Unclaimed: Are you working at Adobe Photoshop?
Adobe Photoshop Reviews: 4.6/5 — Highly Rated
Arguably one of the best-known graphic design software tools used today, Adobe Photoshop is currently the go-to tool of many creative professionals. The software offers feature-rich tools for photo retouching, editing, and manipulation; and gives access to numerous brushes and textures. The platform is well known for having an ever-improving interface, supported by an extensive selection of tools, high customizable dashboards, collaboration options, and efficient file management options.
Adobe Photoshop is also often used as Photo Editing of choice in Marketing and UI/UX Design tech stacks.
| Capabilities |
AI
API
|
|---|---|
| Segment |
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
|
| Deployment | Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, Desktop Mac, Desktop Windows, Mobile iPad, Mobile iPhone |
| Support | 24/7 (Live rep), Chat, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support |
| Training | Documentation |
| Languages | English |
Adobe Photoshop Pros and Cons
- Comprehensive set of tools for touch-up and retouching
- Extensive filters, brushes, and pre-sets
- Advanced color and background manipulation
- Extensive organization and image management tools
- Highly customizable
- Might present a steep learning curve for beginners
- Limited support for vector graphics
Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard for image editing, and the most useful thing a review can tell you is not whether it is good but which plan to buy. Buying Photoshop on its own costs more than buying the Photography plan, which includes Photoshop plus Lightroom and 1 TB of storage. That inversion catches people every year.
- What it is: Professional photo editing software for retouching, compositing, and digital art, available on desktop, web, and mobile.
- Best for: Photographers, designers, and retouchers who need the deepest pixel-level toolset available, and anyone working to industry file-format expectations.
- Pricing: Roughly $22.99 per month for the Photoshop single-app plan, about $19.99 for the Photography plan that includes it, and around $69.99 for Creative Cloud All Apps. See the verification note below.
- The honest catch: Adobe’s annual plans are commitments, not rolling months, and cancelling early typically incurs a fee. Buy the term you actually intend to keep.
What Is Adobe Photoshop?
Photoshop launched in 1990 and has been the default professional image editor for so long that its name became a verb. That dominance is not nostalgia. Layer-based compositing, masking, selection tooling, colour management, and non-destructive adjustment are deeper here than in any competitor, and the file format is what agencies, printers, and collaborators expect to receive.
In recent years the product has expanded well beyond the desktop application, adding web and mobile versions and a large set of generative AI tools built on Adobe Firefly. Generative fill and expand are genuinely useful for retouching work that used to take manual cloning, and Adobe’s position that Firefly is trained on licensed content matters to commercial users who need to know where their imagery came from.
The independent ratings are among the highest of any product we have reviewed, on very large samples: 4.8 out of 5 on Capterra across 2,433 reviews and 4.6 on G2 across roughly 13,210. There is no serious argument that the software is not excellent. The complaints are almost entirely about the commercial model.
How Photoshop Works
- Layers and masks. The foundation, and still the reason professionals stay. Non-destructive editing at this depth has no real equal.
- Selection tooling. Object selection, subject detection, and Select and Mask handle the hardest part of compositing, and successive AI improvements have made this dramatically faster than it was five years ago.
- Generative AI. Generative fill, generative expand, and neural filters, powered by Firefly. Useful for removal, extension, and background work.
- Camera Raw and colour management. Professional colour handling and raw processing that matters for print and commercial delivery.
- Cross-device. Desktop, web, and iPad, with cloud documents syncing between them. The web and mobile versions are capable companions rather than full replacements.
