In my journey away from Adobe’s ecosystem, I’ve explored a ton of software alternatives that offer robust functionality, affordability, and creative freedom. From the dynamic video editing capabilities of DaVinci Resolve to the intuitive design features of Affinity Photo, each tool presents a unique set of advantages that cater to the diverse needs of content creators. Below, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of these alternatives, each a potential game-changer in its own right, offering you the tools to break free from the subscription model and rediscover your passion for photography and filmmaking.
July 2024 Update: I’ve added about 10 more alternatives from recommendations from my viewers including Cavalry, Studio One, and others. Thank you for all your suggestions!
There are no affiliate links here. These are all programs that either I personally recommend or others have recommended to me.
Alternatives
⭐ – What I personally and currently use
Photoshop
Paid
- Affinity Photo ⭐
- Pixelmator Pro (Mac)
Lightroom
Free
- Darktable
- RawTherapee
- Snapseed (Android or iPhone)
Illustrator
Free
InDesign
Free
Paid
Premiere Pro
Paid
- DaVinci Resolve Studio ⭐
- Final Cut Pro (Mac Only)
After Effects
Free
Paid
- DaVinci Resolve Studio ⭐
- HitFilm
- Cavalry ⭐
- Procreate Dreams (Mac Only)
- Motion (Mac Only)
The best list, very good bro
Thank you!
This list is awesome. Thanks!
Exactly what I’m looking for
Cool
Pixelmator Pro for Photoshop,
Linearity Curve for Illustrator
Linearity Move for After Effects (just launched and it’s still in version 1 but it’s really promising and has a free option)
Photomator for Lightroom
Thank you for the suggestions, I’ll check them out!
Take a look at “Zoner Photo Studio” – I think it’s a good alternative for LR, especially when it comes to catalog your photos. It has also a Editing-Module, but I rarely use it, this is where Affinity comes to work.
Thanks for your ideas!
I’ll check it out. Thank you!
Hi Michael, I bought the complete Adobe Suite for my professional work and paid several thousand euros for it at that time. I left Adobe when they launched the subscription model. My field of activity has also changed somewhat, so I hardly earn any money with the software anymore. I now work on Linux with open scource software and also use some of the things on your list.
I suggest mentioning the DAW Ardour in your chapter “Auditions”, it’s available for free or for a fee with additional services.
Great List and I think free Sortware can not get enough Shoutouts 🙂 I currently use mostly Kdenlive for all video-editing in combination with Shutter Encoder for converting before I work with video material and Handbrake as transcoder after editing to further shrink file size for efficient and quality uploads for example for Youtube and Instagram. All three are free and open source software that also bring profiles and other features for consitstent workflows.
Any suggestions for alternatives to Adobe Media Encoder and Acrobat?
for Acrobat I would say, “ilovepdf” has many functions like edit, or combine pages, reduce size and SO MUCH MORE!
If you use DaVinci Resolve (free or Studio), you don’t need something like Media Encoder, is already included in the Deliver Tab.
For PDF, under Windows,
I use the Free Version of PDF XChange Editor.
Or you could buy a PLUS license for 1 (72 $), 2 (86$) or 3 years (93$),
and after that, is ~18 $ per year, if you want further updates.
Or take the 1 year option and use it forever, for 72$.
Is up to you.
Much better than other alternatives, and i-ve tested a lot, from Nitro PDF,
to UPDF or Qoppa PDFStudio.
Otherwise, you have PDF24, completely free.
But i don’t like the fragmented interface.
Is similar to ilovePDF, but you can install an offline version (or opt for the online one).
For video editing, look at OpenShot. It’s truly cross platform, free, and sits in between the pro (Premiere Pro, Final Cut, etc) and the Mickey Mouse (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker).
Love that list.
I like you Included Blender aswell.
Do you find Nodebased Compositing in Resolve Worse than Layer Based Comp in After Effects ?
Don’t Layers Limit what you can do for example In Motion graphics ?
Have a great day.
Xaver
I’ve jumped ship to many of the same, but since Studio One Prime for DAW is now out, I been happy for Traction Waveform instead of Reaper, even though the UI is pretty weird. 🙂
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
I used to use CorelDRAW all the time, then switched to Adobe when it first got going. I haven’t signed up for their subscription, even though I will miss a few bells and whistles, but so what? I own my copy of the suite on CD and it works fine for me, but I’ve been thinking of giving Corel a try again.
The OG usually forgotten
I’m seriously going to dump Adobe. My workflow is Bridge and Camera Raw. I’m looking at Affinity Photo. For those who use it, what do you use for image management (like Bridge for sorting, folders, metadata, image renaming).
XnView MP is what I use for cataloguing images. It is free and highly customizable, so maybe you could check that out.
Exactly same issue for me. I like Bridge but have heard of XnView as an alternative which I will try soon.
Thanks for the list, I’ve been looking for some less… greedy options to replace InDesign. I’ve already replaced PS with Corel PaintShop Pro, Illustrator with Corel Painter and Lightroom with Corel AfterShot.
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I use Blender for all my video editing, motion graphics, and compositing. It can be clumsy to work with, video rendering is comparatively slow, and the learning curve can be very steep, but to me it opens up so much freedom to create things that the other programs just can’t do. Plus I’ve never had a problem with Blender not being able to handle a video or audio file, something that’s always given me problems with other programs.
Hi ! Nice list !
But you still miss a replacement app for Acrobat !
Hi, I have a suggestion for you alternatives. On the audio side you can add Pro Tools Intro since it’s free. Can’t add video but would help a lot for doing most of the audio related work