Photopea Alternative: A Browser Photo Editor Compared

If you want a Photopea alternative that runs in your browser and still opens PSD files, try Photo Editor. It has layers, masks, selections, brushes, adjustments and filters. It opens PSD, PSB, GIMP's XCF and Krita files, and it saves layered PSD files back. You can install it so it opens in its own window, and it works offline once it has loaded. Photopea is the stronger choice for vector work, SVG and PDF export, and automation with actions and scripts. Read on to see which one fits the way you edit.

This comparison is based on what each editor is designed to do. Check Photopea's own site for its current features and account options, because they change.

The short version

	Photo Editor	Photopea
Runs in a browser	Yes	Yes
Layers, masks, selections, brushes	Yes	Yes
Opens and saves PSD	Yes, with layers	Yes
Opens GIMP (XCF) files	Yes	Not listed on its site
Opens and saves Krita (KRA) and ORA files	Yes	Not listed on its site
Opens HEIC photos from an iPhone	Yes	Yes
Opens AI, PDF and Figma files	No	Yes
Exports SVG and PDF	No	Yes
Vector shapes	Not in its feature list	Yes
Actions, scripts and variables	Not in its feature list	Yes
Works offline after loading	Yes	Yes
Editing happens on your device	Yes	Yes
Price	Free to use; Pro adds full-size exports, TIFF and AI tools	Free to use in a browser

Who each one is for

Choose Photopea if you do design work as much as photo editing. It handles vector shapes, text styles, layer styles and smart objects, and it exports to SVG and PDF as well as JPG and PNG. It also has actions, scripts and variables for repeating the same steps, and an API for developers who want to put an editor in their own product. People who know Photoshop well often find its menus familiar, and its Learn section covers most tools in detail.

Choose Photo Editor if you mainly edit photos and layered files. You open a picture, make selections, add layers and masks, fix colour and exposure, and export. It suits people who get PSD files from a designer, students on school computers and Chromebooks, small sellers cleaning up product photos, creators making thumbnails and banners, and anyone who wants an editor that opens like an app from the desktop.

What Photo Editor does well

• Opens layered files from three programs. PSD and PSB from Photoshop, XCF from GIMP, and KRA and ORA from Krita all open with their layers. You can save as PSD, PSB, ORA or KRA to keep editing later. XCF opens, but it is not one of the formats you save to.
• Opens phone photos directly. HEIC and HEIF photos from an iPhone open like any other image, and export as JPG, PNG or WebP. It also opens JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, TIFF, BMP and SVG.
• Saves project files without an account. Saving PSD, PSB, ORA or KRA needs no sign-up.
• Installs like a desktop app. Click Install on the page and it opens in its own window. Images on your computer can then open in it, and editing and saving work offline once it has loaded.
• Keeps your photos on your device. Editing happens in your browser. Only a Pro tool you choose to run, such as background removal, sends that one image to be processed, and it is deleted afterwards.
• AI tools inside the editor. With Pro, the Remove background, Upscale and Colorize buttons in the editor's bar put their result straight into your image, so you don't leave your project.

What Photopea does better

Be clear about the gaps. Photopea covers more ground than Photo Editor in a few areas:

• Vector graphics. Photopea lets you create and edit vector shapes and vectorize a bitmap. Photo Editor is built for photos and painted layers. If you draw logos or icons, our Vector Editor is the better fit on EveryApp.
• More export formats. Photopea exports SVG and PDF. Photo Editor exports JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF, plus TIFF with Pro, and saves layered PSD, PSB, ORA and KRA files.
• Automation. Photopea has actions, scripts and variables for batch work. Photo Editor is for editing one image at a time by hand.
• More file types to open. Photopea opens design and print files such as AI, PDF, Sketch and Figma. Photo Editor opens images and layered files from Photoshop, GIMP and Krita, but not these.
• Cloud storage. Photopea can open files from Google Drive and save them back. In Photo Editor, files from your computer always work, and saving to My files comes with Pro.
• Learning material. Photopea has a long-running Learn section and many tutorials made by its users, so answers to odd questions are easy to find.

If your work depends on any of these, stay with Photopea or use both.

Limits to know before you switch

Photo Editor has two limits on the free version. Exporting a flat image (JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF) needs a free account. Free exports go up to 4 megapixels, which is about 2300 × 1700 pixels. That is enough for social posts, product listings and most screens, but not for large prints. Pro exports at any size and adds TIFF.

The first start also takes a little longer, because the editor loads in full before you can work. After that, it opens quickly.

How to switch from Photopea

1. Save your work in Photopea as PSD, so the layers come with you.
2. Open Photo Editor and click Open Photo Editor.
3. Open the PSD. Your layers appear in the layers panel.
4. Carry on editing with selections, masks, brushes, adjustments and filters.
5. Save a layered PSD to keep working later, or export a JPG, PNG or WebP when you're done.

Check the result before you delete anything. Complex files with effects that one editor supports and the other doesn't may look slightly different, so keep your original PSD.

If you only need to cut out a background

You may not need a full editor. The background remover takes a photo and gives you the cut-out on a transparent background, with nothing to learn. Use Photo Editor when you want to place that cut-out on a new background, add layers or retouch the result. You can also cut out by hand in Photo Editor with a selection and a layer mask, without Pro.

For more on the basics of editing, read our guide to photo editing basics for beginners.