Photoshop Pricing
A verification note first. Adobe’s own pricing pages did not respond to automated requests during this review, and Adobe varies prices by region and runs frequent promotions. The figures below reflect current published US pricing as reported by multiple independent sources in July 2026, and you should confirm them on Adobe’s site for your own region before buying.
| Plan | Approximate US price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop single app | ~$22.99/month, annual plan billed monthly | Photoshop on desktop, web, and mobile, plus Adobe Express Premium |
| Photography plan | ~$19.99/month, annual plan billed monthly | Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 1 TB cloud storage |
| Creative Cloud All Apps | ~$69.99/month | Photoshop plus Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and the rest of the suite |
The things worth knowing before you choose:
- The Photography plan costs less than Photoshop alone and includes more. At roughly $19.99 against $22.99, it bundles Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 1 TB of storage. Unless you specifically need Adobe Express Premium instead, this is the better buy for almost everyone who wants Photoshop, and it is the single most valuable thing to know about Adobe’s pricing.
- Annual plans are commitments. The common “annual, billed monthly” option is a twelve-month contract paid in instalments, not a rolling subscription. Cancelling early normally triggers an early termination fee. Month-to-month plans exist at a higher rate for people who genuinely need flexibility.
- There is no perpetual licence. You rent Photoshop. Reviewers who left cite this directly, and it is a legitimate objection rather than a misunderstanding.
- Storage differs sharply between plans. The Photography plan’s 1 TB is the practical difference for photographers working with raw files.
- Prices move. Adobe adjusts pricing regularly and runs student, teacher, and seasonal discounts. Check for a current offer rather than assuming list price.
A free trial is available, and Adobe also offers a free web-based Photoshop tier with limited functionality.
Who Should Use Photoshop
- Professional photographers and retouchers. The Photography plan is close to an automatic purchase: Photoshop for pixel work, Lightroom for cataloguing and raw processing, at less than Photoshop alone.
- Designers working with agencies or print. PSD is what collaborators expect, and colour management is what printers require.
- Anyone doing serious compositing. Layer and masking depth is unmatched, and no alternative comes close for complex work.
- Teams already on Creative Cloud. If you need Illustrator or Premiere too, All Apps is the sensible route.
It is a poor fit for casual users who crop and adjust holiday photos, where free tools are entirely sufficient, for people who object to subscriptions on principle, since Affinity Photo sells a perpetual licence, and for teams whose real need is quick social graphics rather than image editing, where Canva does the job faster.
Honest Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Unmatched depth. Nothing else offers this much control over pixels, layers, masks, and colour.
- The industry standard file format. Practical value when working with clients, printers, and collaborators.
- Genuinely useful AI. Generative fill and improved selection have removed hours of manual work from routine retouching.
- Excellent ratings on huge samples. 4.8 on Capterra across 2,433 reviews and 4.6 on G2 across over 13,000.
- Cross-device workflow. Desktop, web, and iPad with cloud document syncing.
- Enormous learning ecosystem. Decades of tutorials, courses, and community answers for any problem you will hit.
Limitations
- Subscription only. No perpetual licence, and reviewers cite this as the reason they stopped upgrading.
- Annual commitment with cancellation fees. The most common source of billing complaints, and easy to agree to without noticing.
- A steep learning curve. Reviewers consistently note beginners need real time and tutorial support before becoming productive.
- Demanding on hardware. Large files and heavy filters need a capable machine.
- Confusing plan structure. The Photography plan undercutting the Photoshop plan is the clearest symptom of pricing that is harder to navigate than it should be.
- Support quality is criticized. Slow replies, long holds, and inconsistent resolution appear repeatedly in reviews.
Photoshop Alternatives and How It Compares
- Affinity Photo is the strongest alternative for people who want to own their software, with a one-off purchase and roughly 80% of Photoshop’s capability for most work.
- Canva is not a competitor for editing depth but is faster and easier for social graphics, presentations, and marketing assets.
- GIMP is free and open source, capable but with a less refined interface and weaker colour management for print.
- Pixlr and similar browser tools handle quick edits without a subscription.
- Lightroom, included in the Photography plan, is the better tool for cataloguing and batch raw processing, and pairs with rather than replaces Photoshop.
For a broader view, browse our photo editing software directory.
The Verdict
Photoshop is the best image editor available and has been for three decades, and its 4.8 Capterra rating across thousands of reviews reflects software that genuinely earns its reputation. If your work involves serious compositing, retouching, or professional delivery, there is no real debate about capability.
