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55 free, legit replacements for 18 paid apps. Each one says what it replaces, what the free version limits, and whether it's safe to install.

Checked October 2026

What are you paying for now?

$0a year you could keep. Tick the apps you pay for.
ESTABLISHED years of use, large community SOLID newer, from a known company EARLY ALPHA brand-new, expect bugs, back up your files

Free alternatives toPhotoshop

~$23/mo$0.00

  • Affinity

    Canva's former paid suite, free since October 2025. Opens PSD files and combines photo, vector and layout tools. Needs a free Canva account; AI tools need Canva Pro.

    WindowsMaciPad
    ESTABLISHED

  • Photopea

    Photoshop-style editor in a browser tab, nothing to install. Opens PSDs faithfully. Free with ads; about $5/mo removes them.

    Browser
    ESTABLISHED

  • GIMP 3

    The original open-source image editor, modernized with the 3.0 release. Powerful, with a steeper learning curve.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Krita

    Open-source painting app built for illustrators and concept artists. Excellent brushes, layers and PSD support.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Pixlr

    Quick browser photo editor for crops, cutouts and fixes. Free with ads and limited AI credits.

    BrowserMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • PhotoCraft (ArtCraft)

    October 2026's viral AI-built Photoshop clone, part of a free 7-app Adobe rebuild. Fun to try, not ready for client work.

    DesktopBrowserOpen source
    EARLY ALPHA

Free alternatives toIllustrator

~$23/mo$0.00

  • Affinity

    Its vector tools are a direct Illustrator rival, free with no subscription.

    WindowsMaciPad
    ESTABLISHED

  • Inkscape

    Open-source vector editor built around SVG. Great for logos, icons and Cricut-style cut files.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toInDesign

~$23/mo$0.00

  • Affinity

    Includes the former Affinity Publisher layout tools for books, magazines and flyers.

    WindowsMaciPad
    ESTABLISHED

  • Scribus

    Open-source desktop publishing with print-ready PDF export.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toCanva Pro

$15/mo$0.00

  • Canva Free

    Many people don't need Pro. The free plan keeps thousands of templates; you lose brand kits, premium stock and the background remover.

    BrowserMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • Adobe Express (free plan)

    Template-based social graphics with a generous free plan and some free AI image generation.

    BrowserMobile
    SOLID

  • Microsoft Designer

    AI-assisted graphics and social posts, free with a Microsoft account.

    BrowserMobile
    SOLID

Free alternatives toFigma Professional

paid seats$0.00

  • Figma (free plan)

    Solo designers can often stay on the free Starter plan; limits apply to files and team features.

    BrowserWindowsMac
    ESTABLISHED

  • Penpot

    Open-source design and prototyping. Free on penpot.app or self-hosted.

    BrowserOpen source
    SOLID

Free alternatives toLightroom

~$12/mo$0.00

  • darktable

    Open-source RAW developer and photo library. The closest free Lightroom workflow.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • RawTherapee

    Open-source RAW processing with strong detail and color tools.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • digiKam

    Open-source photo manager for huge libraries, tags, faces and basic edits.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • LightCraft (ArtCraft)

    AI-built Lightroom clone from the same viral project. RAW support is still incomplete.

    DesktopOpen source
    EARLY ALPHA

Free alternatives toPremiere Pro

~$23/mo$0.00

  • DaVinci Resolve

    Hollywood-grade editing, color and audio. The free version has no watermark and no time limit.

    WindowsMacLinux
    ESTABLISHED

  • Kdenlive

    Open-source multitrack editor. Lighter than Resolve, runs on modest computers.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Shotcut

    Simple open-source editor, good for quick cuts and YouTube videos.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • OpenShot

    Beginner-friendly open-source editor with drag-and-drop titles and effects.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toCapCut Pro

varies by region$0.00

  • CapCut (free plan)

    The free plan still exports 1080p and covers most short-form edits.

    WindowsMacMobileBrowser
    SOLID

  • DaVinci Resolve

    More to learn, but no watermark and far more control for vertical video.

    WindowsMacLinux
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toFinal Cut Pro

$299.99 once$0.00

  • iMovie

    Free on every Mac and iPhone. Enough for family videos and simple edits.

    MaciPhone
    ESTABLISHED

  • DaVinci Resolve

    The pro-level free option when you outgrow iMovie.

