, I’ll do you one better, and introduce you to completely free alternatives to the most popular Adobe apps, offering all the basic features and some advanced ones.
1GIMP—The Best Free Alternative for Photoshop
GIMP is the most popular free alternative to Photoshop. It’s an open-source image manipulation program offering extensive photo editing and graphic designing features. Here’s how GIMP compares to Photoshop’s most popular features:
Non-destructive tools for color and tonal adjustments.
Hides or reveals image portions without deletion.
You can install GIMP from theMicrosoft Store.
2Inkscape—The Best Free Alternative for Illustrator
Inkscape is a leading free alternative to Illustrator. This open-source vector graphics editor includes comprehensive tools for creating scalable vector artwork. Here’s how Inkscape compares to Illustrator’s most popular features:
Not supported; manual recoloring only
Partially supported; limited control
Extracts and applies styles and colors from images.
Partially supported; clones colors only
Partially supported; manual vectors only
Tools for creating accurate perspective drawings and 3D effects.
Partially supported; basic tools
You can install Inkscape from theMicrosoft Store.
3Scribus—The Best Free Alternative for InDesign
Scribus is a popular free and open-source alternative to InDesign. The interface might look a bit dated, but it supports multiple professional publishing features such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management, and versatile PDF creation. Here’s how Scribus compares to InDesign’s most popular features:
Paragraph and Character Styles
Object Styles
Useful for applying consistent styles to objects like images and frames in creative projects.
Partially supported; basic flexibility
Drop Caps and Nested Styles
Partially supported; limited functionality
Table Creation and Management
Partially supported; basic styling
Color Management
Important for ensuring that the colors in personal projects appear as intended.
Partially supported; less intuitive
Font Management
Enables better choice and management of fonts, enhancing the aesthetic of documents.
Partially supported; basic options
you may get the download link forScribus from their official website.
4DaVinci Resolve—The Best Free Alternative for Premiere Pro
DaVinci Resolve has a free version and a paid version. I’m talking about the free version here. However, the paid version is also worth considering as it’s a one-time payment, making itmore affordablein the long run since you’re not locked into a subscription plan.
DaVinci Resolve (free version) is an outstanding alternative to Premiere Pro, especially known for its color grading and non-linear video editing capabilities. Here’s how DaVinci Resolve compares to Premiere Pro’s most popular features.
Partially Supported; manual setup necessary
Supported; using own tools
Allows easy creation and customization of graphics.
Partially Supported; needs manual input
Useful for creating content with multiple camera angles.
Supported
You can download the free version ofDaVinci Resolve from their official website.
5Blender—The Best Free Alternative for After Effects
Blender is a powerful free alternative to After Effects for 3D animation and visual effects. It supports the entire 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and motion tracking. Here’s how Blender compares to After Effects' most popular features:
Blender Feature Compatibility
Content-Aware Fill
Automatically fills in backgrounds when elements are removed from video clips.
Partially supported; via clone, heal
Partially supported; masking
Leverages GPU for faster processing and rendering of effects.
Supported; Cycles, Eevee
3D Camera Tracker
Tracks 3D camera movement in 2D footage to integrate 3D elements.
Supported; camera tracking
You can install Blender from theMicrosoft Store.
6Audacity—The Best Free Alternative for Audition
Audacity is a highly capable free alternative to Audition. It is perfect for multitrack audio editing and recording. Here’s how Audacity compares to Audition’s most popular features:
Partially supported; less flexible
Partially supported; less precise
Partially supported; basic management
Detailed spectral view for precise noise reduction and sound isolation.
Partially supported; less detailed
Advanced tools for restoring and repairing audio.
Partially supported; less sophisticated
Partially supported; limited scope
Tools for monitoring and adjusting loudness to broadcast standards.
Partially supported; basic levels
You can install Audacity from theMicrosoft Store.
7Darktable—The Best Free Alternative for Lightroom
Darktable is an advanced free alternative to Lightroom, aimed at photographers working with raw images. Here’s how Darktable compares to Lightroom’s most popular features:
Darktable Feature Compatibility
Presets
Allows hobbyists to quickly apply favorite settings and explore creative options.
Supported; Styles
Local Adjustments
Essential for fine-tuning specific parts of an image, greatly enhancing editing precision.
Supported; via modules
Important for hobbyists interested in landscape and high-dynamic range scenes.
Supported; tone curve module
Lens Blur
Adds artistic effects to images, simulating depth of field and bokeh.
Partially Supported (limited by module capability)
Includes sharpening and noise reduction, important for image clarity.
You can downloadDarktable from their official website.
Adobe offers a collection of powerful apps with incredible features, but the cost can be problematic for many users. Thankfully, these free alternatives offer almost all the basic and some advanced features to empower the creative within you. Also, depending on the scope, many of these tools can be used for professional workloads.
