# Page 9 | GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 9 - Is GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) the right Graphic Design solution for you? Explore 3495 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/reviews --- GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) 4.4 (3495) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/168960/GIMP/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 9 - Reviews of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 201-225 of 3495 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Badari G. Self employed Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "When open source can compete" May 17, 2022 5.0 Using this software for many years now, originally started on Linux, then as Windows became my main OS I kept this tool for typically smaller editing tasks. It is stable, frequently updated and there is a large community behind it to give you support. Pros Free since it is open source, it has frequent updates and available on Linux. There is no significant difference between the Linux and Windows version. Cons Launching the tool is a little bit slow, especially on low-end or old machines. Some functions like red eye correction needs to be learned compared to non-free competitor products. Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Wanted to use a tool available on Linux Review Source DO David O. Art Director Packaging and Containers Used the software for: 2+ years ### "More economical alternative to Photoshop" January 27, 2022 4.0 Pros I like that GIMP has all of the features of Photoshop but without the need to subscribe to Adobe's Creative Suite. It is a fully functional and professional image editing application and it doesn't cost a thing other than the value of the users time in learning the app. Time is money but you can afford to use a lot of time before you come to the cost of a Photoshop subscription. GIMP is a full blown image/photo manipulation app that at the very least keeps up with Photoshop but at some times beats Photoshop to the punch with new editing features. Even if you prefer Photoshop, GIMP is a valuable tool to keep in the belt. Cons I do prefer Photoshop's user interface when compared to GIMP. That is likely due to my 30 years of experience in using Adobe products not so much a function of a problem with GIMP. For instance, I prefer the layout of Quark Express over Indesign. That doesn't mean that Indesign has interface issues. It largely means that I have worked with Quark much more and just know the ins and outs better. The same is the case with Photoshop when compared to GIMP. If I were able to turn back the clock, a free GIMP program would be awfully tempting to learn over an expensive Photoshop app. Alternatives considered [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Reason for choosing GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) I didn't really choose it over Photoshop. I use both. Review Source Salvador S. Technical Editor Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "GIMP is an amazing freeware that packs a punch" September 18, 2018 5.0 Since I began using GIMP, I've had a lot of fun creating various edited photos and have used it for graphic design as well. I think it is a great program for anyone from beginner to advanced level. I'd highly recommend using GIMP as a starting point if you are considering going into any creative field where you think you might need image editing experience. Pros I don't even know where to start. There are basically limitless functions with more being written almost daily. Plug ins are plentiful if you scour the web and you can find so many great tutorials to teach what you don't already know. I've never really had the money to be able to afford the adobe suite for my personal life, so I rely on freeware programs such as GIMP to do much of my personal work. There is a huge community out there that can assist you with finding exactly what you need to tackle whatever project you have at hand. Cons Honestly, there isn't much I don't like about GIMP. If i had to say one thing, is that it is resource intense. Your computer may run slower when using GIMP if you have an older or less powerful PC. This is the only issue I really have with GIMP, but you could say the same about virtually any program like it on the market today. Review Source PattyD P. impiegato Environmental Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Alternativa gratuita " July 31, 2023 4.0 Buon prodotto, migliorabile ma comunque con tutte le istruzioni basilari Pros Ottima alternativa gratuita al più blasonato concorrente. Permette di fare le stesse cose, almeno le basilari con piccole differenze di impostazione generale. Cons L'unica funzionalità che mi piacerebbe trovare è quella che permette di estrarre un fotogramma da un video e lavorarlo Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) La vecchia versione di Photoshop che possedevo non era più supportata e la mia azienda forniva questo SW per i piccoli lavori di grafica che possono presentarsi in ufficio Review Source GE Grant E. Systems Analyst Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "GIMP - Great product at a great price." January 21, 2022 5.0 I am very pleased with it and use it many times a week. It has become my main image manipulation program. Pros Although there is a bit of a learning curve, I love the fact that GIMP does everything that Photoshop did for me, but for a lot less money. Cons Like Photoshop, you sometimes have to look around to find what you want to do. Also, it wants to save everything to its own picture format, so you have to export, instead of save. There is a quick save though, if you are editing a file you already created, and it saves as whatever it previously was saved as. Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Adobe was very expensive and similar to Microsoft, is always updating the software and trying to get you to buy the newest version. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Transcriptionist Arts and Crafts Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great Free Alternative to Adobe Photoshop" December 6, 2018 5.0 Again, not many complaints for Gimp. I was so happy to find this free software and it is really amazing that there is a tech community willing to keep this free and updated as much as possible. Even if they had to charge a little fee in the future, I may just pay the fee because this program has been so useful to me. Pros This software is completely free, first of all. It runs and updates through software engineers donating their time and minds to the project. I read a lot of reviews before loading it onto my tablet because I didn't want to waste what little space I had on the hard drive. I came across some reviews that said Gimp was not user-intuitive, that there is a lot of manual work for the user. Personally, I find the program to be so similar to Photoshop that a non-techie like me has pretty much all the knowledge to use the program from the beginning. Same dark tinted workspace, same tools and their placement. I kind of was able to dive right into the program without having to stumble around too much. My favorite feature, ability to cut pieces of images out and paste elsewhere, and transparent layers. Great program. Thumbs up. Cons I suppose something that seemed odd in reviews is that it doesn't have an extensive user manual. It's not a totally known program so there are many forums on tech support for the software. Most of the help, I read, would be from non-English speakers so I will have to start translating soon when I need help with an issue. One thing that I did notice - and this is being picky - is that there is no smoother tool, or at least I have not readily discovered it yet. It's a minor thing but that tool has saved me in AI when my hands weren't all too steady. BUT I found that you can just press shift and bring the paint tool across to whereever to make straight lines. It doesn't help much with curves but still something. Review Source Robert R. Mechanical Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free and Excellent Software for Painting and and Creating Digital Art" August 2, 2018 5.0 I don't deserve this wonderful, free, versatile program. It's nice to paint without being a pirate or throwing a ton at something pretty much equivalent. I've made some cool stuff this with Gimp. Pros i love this program. And it's free. FREEEEE! No student versions or trial periods. I've been using Gimp to create digital art for years and it as good as any program I've used. Used with a Wacom tablet, I can do rough sketches, fine line work, and final coloring. Full features brushes, color selection, pressure sensitivity, etc. Layers are very versatile, and I can create masks, copy and merge masks and layers. Selection tool is powerful and can grow and manipulate the selection. Colors can be corrected. On and on and on. Cons My Wacom tablet flakes out a lot, where I lose pressure sensitivity when first opening the program and have to close and restart. I wish GIMP was a better at selection and gap closing, so I can do color fills without needing my line work to be perfect. Tools to help improve lineart would be nice. Clean up noise, smooth, etc. Would like different tools to creating strait, same-thickness lines. Vectors and path strokes take a lot of effort. Review Source LD Leah D. Author/Designer Fine Art Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Inexpensive Photoshop Dupe" May 14, 2022 4.0 GIMP makes it easy to edit photos, design logos or banners for businesses or websites. Pros GIMP is easy to use, there's no guesswork about the tools or their functions. You get a good deal of the function Photoshop offers for a fraction of the price. There are very few 2D design projects that I take on that I can't use GIMP for. Cons There could be more development into the software itself. While it has the majority of features you'd use Photoshop for there are some that are lacking. Updates with new features would be nice as well. Alternatives considered [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)[Picnic](https://www.capterra.com/p/153330/Picnic/) Reason for choosing GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Price and value Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Price Review Source Steve P. CEO Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best image editor on the planet, bar none!" February 8, 2018 5.0 GIMP is my go to for any image editing, be it cropping a picture for size or looks, building a new logo, replacing lettering with a static image, or snapping a mockup. It is indispensable as a design tool. Pros I rated support at 5 stars due to the absolutely massive online open source community both assisting with and writing extensions for GIMP. There is no paid version (that I know of) nor is there formal support, but said community takes care of all that. GIMP is a drop in replacement for Photoshop, only turbo-charged with infinitely more options. Cons The only drawback to the GIMP, like any image editor, is the steep learning curve - this is more a function of what it's used for, though, and not of the software. There are tooltips for every function and a painstakingly thorough man page to help, not to mention online forums. Review Source Daniel K. Founder Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "GIMP can