Photoshop is the industry standard for image editing. But is it worth the money? There are quite a few competitors with different pricing models. In this article we'll cover the price and features of Photoshop and its competitors so you can determine if Photoshop is the best choice for you.
The price
Let's get right to it: Photoshop CC costs $9.99 per month (US dollars). This price includes 20 GB of cloud storage. You can pay more for additional storage.
Is it worth it? Well, for plenty of people, it is. You have to ask your self if it is worth the price to you.
We'll discuss some reasons Photoshop CC may or may not be worth the price. First, let's cover some competitors so you have something to compare to.
The competitors
Here just a few of the competitors to Photoshop:
- Affinity Photo (Mac, Windows, $49.99)
- Pixelmator (Mac, $39.99)
- Corel PaintShop Pro (Windows, $69.99)
- GIMP (Mac, Windows, Linux, free)
- Paint.NET (Windows, free)
One thing to notice right away is that all of the main competitors are either free or a one-time fee. Some people like the idea of paying a one-time cost and owning the software forever. Other people may like the subscription model of Photoshop that includes all updates and cloud storage space.
Photoshop vs competitors
Photoshop and its competitors share many features. All of the programs listed will be able to do basic image editing and anything most people do on a day-to-day basis. Many of the programs can even open Photoshop files (.psd).
However, there are a few things that make Photoshop stand out among its competitors that continue to make Photoshop the number one program used by professional photographers and designers.
Photoshop has more advanced tools and is updated more frequently than most competitors. Also, there are many more tutorials for Photoshop than other graphics software.
Here are a list of features that are part of Photoshop. All of these features are either less developed or nonexistent in much of the competing software.
- Four healing tools
- Color & Luminance Range Masking
- Stroke smoothing
- Brush organization
- Various collaboration tools
- Cross-platform compatibility with other Adobe products
- Custom path & width
- Curvature Pen tool
- CMYK mode (especially important for print)
- Non-destructive editing (original layer remains unaltered)
- User friendly interface
So is Photoshop worth it?
Whether or not Photoshop is worth the price comes down to personal preference and use cases.
If you are a professional photographer or designer, you have likely spent thousands of dollars on equipment already. An extra $9.99 per month isn't that much in comparison. If you are paying monthly for Photoshop, you can be assured that you always have access to the best image editing tools available.
However, if you are just starting out, or you don't need all the features that Photoshop offers, it may be better to go with one of the alternatives. You may consider starting with a free alternative, like GIMP, and upgrade when you find you want additional features or a more user friendly interface.
Try it for free
If you are on the fence, you can try out Photoshop for free for a week. In fact, most of Photoshop's competitors offer free trials as well. Try a few and see which one you like best. Start your Photoshop free trial.