    MacWindowsLinux
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toAfter Effects

~$23/mo$0.00

  • Blender

    Open-source 3D, motion graphics and compositing with a huge tutorial community.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Fusion in DaVinci Resolve

    Node-based effects and titles built into free Resolve.

    WindowsMacLinux
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toAudition

~$23/mo$0.00

  • Audacity

    Open-source audio editor for podcasts, voiceovers and cleanup.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • ocenaudio

    Fast, simple audio editor with real-time effect previews.

    WindowsMacLinux
    ESTABLISHED

  • Fairlight in DaVinci Resolve

    Full mixing and audio post inside free Resolve.

    WindowsMacLinux
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toFL Studio & Logic Pro

$199+ once$0.00

  • BandLab Studio

    Free browser and mobile studio with unlimited tracks and built-in instruments.

    BrowserMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • GarageBand

    Free on Mac, iPhone and iPad. The easiest place to start.

    MaciPhoneiPad
    ESTABLISHED

  • LMMS

    Open-source beat-making with a pattern editor that feels close to FL Studio.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Cakewalk Sonar (free tier)

    Full Windows DAW with a free core; some premium extras need a BandLab membership.

    Windows
    SOLID

Free alternatives toAdobe Acrobat Pro

$19.99/mo$0.00

  • PDF24 Creator

    Free for private and commercial use, works offline on Windows; web tools for everyone else.

    WindowsBrowser
    ESTABLISHED

  • PDFgear

    Free desktop PDF editor with no watermark and no advertised file limits.

    WindowsMacMobile
    SOLID

  • Stirling PDF

    Open-source PDF toolkit you can self-host: merge, split, OCR, convert.

    BrowserSelf-hostOpen source
    SOLID

  • PDFsam Basic

    Open-source split, merge and rotate with no watermark.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Apple Preview

    Built into every Mac: sign, fill forms, annotate and reorder pages.

    Mac
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toMicrosoft 365

~$10/mo$0.00

  • LibreOffice

    Open-source Word, Excel and PowerPoint replacements. Opens and saves Office files.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Google Docs, Sheets & Slides

    Free with a Google account, real-time sharing, opens Office files.

    BrowserMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • ONLYOFFICE Desktop

    Free desktop editors with an interface very close to Microsoft Office.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    SOLID

  • ArtCraft Office clones

    AI-built Word, Excel and PowerPoint clones from the ArtCraft developer. Brand-new; keep backups.

    Desktop
    EARLY ALPHA

Free alternatives toNotion Plus

~$10/mo$0.00

  • Obsidian

    Local-first markdown notes with a huge plugin library. Free for personal use.

    WindowsMacLinuxMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • AppFlowy

    Open-source Notion-style workspace you can self-host.

    WindowsMacLinuxMobileOpen source
    SOLID

  • Logseq

    Open-source outliner for daily notes and linked thinking.

    WindowsMacLinuxMobileOpen source
    SOLID

  • Anytype

    Local, end-to-end encrypted Notion-style app. Still maturing.

    WindowsMacLinuxMobile
    SOLID

Free alternatives toGrammarly Premium

~$12/mo$0.00

  • LanguageTool (free)

    Grammar and spelling checker for 30+ languages with a solid free browser extension.

    BrowserWindowsMac
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives toZoom Pro

~$15/mo$0.00

  • Jitsi Meet

    Open-source video calls in the browser, no account needed.

    BrowserMobileOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • Google Meet (free)

    Free with a Google account; group calls are time-limited.

    BrowserMobile
    ESTABLISHED

  • Zoom (free plan)

    The free plan still works for short group calls with a time cap.

    WindowsMacMobile
    ESTABLISHED

Free alternatives to1Password

~$3/mo$0.00

  • Bitwarden

    Open-source password manager with unlimited passwords and devices on the free plan.

    BrowserWindowsMacLinuxMobileOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

  • KeePassXC

    Offline, open-source vault stored on your own computer.

    WindowsMacLinuxOpen source
    ESTABLISHED

The Friday Free Swap

One email a week: new free tools, price hikes to dodge, and which AI-built apps are actually usable yet.

Sponsor a category

Make a tool for creators, editors or small teams? One sponsor slot per category, shown at the top of that list.