save you time and money" January 10, 2022 4.0 A very reliable tool in unix enviroments Pros GIMP it's free and freely available. It has many powerful image editing features, and I use it to manipulate PNG, JPG and even PSD almost every week. Cons It's not user friendly, and is not as feature-rich as it's Adobe Photoshop, but I like it anyways Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) I needed something easy to deploy, simpler thant Adobe Photoshop but better than MS Paint Review Source RdD Rodrigo de D. Director Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The most value for your projects" January 26, 2022 5.0 GIMP has a learning curve very similar to its competitor, providing if not all of the same features, very close to it. The software works on Windows, Linux, and Macs. It is easy to install and ensured to perform only its intended purpose since its code is open to public scrutiny and audit, no unexpected and undesirable surprises in installing it. Pros I use GIMP since 1998, in its early version. GIMP is the perfect option for illustrators and designers that want to be on a budget or have no budget at all for software acquisition. It has all the main features of its competitor save some specific features that may be available as a plugin. Besides the software, there is also an active community featuring users and developers that exchange ideas, improvements, and how-to's very often. Cons The only thing that still bugs me is a lack of native support for the CMYK color space. Reason for choosing GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) The value the software has for its price and the auditable code ensure no undesirable surprises. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer ICT Systems Coordinator Music Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Open-source and feature-filled, Photoshop step aside!" July 23, 2019 5.0 Pros I liked that due to the software’s open-source licencing there was no need to purchase the software, even in a business setting – simply download from the website and install to use. There is a large team of developers based around the world maintaining and updating the software. Tutorials are available on the software’s website to train in using the UI and other features, which I found very helpful in my learning journey. There is a large selection of brush configurations and variations available for drawing, sketching, etc. Almost all features that can be found in other big-name picture editing software are present in GIMP, with plugins available to add more features if required. Cons I did find that there was a learning curve to understanding the UI and features of GIMP as I had previous experience with Photoshop and there some differences between the UI of the two products. This meant I had to relearn several key keyboard shortcuts and new menu items; however, this won’t be an issue for new users and it was relatively easy to acclimatise myself to GIMP with frequent use. Like many other open-source software packages support is somewhat lacking, with only forums and social media to rely on – however I haven’t had any issues so far and have not required any support. Review Source VK Valentin K. Head of Finance and Corporate Relations Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A gem under many alternatives" October 8, 2023 5.0 I have used it for Integration of several files for a physical flyer (2500 printed pieces) and for private projects to for example create a logo and social media posts for my sports team and many other ocassions. I have always loved GIMP and would not ditch it for any alternative, especially for its value. Pros \- free to use- many functional similarities to Adobe Photoshop, often contemplorary to each other (e.g. our marketing department uses both and is very happy)- Plugin support like for G\`MIC Cons \- A little bit less intuitive than PSD, espcecially when I used it for the first times- Maybe an AI tool :) Switched from [Paint.NET](https://www.capterra.com/p/237986/PaintNET/) Limitations of Paint.NET, especially with effects Review Source YO Yehanny O. Fullstack Developer Online Media Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Free Image Processor " April 21, 2022 4.0 Pros It has almost same features as Photoshop but in a free version, you can Scale, Crop, Add effects or filters to your image and even export it as almost any format adding the extention to the file like: .jpg, .png, .gif, .png, .webp and so on Cons You may find hard sometimes to use the interface and mostly if you are use to use Photoshop but is a great choice if you just want a basic edits to your images in a professional way. Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Because is free and I get almost the same results as the other software Review Source Davi F. UX UI Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I'be been using linux for 10+ years. I still cannot use GIMP as my main image editing software" January 17, 2022 4.0 I am a heavy Linux user. I'm typing this review on a Debian. For me, GIMP is the best tool for editing images...on Linux. Pros The software is constantly increasing its features. The team understand that they have a long way to go to beat Photoshop as the mainstream choice. Cons I remember the very first day that I've decided to use GIMP professionally. I spent 1h editing a photo, then the program suddenly close. At the time, there wasn't an auto-save option. One of the managers that knew that I was trying GIMP promptly said something like "this is why we pick the mainstream". If GIMP decided to set up everything to reduce the hassle to those who are familiar with photoshop. I believe that it will drastically improve