# GIMP Reviews **Vendor:** GIMP **Category:** [Photo Editing Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/photo-editing) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 1,484 ## About GIMP The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows and more operating systems. It is free software, you can change its source code and distribute your changes. Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance your productivity with GIMP thanks to many customization options and thousands of third-party plug-ins, almost all available at no cost. Paint with a pressure-sensitive stylus; create and edit images with high bit depth (deep color) and color managed workflows; import and export a wide range of image formats; customize keyboard commands and menus; choose or create many themes; use industry-standard brushes (Photoshop, mypaint, and more); write vertical text; the possibilities are yours to explore! The terms of usage and rules about copying are clearly listed in the GNU General Public License. GIMP has been translated by volunteers into a large number of language (more than listed here) and more translations are very welcome. ## GIMP Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users value the **free and open-source nature** of GIMP, which offers powerful tools for image editing without costs. (12 reviews) - Users value the **ease of use** of GIMP, finding it accessible and beginner-friendly for image manipulation tasks. (11 reviews) - Users appreciate GIMP for its **powerful photo editing tools** available for free, making it a fantastic alternative to paid software. (11 reviews) - Users value GIMP for its **powerful and customizable image editing features** , offering extensive options for image manipulation. (10 reviews) - Users value the **efficiency** of GIMP, enjoying powerful editing tools without the cost of expensive software. (9 reviews) - Quality (7 reviews) - Useful (6 reviews) - Users admire GIMP for its **powerful and customizable features** , making it a top choice for digital art creation. (5 reviews) - Versatility (4 reviews) - Affordable (3 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users struggle with the **steep learning curve** of GIMP, finding the interface confusing and less intuitive for newcomers. (11 reviews) - Users note the **steep learning curve** of GIMP, making advanced features hard to find and use effectively. (4 reviews) - Users experience **slow performance** with GIMP, facing long load times and delays with complex files. (4 reviews) - Users find GIMP's **limited features** compared to Photoshop hinder professional use and advanced editing capabilities. (3 reviews) - Users find GIMP's **poor navigation** to be frustrating, as it often disrupts workflow and hinders user experience. (3 reviews) - Users find GIMP's **inaccuracy with CMYK files** detrimental for projects requiring precise color management. (2 reviews) - Slow Loading (2 reviews) - Lack of Creativity (1 reviews) - Limited Design Options (1 reviews) - Limited Editing Capabilities (1 reviews) ## GIMP Reviews ### 1. Powerful, Pro-Level Editing in GIMP—Free and Open Source **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Aneurys Nicanor A. | Project Manager, Civil Engineering, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2026 **What do you like best about GIMP?** What I love most about GIMP is that it’s completely free and open source, yet it still provides powerful tools for photo editing, graphic design, and image manipulation. It supports layers, masks, filters, and other advanced editing features that are often found only in paid software. Overall, it’s an excellent choice if you want professional-looking results without having to pay for a subscription. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** The biggest drawback is the learning curve, which is pretty typical for advanced editing software. The interface can feel confusing at first, especially if you’re not used to Photoshop-style programs. Some workflows also aren’t very intuitive, and performance can slow down when you’re working with large or complex files. On top of that, when I launch GIMP, it often takes a while to load. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** GIMP solves my problem of needing a powerful image editing tool without having to pay for it. It benefits me by giving me access to advanced image editing and retouching features without relying on paid software. ### 2. Professional-Level Editing with GIMP **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Giacomo D. | Consulente Qualità ISO/IEC 17025 e ISO 9001, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 18, 2026 **What do you like best about GIMP?** What I like most about GIMP is that it’s completely free, yet still incredibly powerful. For anyone who doesn’t want to invest in expensive software, it delivers a professional-level image editing experience with no cost barrier. Another big advantage is the breadth of tools and features it includes. From layers and masks to advanced selection tools, color correction, retouching, and custom brushes, GIMP covers everything you need for serious image editing. On top of that, it supports plugins and customization, which makes it even more flexible and adaptable to different workflows. For amateur or semi-professional work, I find GIMP absolutely comparable to Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop may offer more advanced features and a smoother workflow in high-end professional environments, but GIMP is still more than capable of handling photo editing, graphic design projects, social media visuals, and creative compositions at a very high level. Overall, I appreciate the balance it strikes between zero cost and strong functionality. It’s an excellent option for students, hobbyists, freelancers, or anyone who needs capable editing tools without paying for a subscription. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** At the moment, I don’t have any major complaints about GIMP. For what I use it for right now—mostly amateur, personal projects—it covers everything I need. There’s a broad selection of tools, the performance feels solid, and it’s flexible enough to handle both photo editing and graphic design tasks without getting in my way. I know some users point to a learning curve or say the interface feels less polished than Adobe Photoshop, but I haven’t run into any real limitations so far. Overall, for a free and open-source program, GIMP has fully met my expectations, and at this stage I don’t feel like I’m missing anything essential. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** One of the main problems GIMP solves for me is having a reliable tool for image editing and small retouching tasks without needing to pay for expensive software. I often need to make quick adjustments—correcting colors, cropping images, removing small imperfections, resizing visuals, or doing simple graphic edits. GIMP includes the essential tools I rely on (layers, clone stamp, healing tools, color correction, and selection tools), so I can handle these tasks efficiently. Before using GIMP, small edits could feel inconvenient or too limited when I was working with basic editing apps. With GIMP, I have access to more advanced controls, which lets me work with greater precision and achieve cleaner results. The biggest benefit for me is the flexibility and independence it provides. I can complete image editing tasks and small touch-ups in a professional way, without needing a subscription to software like Adobe Photoshop. Overall, GIMP solves my need for a capable, cost-free editing solution, and it benefits me by giving me full creative control for everyday image editing work. ### 3. Free and Open Source Alternative to Photoshop **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** shrey g. **Reviewed Date:** February 02, 2026 **What do you like best about GIMP?** I mainly use GIMP for image editing and appreciate it as a free and open-source alternative to Photoshop. I trust GIMP because it's open source, allowing me to understand what is happening with the software. I like how open they are about their ecosystem, and I find the user interface quite similar to other applications I have used, making it easy to navigate. GIMP is an active part of our workflow as it doesn't require a powerful computer, which is perfect for quick image editing. The initial setup was surprisingly quite easy to integrate into our workflow. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** I think there's a lack of AI integration with other providers or even a local host model. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use GIMP for image editing as a free and open-source alternative to Photoshop. It fits seamlessly into our workflow, handling quick edits without needing a powerful computer. ### 4. A Powerful Free Alternative to Photoshop **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nisitha W. | Executive Stores, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 30, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** The good thing about GIMP is that it is completely free and open-source yet it is endowed with many of those powerful features that you would expect to see in costly professional software. I appreciate that I do not have to worry about subscription charges or licenses GIMP enables me to access sophisticated edit tools without costing a cent. For freelancers, students, or those that must cut costs, it is a good deal. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** GIMP's largest problem is that its user interface is older than that of paid programs like Photoshop. It could look clumsy and sometimes illegible to new users. Some of its higher-end features are more difficult to access, and some processes require more steps. Furthermore, as an open-source program, updates and plug-ins sometimes come less smoothly and less well-designed than paid programs. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** GIMP allows me to access a decent photo editing application without having to spend much on software. I am able to edit images, create graphics, and enhance photos as a professional without having to purchase subscriptions or license fees. This has been especially useful for small business work and personal work where saving a few dollars is necessary but good quality is also required. ### 5. Easy but quite basic **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Architecture & Planning | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 10, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** It is free and available to everyone. It offers basic tools that can be sufficient for basic image editing. The interface is quite simple. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** It is less professional and performant compared to other programs such as Photoshop. I don’t like color management (white balance, curves correction, selective color correction). It doesn’t have the native option to save files for the web (you need to add an old plugin available online – the latest version of Gimp didn’t support it, so I had to reinstall an earlier version of the software). It does not allow converting images to CMYK mode for printing. You need to use other software to do it. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps me edit images (resize, crop, delete parts, save in another format, reduce file size) ### 6. GIMP the challenging image editor **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Filippo G. | Docente, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** What I love most about the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is its incredible combination of power and accessibility. As a completely free, open-source tool, it demolishes the idea that professional-grade software must come with a subscription fee. For my image editing and creative projects, GIMP is more than sufficient. I particularly appreciate its robust support for layers, masks, and extensive third-party plugins (like G’MIC), which allow for sophisticated photo retouching and digital art creation. It works flawlessly on every operating system, offering a huge, customizable feature set without ever asking for a cent. It truly is the definitive alternative to proprietary graphic software. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** What I find most frustrating about the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is its steep learning curve and lack of polish. While it's a completely free, open-source tool that saves money, the user interface often feels unintuitive and can be challenging for anyone transitioning from proprietary software. For professional creative projects, GIMP sometimes falls short despite its robust core features like layers and masks. The absence of native CMYK color support makes it unsuitable for many serious print workflows, and features like non-destructive adjustments are less refined than in competitors. Although it offers a huge, customizable feature set, navigating it can be frustrating, often slowing down the workflow compared to proprietary graphic software. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** GIMP provides a cost-effective functional substitute for expensive software, allowing you to perform necessary visual content creation even if the experience is "frustrating" or the workflow is "slowing down." The high financial barrier to entry for image editing is removed. ### 7. Great Free Adobe Photoshop Alternative **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Martin B. | Auteur, Computer Games, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 27, 2026 **What do you like best about GIMP?** It's a good free adobe photoshop alternativ. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** After a update, icons / theme are changed So I need to rearange them back. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** As a small designer I can't afford adobe suit for image editing. ### 8. For the editors who don't want another subscription **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Austin Z. | Digital Advertising Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 07, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** A powerful program that has features like the paid programs without the subscription fee. The tool is easy to use and boots up decently fast on capable machines. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** Some of the more advanced features found in other paid tools is just not here. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** I take photos of people sometimes and I need to touch up parts of photos. This software is very capable of doing photo touch ups. The newest version of this is much more capable than the one that has existed for many years. ### 9. Used it for years - it's awesome **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Matt K. | Managing Director, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 28, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** It does everything I need for image editing and conversion for free. I love it. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** Just like all image editing software the learning curve can be a little steep but everything that needs to be there is there. I have NOT received any incentive for writing this review. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps us prepare images for publication on our website. ### 10. Free, Powerful, and Customizable Image Editing **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Animation | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 12, 2025 **What do you like best about GIMP?** Free, powerful, customizable image editing. **What do you dislike about GIMP?** Lacks polish, slow updates, limited pro features. **What problems is GIMP solving and how is that benefiting you?** Free, flexible editing for creative work. ## GIMP Discussions - [should gimp release mobile app](https://www.g2.com/discussions/should-gimp-release-mobile-app) - 3 comments, 3 upvotes - [How do you guys keep up with industry standards and produce great software year after year](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-you-guys-keep-up-with-industry-standards-and-produce-great-software-year-after-year) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [what is the best way of using multiple layers on GIMP?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-best-way-of-using-multiple-layers-on-gimp) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [How do I create a custom brush on Gimp for pixel art?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-i-create-a-custom-brush-on-gimp-for-pixel-art) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Are there any premium features coming to GIMP?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/are-there-any-premium-features-coming-to-gimp) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [View GIMP pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/gimp/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1760614&qs=pros-and-cons§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-30+09%3A27%3A35+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=888598d5-fbaa-43f7-be49-7233566afcfa&secure%5Btoken%5D=7b2a61b84868c1cd3dee67fca432a2375d4d807a744927a37d079d39e9eed702&format=llm_user) ## GIMP Integrations - [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-photoshop/reviews) - [Blender](https://www.g2.com/products/blender/reviews) - [Canva](https://www.g2.com/products/canva/reviews) - [DALL·E](https://www.g2.com/products/dall-e/reviews) - [Inkscape](https://www.g2.com/products/inkscape/reviews) - [Python](https://www.g2.com/products/python/reviews) ## GIMP Features **Generative AI** - AI Text-to-Image - AI Text-to-3D **Agentic AI - Photo Editing** - Cross-system Integration ## Top GIMP Alternatives - [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-photoshop/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (13,049 reviews) - [Canva](https://www.g2.com/products/canva/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (6,403 reviews) - [Adobe Photoshop Lightroom](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-photoshop-lightroom/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (3,235 reviews)