The decision that actually matters is which plan to buy, and here the answer is counterintuitive: the Photography plan at roughly $19.99 costs less than the Photoshop single-app plan at roughly $22.99, while adding Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 1 TB of storage. Unless you specifically want Adobe Express Premium, choosing the Photoshop-only plan means paying more for less. Check both before subscribing.
Then read the commitment terms. Adobe’s headline monthly prices usually describe an annual contract billed monthly, and leaving early carries a fee. That is the source of most billing complaints, and it is avoidable by choosing the term deliberately. If you object to renting software altogether, Affinity Photo is a credible one-off purchase, and for casual editing free tools will serve you perfectly well.
FAQ
How much does Photoshop cost in 2026?
US pricing is approximately $22.99 per month for the Photoshop single-app plan on an annual plan billed monthly, about $19.99 per month for the Photography plan, and around $69.99 per month for Creative Cloud All Apps. Adobe varies pricing by region and runs frequent promotions, so confirm current rates on Adobe’s site. Our automated checks could not reach Adobe’s pricing pages directly, so these figures come from current independent sources.
Is the Photography plan really cheaper than the Photoshop plan?
Yes, and it includes more. The Photography plan is typically around $19.99 per month against roughly $22.99 for Photoshop alone, and it bundles Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 1 TB of cloud storage. The single-app plan includes Adobe Express Premium instead. For most people who want Photoshop, the Photography plan is the better purchase.
Can you buy Photoshop outright instead of subscribing?
No. Adobe discontinued perpetual licences for Photoshop, and the software is subscription-only. This is the most common complaint from long-time users. If owning your software matters, Affinity Photo offers a one-off purchase that covers most of the same ground.
Can you cancel a Photoshop subscription at any time?
Not without cost on annual plans. Adobe’s common “annual, billed monthly” option is a twelve-month commitment paid in instalments, and cancelling early normally incurs an early termination fee. A genuine month-to-month plan is available at a higher rate. Choose deliberately, because this is where most billing disputes originate.
What is Photoshop best for?
Professional image editing: retouching, compositing, masking, and colour-managed output for print and commercial delivery. It is the right tool when depth of control matters, and considerable overkill for cropping holiday photos or making social media graphics.
Compare Adobe Photoshop with other popular tools in the same category.
I love the flexibility and options photoshop provides to the very detail of an image or graphic. If I can squeeze a second favorite - I love how the tools have a cross over function with other Adobe products.
The learning curve is always difficult if you're not familiar with Adobe editing tools. There's so many features and navigation can be confusing at first.
Adobe helps me solve the need to hire external Resources for graphic design needs.
The sheer variety of tools available and the frequent updates through creative cloud make it a must-have software.
Some tools tend to be hidden deep in the menus.
Quick and effortless designs on the fly. We can make unique assets for our business that do not just reuse templates like on Canva.
This software plays a big role in our organization. This software teaches students as a subject of our organization. Our company uses Adobe Photoshop to create banners and leaflets.The quality of the designs made by this software is high and Adobe Photoshop has a large number of tools available to enhance the design. tools in this adobe photoshop software are not found in any other software and there is a lot of interest in this software among the students.
The only problem we have with users is that the prices here are a bit high.
It is very convenient for us to be able to do our design work within the company and it saves us a lot of money per month. the students are well trained on this software, and all the students with high-quality computers have bought this software
This is the best designing software. There are many tools, plugins and big community.
This is not free software. Thare are no any other dislike thing. This is not lightweight software
I am a developer. When I develop, we must add images for our websites. So I used photoshop to edit, design images. We can save images for any extention like png, jpg, pdf. The best thing is we can save images from web support format.
Magic Wand Tool and the color change tool.
Does not auto-save sometimes and it can be difficult to find some tools.
We are solving the problem of content creation. Also, we are creating benefit and tradeshow materials.
