# GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2026 > Review of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs. Source: https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [Graphic Design Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/) / GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. Overview [Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/)[Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/alternatives/) # GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing On this page - Overview - User Interface - Popular Alternatives - Pros and Cons - Pricing and Plans - Features - Integrations - User Reviews - Popular Comparisons ## Overview GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) 4.4 [(3495)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) Pricing Pricing available upon request Top Alternatives ### About GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) GIMP is an open-source image editor designed to help illustrators, graphic designers and photographers create and edit artworks, photos, and paintings using defined publishing workflows. It provides a customizable interface, which businesses can use to customize widget themes, icon sizes, colors, spacing and more. Key features include photo enhancement, digital retouching, preview mode, multiple file formats, data export. It offers a channel mixer, which lets professionals eliminate lens tilt effects and distortions across images using filters in a corrective mode. Additionally, the crop tool lets users edit the active layer in an image and use auto-shrink functionality to locate the border. It is available for free of cost and support is extended via documentation and tutorials. ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) User Interface ## Popular GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Alternatives Main Product GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) 4.4 [(3495)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 3.87Ease of use - 4.78Value for money - 3.99Customer support - 4.34Functionality Pricing Available upon request Alternative Product [Adobe Express](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/354910-adobe-express/) 4.6 [(1231)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/354910-adobe-express/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.50Ease of use - 4.42Value for money - 4.37Customer support - 4.37Functionality Pricing Starting at $4.99 per month Alternative Product [QuarkXPress](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/quarkxpress-profile/) 4.4 [(201)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/quarkxpress-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.29Ease of use - 3.94Value for money - 4.01Customer support - 4.33Functionality Pricing Starting at $109.00 per year Alternative Product [Canva](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/) 4.7 [(13339)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.69Ease of use - 4.61Value for money - 4.40Customer support - 4.55Functionality Pricing Starting at $10.00 per month Alternative Product [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/) 4.8 [(2449)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 4.18Ease of use - 4.29Value for money - 4.26Customer support - 4.77Functionality Pricing Starting at $22.99 per month Alternative Product [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/) 4.8 [(8648)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/reviews/) Ratings Breakdown - 3.98Ease of use - 4.31Value for money - 4.26Customer support - 4.71Functionality Pricing Starting at $22.99 per month ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Pros and Cons We analyzed 3,495 verified reviews for GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) to find out what actual users really think. Select to learn more Robust Editing Capabilities Free GIMP offers a comprehensive set of image editing tools, including layers, masks, and support for multiple file formats. Users appreciate its ability to handle complex photo edits, graphic design tasks, and logo creation, making it a strong alternative to paid software for both basic and advanced editing needs. Cost-Effective Photoshop Alternative GIMP is completely free to use, with no subscription fees or hidden costs. Reviewers highlight its accessibility for individuals and organizations, noting that it rivals paid programs like Photoshop in functionality, making it ideal for those on a budget or who need powerful tools without financial commitment. Feature-Rich Editing Toolkit GIMP provides a wide range of features, including healing tools, batch processing, filters, and plugin support. Users find its functionality comparable to premium editors, with frequent updates and add-ons available, allowing for both basic and advanced graphic design and photo editing tasks. Outdated And Cluttered Interface GIMP's user interface is frequently described as outdated, cluttered, and less intuitive than commercial alternatives. Users report that tool placement and design can be confusing, making navigation and finding features challenging, especially for those accustomed to more polished software. Steep Learning Curve Challenges Many users find GIMP difficult to learn, especially for beginners or those switching from other editors like Photoshop. The interface and tool organization often require extra time, tutorials, and patience to master, which can discourage new users and slow down workflow. Not Beginner-Friendly Software Reviewers note that GIMP is not very user-friendly, particularly for those new to image editing or switching from Photoshop. The layout and organization of tools can be confusing, and simple tasks often require extra effort to locate and execute, making it harder for casual or inexperienced users. ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Pricing and Plans Starting price: Pricing available upon request Free Trial Free Version Basic Pricing available upon request No plan information available ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Features - Popular features found in Graphic Design Collaboration Tools Content Library Custom Fonts Design Management Pattern, Color & Art Storage - More features of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) API CAD Tools Image Editing Search/Filter ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Integrations Adobe Photoshop Integration rated 4.6 from 20 reviews Inkscape Integration rated 4.7 from 13 reviews ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) User Reviews Overall Rating 4.4 Ratings Breakdown 5 54% 4 36% 3 9% 2 1% 1 0% Secondary Ratings Ease of Use 3.9 Value for money 4.8 Customer support 4.0 Functionality 4.3 VR Verified Reviewer Public Relations and Communications 2-10 employees Used weekly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed January 2026 Great graphic design software 5 I'm not a graphic designer so I use it to edit my website photos. It does a great job. I'm happy with it. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use Previously 3 5 Value for money 5 Functionality Pros: GIMP is my favorite free graphic design program. It can handle all my photo editing needs without the heavy price tag so I see no sense in using something else. Cons: Sometimes it's hard to update the program. A recent update caused computer system problems. I had to downgrade back to the version I was trying to update. Read More TA Taher A. Verified reviewer Computer Software 501-1000 employees Used monthly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed June 2025 Great free to use editing software!!! 4 Gimp is a great free to use open source application, that is available on all desktop operating systems and is a great tools for quick And simple photo editing and content creation. Photoshop is more in depth with a lot more variety of features but that is to be expected with the large subscription price. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use 5 Value for money 2 Customer support 3 Functionality Pros: Gimp is a good open source alternative to Photoshop, it has most of the traditional Photoshop features that users of Photoshop would be able to migrate to. It has good UI/UX and is user friendly. It might be difficult at the beginning for users who don't know the basic layout of photo editing software, but so is the case with Photoshop. Cons: It is lacking new features, such a AI image fill and other AI features. There are ways of adding these through plugins, but finding the right plugins is difficult and quite difficult to implement for anaverga person without technical knowledge. Also the model would run natively on the machine, which means it's would require powerful hardware for efficient use, and also mean you would be unable to run it on laptop or mobile device. Here photoshop take a clear lead, with better cloud services. Read More TR Tomas R. Verified reviewer Computer Software 11-50 employees Used monthly for less than 2 years Review source Reviewed November 2023 Average 3 Previously 4 Ratings Breakdown 2 Ease of use 4 Functionality Pros: Gimp has a lot of capabilities to extend its basic functionality with plugins Cons: Its user interface is not very friendly and could use a redesign Read More JT Joe T. Verified reviewer Information Technology and Services 11-50 employees Used weekly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed March 2026 A fantastic bit of design software - highly recommend 5 Very good - any new marketer we hire I always tell them to download and use GIMP first. Its a fantastic bit of design software. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use 5 Value for money 3 Customer support 5 Functionality Pros: Its free to download and works a treat. Has lots of different options for design, and can be used for complexed tasks . Cons: There really is nothing to complain about to be honest - if im being picky I would say the interface needs a nice refresh but thats it!. Read More KB Kate B. Verified reviewer Photography 2-10 employees Used daily for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed October 2025 Cost-effective content creation for small studios. 4 GIMP allowed White Pine Photography to create logos, photo editing, and branded content on a low budget, enhancing client work and studio advertising with robust editing capabilities. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use 5 Functionality Pros: Free, adaptive design and graphics creation abilities of GIMP and slim design, along with quick rendering of intuitive controls, all allow photographers to produce content and manipulate images without cost. Cons: Others say customer support may be slower to answer and deal with payment-related features or extensions could require technical expertise not best suited for active freelance studios. Read More CD Caleb D. Verified reviewer Writing and Editing 2-10 employees Used weekly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed April 2025 GIMP: Full-Bodied Image Editing Software 5 Overall, I only have positive things to say about GIMP. It's a useful image editing software that has a ton of features. It's a bit complicated to wrap your head around it at first, but there are plenty of tutorials online to get you started. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 5 Value for money 5 Customer support 5 Functionality Pros: I use GIMP to clean up low-quality images we receive from our clients. I remove blemishes and smooth out lines as needed, and make the colors flow more naturally. My favorite part about GIMP is that you can quickly and easily change one color in an image to another color, without messing up the other colors in the image. It's very handy for quick fixes and color blemishes. I appreciate that GIMP gives me exactly what I need quickly after I fire up the application. It's free and receives regular updates, and it's more user-friendly than comparable apps (looking at you, PhotoShop). I also appreciate that GIMP can export to PNG, JPEG, and other, more obscure file extensions. (I don't use them, but I might have to some day!) Cons: GIMP has a ton of features, and some of them are buried deep in the software menus. Luckily there are guides online to help you find what you need. Additionally, technically, you can edit photos on GIMP, but that isn't the primary purpose of the software. Still, I wish GIMP had some basic photo editing capabilities, or an option to turn on "photo editing mode." It's great having easy access to image layers, color gradients, and shape manipulation, but it'd be nice to have a simple "Exposure" slide bar I could use for editing photos. Read More RA Rama A. Verified reviewer Design Self-Employed Used weekly for less than 12 months Review source Reviewed December 2025 Best Saftware GIMP 5 I don’t use GIMP daily, but whenever I revisit it for specific tasks, it adjusts well and remains surprisingly flexible for a free tool. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 4 Value for money 5 Customer support 5 Functionality Pros: It handles photo retouching, color correction, and quick image edits without any cost. For designers starting out or working on lightweight edits, it’s a solid alternative. I appreciate the transparency tools and how customizable the interface is. Cons: The learning curve is steeper than expected, mainly because the interface isn’t as intuitive as paid solutions. Some tools also feel slower or less refined. Read More VR Verified Reviewer Education Management Self-Employed Used weekly for less than 2 years Review source Reviewed May 2025 Easy to handle program 5 I use it when I want to introduce changes to my pictures for my blog rapidly without spending too much time. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 5 Value for money 5 Customer support 5 Functionality Pros: It is easy to install on my Windows computer, easy to start and works smoothly without delay. Cons: Sometimes it takes a little time to figure out how to change a picture. Specially with the layers. Read More RR Rafia R. Verified reviewer Information Technology and Services 2-10 employees Used weekly for less than 12 months Review source Reviewed January 2026 basic image editing 5 GNU Image Manipulation Program is a useful open-source tool for basic image editing and quick visual adjustments. Ratings Breakdown 5 Ease of use 5 Value for money 4 Customer support 4 Functionality Pros: It’s free and surprisingly powerful for photo retouching and simple design tasks. For small teams or occasional use, it can cover many essential needs. Cons: The interface is not very intuitive, and the workflow can feel less polished. It’s not ideal for high-end branding or collaborative design projects. Read More VR Verified Reviewer Information Technology and Services 51-200 employees Used monthly for more than 2 years Review source Reviewed December 2024 GIMP: Not Photoshop, but Exceptional 5 Overall it has always met all of my image manipulation needs. When I've had to modify logos, edit photos, create web content, and similar functions, it's always been a solid choice and it's free to use. Maybe it's not for someone who is an advanced designer or UI/UX person, but for a robust and free tool for most image manipulation needs, it's great. Ratings Breakdown 4 Ease of use 5 Value for money 4 Functionality Pros: GIMP is a robust image editing tool comparable to the likes of Photoshop (I know the Photoshop fans in the world will grind their teeth at that, but from my perspective it's fact). Full set of features for all the image manipulation I've ever needed, bearing in mind I have not been a graphic designer or anything like that. My needs have always been around internal company marketing, or application design, never a full blown marketing design firm or anything like that. Cons: Some things are not as intuitive as I'd like, but it is a complex program with a lot of features, therefore it takes some time to learn where everything is and how to get things done, workflows, etc. Read More Showing 1 - 10 of 3495 Reviews [See All Reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/reviews/) ## GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) Popular Comparisons [Canva vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/canva-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Adobe Photoshop vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-photoshop-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Adobe Illustrator vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/fashion-design/adobe-illustrator-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Fotor vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/fotor-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[CorelDRAW vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/photo-editing/coreldraw-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[SMASHINGLOGO vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/smashinglogo/)[Adobe InDesign vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/adobe-indesign-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Adobe Creative Cloud vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/video-editing/adobe-creative-cloud-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Figma vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/figma-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[SignMaster vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/signmaster/)[Inkscape vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/inkscape/)[Procreate vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/procreate/)[Photopea vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/photopea/)[Affinity Designer vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/vector-graphics/affinity-designer-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[VistaCreate vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/crello-profile/vs/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program/)[Pixelied vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/pixelied/)[VinylMaster vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/vinylmaster/)[QuarkXPress vs GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/vs/quarkxpress/) [Compare All Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/graphic-design/gimp-gnu-image-manipulation-program-profile/alternatives/) ## See what companies are saying about Software Advice