I've been using Photoshop for years but honestly Adobe's prices have gotten insane, like 60€ a month just for one piece of software. I'm looking for something serious for photo editing and a bit of design work, but without breaking the bank. Has anyone had good experiences with stuff like Affinity or other alternatives? I just want it to be stable and not too complicated to get into.
Do you have a specific budget in mind, or are you just looking to save money long-term? Affinity Photo is really solid for editing, you pay once and you're good for life (no subscription, like €80 or so), and honestly it's not complicated at all if you're coming from Photoshop. There's also Photopea which runs in your browser and it's basically free to get started, but for serious work Affinity is the best value for money in my opinion.
Skip the fake free stuff like GIMP or Photopea if you actually want something serious - they're nice for poking around, but they'll get on your nerves pretty quick when you're looking for basic features.
Affinity Photo is the obvious choice for you. You pay once (around 70€ or so), no subscription that comes back every month, and honestly it's solid for retouching. The interface isn't that far from Photoshop so you'll get the hang of it pretty fast. There's also Affinity Designer if you want to get more serious about graphic design, and they often sell both together as a bundle at a decent price.
Otherwise there's Capture One for pure photo retouching - it's a classic with people who do photography. Corel Paintshop still exists too but it's not as trendy as it used to be. The thing is you get a license once and for all instead of paying 60€ a month forever, and that really makes a difference over a year or two.
Affinity Photo is honestly the best bang for your buck if you want to ditch subscriptions, but I wouldn't go as far as the others do about GIMP - it really depends on what you're doing 🎨 For basic photo retouching and design work, GIMP does the job and it's free, whereas if you're using it every day and you have more demanding needs (advanced layers, specialized tools), then yeah Affinity Photo is totally worth the money since it's a one-time purchase. There's also Pixlr or even Capture One for retouching if you want to try things out before you decide, but honestly for someone coming from Photoshop, Affinity is the most logical transition.
If you're coming from Photoshop, don't expect a smooth transition with just any free alternative - you're going to lose hours on keyboard shortcuts and different workflows. Affinity Photo is genuinely your best bet (one-time payment, stable, interface that won't throw you off too badly), but before you decide, try the trial version for a few days in actual work to see if it matches your way of working, because even though it's close to Photoshop, there are still some quirks that can ruin the experience depending on exactly what you do.
One thing people often overlook: look into Capture One or Lightroom standalone instead of the Creative Cloud subscription - it's cheaper for pure photo editing, and honestly for most people it's enough before moving to Affinity for heavier design work.
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