Photoshop is highly versatile. Making it easy to edit photos, create graphics, and much more. You can do anything with this software. Even though I have used the software for over 8 years, the tutorial videos are simple and fast and help me learn new tools everyday.
Text in photoshop needs some improvement. It is often hard to edit it. I wish there was a stamp for trees. The preset colors are helpful but I wish they had 4 preset colors instead of only 2.
Photoshop allows me to take architectural drawings and transform them into a more understandable graphic for everyone to read. Easy visualization tool.
Exceptionally incredible and simple to utilize. Natural, way more so than other Software. My experience has been really magnificent working with "Adobe Photoshop". I love it and appreciate that it is so natural to work with. It's the best programming out there available today.
There is somewhat of an expectation to learn and adapt with regards to Photoshop that can make new clients battle. Now and then Photoshop carries out new updates that vibe like they can lose work process until you become accustomed to them.
Graphics Creation - the different graphics instruments and choices accessible from other adobe item combination permit us the capacity to make any sort of legitimate realistic for a customer.
The select subject action and content aware fill save so much time in photo editing. Batch processing and actions are also great time savers to tone submitted photos and convert to print specs
I wish Adobe products were more consistent in hot keys across all products. The functionality of the tools varies, and it can throw you off when working across Adobe products all day long.
Editing poorly shot photos is a very common use for magazine production. Client-submitted images are not always high quality and we must almost always edit them to improve the resolution, color balance, and brightness.
Photoshop is the perfect design tool for small business owners who want to create their own designs at an affordable rate. Stroke within the layer style is one of my favorite tools to use, along with creating GIFS.
I'm not too fond of the fact that documents are not saved automatically within Photoshop. There has been a handful of times where the application has closed, and my work vanished. Can you imagine how frustrating I was after this occurred? Clearly, it is still a sore subject.
After switching from Canva, I've discovered the ease of creating GIFS along with implementing several third-party plugins. One benefit I've noticed is an increase in profits due to our GIFS. We create custom GIFS, then upload them to use within our Instagram Stories. Adobe is a major gamechanger!
Photoshop lets me create beautiful images every time. There are endless features on this program, if you're a photographer or creator, you NEED this!
This program really slows down my computer, so I often have to have nothing else open on my computer while using it which is fine.
Photoshop helps me create works of art with my photos.
The editing tools- they are very easy to learn and very effective in terms of editing. Creating tools- you can create new image and marketing materials and create tonnes of thing using the tools in photoshop. i did'nt find any alternative for this software in the industry.
the latest software has lil different shortcuts and interface than previous one but once you start working you will get used to it
Very decent and nice software to create marketing materials on this software.
I like being able to be creative and Adobe Photoshop helps me with that!
Nothing! Everything is pretty easy to use once you know how to utilize the functions of the tools.
I am able to create better graphics and keep our organization on brand.
Photoshop literally allows you to do anything! Want to be in space? Mask out the sky and be in space. Have an old photo that needs touch-ups? Clone tool and healing brush have you covered. How bout colorizing black and white photos? drop an empty layer behind, put the top layer on multiply, and paint in the empty layer to your heart's content! The possibilities are endless!
I would say that photoshop has a pretty steep learning curve. Something that builds upon earlier versions. So if you've been using it a while it is most likely going to come back quickly. Basically, it is easy to learn but super difficult to master. The main thing is, you only have to go as deep as you want to
I use it on a daily basis in my toy photography. Masking out stands, or adding a little bit of fog really pulls the images together. I also use it a lot at work to retouch images for social media posts.
It's fairly intuitive and easy for beginnings. They're constantly rolling out new updates and features. It's also my favorite tool for creating gifs.
The settings and display sometimes change on their own which can be annoying. The file sizes are typically much larger than Illustrator or InDesign for the purposes we use it for, so it's not ideal for creating things like flyers, promotional items, infographics, or brochures. Because it doesn't use vectors (like Illustrator), it's also not ideal for designing things like logos that need to be resized regularly.