the number of active users. GIMP is a tool, and professionals don't like spending time to learn new tools Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Because Linux Review Source Haris M. Manager Accounts Chemicals Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "GIMP: The Utlimate Choice of Photographer & Graphic Designers " May 10, 2021 5.0 I am using GIMP for almost 2 years for photo editing and graphic designing and i always found it helpful and easy to use software. I have no doubt to say that its a complete alternative of adobe Photoshop because it has all the necessary tools, features and plugins which a software need. Pros GIMP is a very easy to use and free of cost software which are helping photographers and designers around the world in doing there business. The software suits both small and large scale businesses as it provides full support and professional experience to the users. GIMP also supports multiple OS and you can also save your graphics and images in different formats. The interface of the software is very easy and one can easily understand all its features and tools. Cons As a free open source software i think GIMP has all the necessary features, tools and plugins which a professional image editor requires to complete any of their task. So in my opinion there are no cons in this incredible software. Review Source MR Micalen R. Freelancer Computer Games Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GIMP- A Powerful Graphic Design Tool " June 5, 2024 5.0 Overall GIMP is a great and cost effective choice to create vector graphics. Pros GIMP is really great for image editing and creating bit maps and texture maps from already created images. The tools offered by GIMP are very useful when designing vector graphics. Cons While GIMP is great, it does lack more premium features offered by other graphic design tools. Switched from [Affinity Photo](https://www.capterra.com/p/228748/Affinity-Photo/)[PhotoScape X](https://www.capterra.com/p/198207/PHOTOSCAPE-X/)[Affinity Designer](https://www.capterra.com/p/110533/WebPlus-X4/)[Vectr](https://www.capterra.com/p/168957/Vectr/)[Framer](https://www.capterra.com/p/178917/Framer/) GIMP had the tools I was needing at the time. Review Source GS Gregory S. Founder Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "An Honest Review of Gi,p" March 13, 2023 5.0 Image editing software like GIMP is used for social media, advertising, postcards, flyers, and other commonplace items. The platform takes care of the requirement for brand coherence across both analog and digital channels. GIMP also offers straightforward capabilities for picture stacking when creating a complex brand portfolio or a brochure.Costs and BenefitsYou can manipulate any kind of image with GIMP's many available tools, and you can export your work in any required format.Everything about GIMP is really easy, so even a novice user can quickly layer photos or make one transparent.Sometimes it takes a bit for GIMP to load, especially when new font types are being downloaded. Pros Gimp can help you make occasional modifications to your graphics without the cost of more expensive software. Cons Gimp is not a very basic program. A steep learning curve, crashing and freezing, and reliability can become frustrating. Review Source Josh C. Owner Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great image editing software for free but with learning curve." October 7, 2021 5.0 GIMP is by far the most comprehensive free image editing software with a large user community that is willing to help and so many features that it could take a long time to learn it well. Pros The best thing first is that it is open source and free. If you can do it with photoshop you can probably do it with GIMP. They update quite often and add a lot to it. There is a big user base so there are all kinds of videos online to get help. Cons I hadn't used much photo software but need it sometimes in web design and I am definitely not fantastic with it. Like Photoshop there are so many things you can do with it that the learning curve can be quite large. It also has a funk way to export to regular type images though easy when you know what you are doing. Alternatives considered [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) Reason for choosing GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) GIMP is totally free and does almost everything that photoshop does. Both have a large learning curve so why not learn the cheap one. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer CTO Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An excellent image editing tool" April 6, 2022 5.0 A great product with premium software features, very easy to use and with great potential that will help you in your day-to-day design. Pros Its ease of use and the fact that it is a free software tool gives it the necessary power to be able to use the software safely and reliably, it has great stability and consumes few resources Cons It is a tool that has given what I really need in terms of editing, I can't find significant elements of improvement. Only one pattern database could be included in a given case. Review Source Mirza S. Software Tester Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A very powerful open source image editor!" May 19, 2022 5.0 I use it very often, to make flyers for meetups, to create memes, infographics for blog posts, etc, it takes a bit of time to get used to it, but it can be very useful once you become comfortable. Pros It's open-source so it's completely free, it has almost all of the features that very similar paid tools have - most of those are very expensive. Cons Since it's an open-source project, the user