In a world increasingly reliant on digital creativity and productivity tools, Adobe has become a dominant force, offering a wide range of products from graphic design to video editing and document management. However, due to concerns about subscription costs, user privacy, and the high likelyhood they will take all your work and use it however they want without ever asking you, many are now seeking for alternatives.
This article aims to list as many viable alternatives to Adobe products as possible, focusing on those that respect user rights and offer competitive features without the heavy price tag.
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the go-to software for photo editing and graphic design, but it comes with a high price tag and a new ToS that makes your work adobe’s work. Fortunately, several alternatives offer similar tools:
- GIMP: The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a free, open-source photo editor that provides a wide range of tools similar to Photoshop. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Affinity Photo: A one-time purchase alternative that offers professional-grade photo editing tools. It’s available on Windows and MacOS, with a robust set of features that rival Photoshop.
- Krita: Primarily aimed at digital painting and illustration, Krita is another free, open-source option that can also handle photo editing tasks. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- PaintTool SAI: Used by most artists who do drawing for a living, this tool is fairly priced and has a one time payment.
Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular video editing software, but it can be expensive(and buggy). Here are some alternatives that provide similar capabilities:
- KDEnlive: Personal recommendation from me, this program is what I use on a daily basis for video editing.
- DaVinci Resolve: A professional-grade video editing and color correction software available for free, with a paid Studio version that offers additional features. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- HitFilm Express: A free video editor that also includes visual effects tools. The pro version adds more advanced features, but the free version is quite capable on its own. Available on Windows and MacOS.
- Lightworks: A professional video editing software available in a free version with some limitations, and a more feature-rich pro version. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Substance Painter
Substance painter used to be a beloved tool before adobe bought it. Price was fair, no subscription, students could easily get access to a free license, etc. If like many you were let down by it after, there are a bunch of alternatives still:
- ArmorPaint: An open-source 3D painting software designed for physically-based rendering (PBR). It allows users to paint directly on 3D models and offers real-time feedback.
- Mari: Developed by Foundry, is a high-end digital 3D painting and texturing software used extensively in the film and game industries. It provides advanced tools for texture artists.
- Quixel Mixer: Mixer is a free texturing tool that is part of the Quixel Suite. It allows users to mix and blend textures and materials using a non-destructive workflow.
- 3D-Coat: 3D-Coat is a versatile 3D software that combines sculpting, UV mapping, retopology, and texturing. It is particularly known for its powerful painting and texturing capabilities.
- Blender: A swiss knife of 3D tools, blender is a bit simplistic and limited when it comes to texture, but has been getting better with each version
Illustrator
For vector graphics and illustration, Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard, but several alternatives can serve as excellent replacements:
- Inkscape: A free, open-source vector graphics editor that provides many of the same tools as Illustrator. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Affinity Designer: Like its counterpart Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer is a one-time purchase and offers professional-grade vector graphics tools on Windows and MacOS.
- CorelDRAW: A veteran in the field of vector graphics, CorelDRAW offers powerful tools and is available as a one-time purchase or through a subscription model. It’s available on Windows and MacOS.
Acrobat DC
Adobe Acrobat DC is widely used for PDF creation and editing, but nowadays a lot of other programs can do the same:
- PDF-XChange Editor: A powerful PDF editor that offers a free version with many features, and a paid version with even more advanced tools. Available on Windows.
- Foxit PhantomPDF: A robust PDF editor available as a one-time purchase or through a subscription model. It’s available on Windows and MacOS.
- LibreOffice Draw: Part of the free, open-source LibreOffice suite, Draw allows you to create and edit PDFs. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Firefox: Technically a browser, it also has the ability to open and edit PDFs, although only in a very basic way.
After Effects
Adobe After Effects is the go-to software for motion graphics and visual effects, but there are some alternatives worth considering.
- Natron: An open-source compositing software that offers many of the same features as After Effects. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Blender: Primarily known as a 3D modeling software, Blender also has powerful motion graphics and visual effects capabilities. It’s free and open-source, available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Fusion: Part of the DaVinci Resolve suite, Fusion offers advanced visual effects and motion graphics tools. It’s available as part of the DaVinci Resolve Studio package.
Lightroom
For photo management and editing, Adobe Lightroom is a popular choice, but alternatives can provide similar functionality without the subscription cost:
- Darktable: A free, open-source photography workflow application and raw developer, similar to Lightroom. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- RawTherapee: Another free, open-source raw image processing software that offers a range of powerful tools for photo editing. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Luminar: A one-time purchase photo editor that offers AI-powered tools for enhancing photos. It’s available on Windows and MacOS.
InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a leading desktop publishing software, but there are alternatives that can handle similar tasks:
- Scribus: A free, open-source desktop publishing software that offers many of the same features as InDesign. It’s available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- Affinity Publisher: A professional-grade desktop publishing software available as a one-time purchase. It’s available on Windows and MacOS.
- Marq(Formely Lucidpress): A web-based desktop publishing software that offers a range of templates and tools for creating professional-quality documents. It’s available through a subscription model.
By exploring these alternatives, users can find tools that meet their needs without being tied to Adobe’s subscription model. Whether for graphic design, video editing, or document management, there are plenty of options available that respect user privacy and offer powerful features.
