Adobe Photoshop

Adobe's raster image editor for photo retouching, compositing and generative fills, on desktop, web and mobile.

About

In practice. What you can do with Adobe Photoshop.

Photoshop is the reference raster editor: layers, masks and non-destructive adjustments cover almost any retouching or compositing job, and the generative tools (Generative Fill, Remove) now handle clean-ups that used to take manual work.

The cost is a yearly commitment on every individual plan. The cheapest way in is the Photography plan at $19.99/mo, which bundles Photoshop with Lightroom; Photoshop alone costs $22.99/mo. If you only open a PSD now and then, a one-time editor or a free browser tool covers the need.

Practical uses

Client photo retouchingRemove objects, clean up, match colors across a series
Social and ad visualsCompose a layered key visual, then export every format

Features & use cases

Compositing

Design visuel

Photo editing

Asset management

For. What works in its favour.

Photography plan: desktop Photoshop and Lightroom for $19.99/mo on a yearly plan
Generative Fill and Remove speed up clean-ups that used to be manual
PSD is the format clients and printers expect

Pays off from

30 minsaved a month

Adobe Photoshop costs $19.99/month. If your hour is worth $40, those 30 min cover it.

Your hour is worth$40/h

Against. What to plan for.

Yearly commitment on every individual plan, no perpetual license
Steep learning curve outside image editing
Generative credits capped at 25 per month on the single-app plan

Too expensive if

You use it less than once a month
Affinity Photo (free) already covers the essentials for occasional use

Pricing. What does Adobe Photoshop cost ?

Photography plan

ToolTrim reference price

$19.99/mo

Billed annually

Desktop, web and mobile Photoshop plus Lightroom, yearly plan billed monthly

Photoshop (single app)

$22.99/mo

Billed annually

Photoshop only, with 100GB cloud storage, 25 monthly generative credits and Adobe Express Premium

Checked on September 25, 2026Official pricing

Part of Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps

Alternatives. What could replace Adobe Photoshop?

Affinity Photo3.6/5 · Very goodFreeProfessional, non-destructive photo editor with RAW development and layers, entirely free since Canva's 2024 acquisition.

Pixelmator Pro3.8/5 · Very goodApple-native photo editing and composition app for Mac and iPad.

Photopea3.6/5 · Very goodFreePhotopea is a free, ad-supported browser editor that opens native PSD and 40+ other design file formats, no install required.

Canva3.6/5 · Very goodFree, then from $13/moA drag-and-drop design tool with templates, AI image and video tools, and brand kits for social posts, presentations and print.

Our verdict. What to know about Adobe Photoshop.

How the score breaks down

Added value

The Photography plan gives desktop Photoshop and Lightroom for $19.99/mo on a yearly plan, less than Photoshop alone.

Simplicity

Layers, masks and adjustment layers take real practice before a first clean result.

Fit for purpose

Retouching, compositing and generative clean-ups are all covered in the product itself.

Performance

Layer-based non-destructive editing plus Generative Fill and Expand set the level of the category.

Reversibility

Neutral score: export options were not covered by the collected sources.

Decided? Visit Adobe Photoshop or compare alternatives

Plugins & extensions

Available extensions for Adobe Photoshop

Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo is AI-powered photo editing software for portrait, landscape and generative editing, sold as a perpetual license or annual subscription.

Free

Nik Collection

Nik Collection is a one-time-purchase suite of eight creative photo-editing plugins that work standalone or inside Photoshop, Lightroom Classic and Affinity Photo.

Free

Topaz Gigapixel AI

Topaz Gigapixel AI is a subscription app for AI-powered image upscaling up to 16x, with unlimited local and cloud rendering and a Photoshop/Lightroom plugin.

$10.67/mo

AI. What it changes for Adobe Photoshop.

AI challenges it

Go further with AI

Photoshop baked AI into its core flow: Generative Fill (powered by Firefly) creates, extends or removes elements in natural language, and automatic selection/masking saves hours. To go beyond what Photoshop does natively, tools like Magnific or Krea push upscaling and image reinvention much further.

Can AI replace it?

For fine retouching and pro compositing, Photoshop remains irreplaceable: no AI gives you that pixel control. But for many everyday tasks (generate a visual, cut out, remove an object, change a background), free or cheap AIs (Canva, remove.bg, or pure generation via Midjourney/Krea) do the job without opening Photoshop. Verdict: it keeps the craft, but loses ground on the simple tasks AI is commoditizing.

The AIs that matter here

Frequently asked questions. What people ask about Adobe Photoshop.

What is Adobe Photoshop used for?

Adobe's raster image editor for photo retouching, compositing and generative fills, on desktop, web and mobile.

How much does Adobe Photoshop cost?

Adobe Photoshop costs $19.99/month (Photography plan plan). Price verified on September 25, 2026.

Is Adobe Photoshop suitable for beginners?

Designers and photographers who retouch images or compose visuals for clients every week

Is Adobe Photoshop worth the price?

On the Photography plan the commitment is $239.88 a year: worth it with weekly image work, hard to justify for a few edits a month.

What are the best alternatives to Adobe Photoshop?

The main alternatives to Adobe Photoshop are: Affinity Photo, Pixelmator Pro, Photopea, Canva. Free alternatives: Affinity Photo, Pixelmator Pro, Photopea.

Is there a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop?

Yes, Affinity Photo is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.