experience is not on the same level as the paid competitors, which is understandable, but still, I wish it was a bit more user-friendly and visually appealing. Reason for choosing GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) It's free! Switched from [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/) The price. Review Source Kevin W. Supply Chain Manager Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Open-Source Alternative to Adobe Photoshop" May 12, 2022 5.0 I'll be honest. Photoshop is just plain better in every way than GIMP. That said, it costs and arm and a leg. If you're a professional, you should use the professional software. For all of us amateurs who like to dabble, GIMP is the way to go. It offers most of the same Photoshop functionality. The features it does have work perfectly. As long as you're not hoping to use any advanced AI image edits, you can't go wrong with GIMP. Pros It's free, plain and simple. Offers significantly more photo editing features than Paint.net, Photoshop Express, or other cheap/free options. Great option for those just starting out Cons GIMP is missing some of the newest features included in Photoshop. That may or may not be important to you. Photoshop's GUI is a little more intuitive. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Project Development Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "GIMP a low cost alternative of Photoshop" December 15, 2019 5.0 Overall GIMP is worth it. It is an open source so one should not perfect features but it still a best free alternative of Photoshop. Pros GIMP is a free image editing software. Over the years, it has improved a lot. The best features in GIMP is its filters which can make GIMP a best alternative of Photoshop. The filters like Gaussian blur, Artistic, Edge Detect make things alot easier in editing a photo. Additionally, the photos can also be exported into multiple formats. Another cool feature in GIMP is its layers which make it alot easier to overlay editing on an original photo. Cons The cons of this software is that it is not as popular as Photoshop so there is a shortage of Youtube tutorials. That makes the learning process quite long. Sometimes, just to do something basic takes quite some time. The new GIMP 2.10.8 is quite stable but its various windows are still detachable. So if a user accidentally drags a mouse across a panel, it is easier to knock off a window away from the main editing window. Then that specific panel/window may even disappear. So to restore that, a user would have to reset all the settings. Review Source Mohamed H. CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Unleash your creativity with GIMP " September 22, 2018 4.0 I really love gimp, I used it for years now , to accomplish many things for many purposes and it still my go to photo editing software. Pros I used GIMP for years now as a substitute for other paid editing softwares and i gotta admit, it provided all my needs and more. Few years before, I used to work as environment designer in a horror game, I created and edited most textured with gimp and I was astonished with the results I got got. The interface is familiar to anyone who is used to editing . It provided all the necessary tools u will ever need. It has a great customer support and community. Small size for what it does, easy to download and setup. No pop ups or "enter credit card to use" totally free. Now, I own a marketing agency, and I use gimp for all my photo editing and designing. Its my go to to get the job done in a professional way. Cons \-Back when I used to be an environment designer, I struggled in integrating Gimp with some texturing and sculpting softwares. -doesn't offer a rendering option for 3D designing purposes - The insert text tool and everything about it needs an update. It feels outdated, not practical enough and doesn't match todays standards, needs more fonts and options to play with it. I personally use other softwares to create all my texts then import them into gimp. I rather not jump between softwares to be honest. - The interface might need an update too in terms of look not faction Review Source QN Quincy N. Founder Consumer Goods Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Cheap and effective image editing software - basic but gets the job done " May 27, 2024 3.0 My overall experience with GIMP has been positive, appreciating its powerful, flexible tools and extensive customization options. However, the steep learning curve and occasionally cluttered interface can be challenging. Despite these hurdles, GIMP's capabilities as a free, open-source software make it a valuable asset for image editing and design. Pros What I like most about GIMP is its incredible flexibility and power as a free, open-source software. The ability to customize the interface to suit my workflow is invaluable, allowing me to arrange tools and panels exactly how I like them. GIMP’s extensive feature set means I can handle everything from simple photo retouching to complex image compositions without needing to invest in expensive software. Cons What I like least about GIMP is its steep learning curve. The sheer number of features and options can be overwhelming for new users, making it challenging to navigate and utilize the software effectively without spending significant time learning its intricacies. Additionally, the interface, while customizable, can sometimes feel cluttered and less intuitive compared to more polished, commercial alternatives. This can lead to frustration, especially when trying to perform complex tasks efficiently. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Graphic Design](https://www.capterra.com/graphic-design-software/)