We use photoshop for all of our social post images and website and email mock-ups. It's great for more in-depth photo editing and quick image resizing.
I love all of the features. Advanced users know how to use layers effectively. I have used Photoshop for beauty retouching and for corporate making printable posters where no one had the skills to do so.
Not much. I'm not familiar with using channels for beauty retouching yet that is not my approach to make someone look plastic :). There are other ways to enhance the natural beauty of a face while looking magazine ready.
I don't need to use Quark for type. Albeit Photoshop is an imaging software for photos, I find it extremely easy to use for higher level desktop publishing than what's the standard in Microsoft Office suite.
I love how creative I can be in photoshop. one of the best photo editing software. I love how rich the colors are compared to canva. There is a learning curve but it is worth it.
I wish Adobe create more videos that show you how to do certain things. I tend to watch a lot of youtube videos to learn how it works. Sometimes the image sizes are off.
I like how rich the colors are, and I love the variety of fonts that is provided. I love that I can extract my logo colors in Adobe color.
Every Feature and diversify product; hence my team and I liked this very much It has the advantage of working on layer by layer, so whenever in the future we required to change, we need to edit that specific layer The Color Range Feature is the best i feel to remove any background. Also, we can work on multiple files together and copy-paste the layer from one file to another file, which I feel the best feature of this software.
More Layer More confusion Hence I feel that it is pretty tedious when we are in a hurry to change something.
Generally, i am working on digital marketing; hence i have to solve the problem of marketing digitally for my university I do edit the post and images for marketing purposes using this platform.
All new features makes my life easier when I'm editing a photo or creating digital art.
Sometimes it isn't effortless to do simple things.
I use Photoshop to teach the basics of editing images; my students love it.
It allows for extreme editing of photos and its infinite number of tools allow for customization of numerous images.
It is not for beginners. One must have a great amount of knowledge to be able to handle even basic editing. It would be nice to see a more basic version for those who are not as serious in their photo-editing or who are not professionals.
I have been able to make presentations for teaching by manipulating Photoshop images.
I love how easy it is to learn, and it works so well with other Adobe products, so when the team is working on video editing, they can easily work with the backgrounds and art assets that I create. If changes need to be made due to a layer issue, it's an easy fix. I feel that it is an easy program to use if one continues to use it every day. It's a wonderful program for photo editing, especially those small touch ups such as flyaway hairs, pimples, etc, but with a Wacom tablet it's also a great tool for creating digital artwork. If you're familiar with the app Procreate it has very similar fuctions. As an illustrator, I use Procreate when I'm on the go, but if I need to make changes to any picture at home I can easily do those edits on Photoshop. It's just that compatible and easy!
Nothing! I've used this program since high school, and it is still my favorite program. My one complaint, however, is that I wish Adobe Illustrator were just as easy. Both programs look the same, but when you're trying to use both, it gets confusing because the keys for each program are different, although the programs look exactly the same, but each separate key function are different, so trying to use both programs simultaneously can be a bit of a headache.
I am learning how to finish a project faster by using their shortcuts, such as copy and paste. The shortcut keys are super helpful.
The touch up tool is very handy for editing
The layers can be confusing a times for new users
Interior layouts and architecture layouts
Really simple format. There are so many options. You could nearly edit the photo in any way you want. It is probably the best photoshop I've ever used, and I suggest every photo editor use it because it is advantageous.
The thing I don't like about it that after you download it, you have to either use a 7-day trial or buy the license. Except for this, I like everything.
There are so many powerful options for editing. The colorizing photo tool uses AI to colorize black and white pictures. It is really easy to use. The editing is made simpler by using AI.
Interface saving every 5 mins Pantone matching
The file recovery when the app crashes is slow
It's great for colorists file manipulation and the Pantone feature is so helpful
Adobe Photoshop is the best photo editing in the market. It has advanced features for photo manipulations and enhancement. It is also easy to use, even for beginners.
The price is relatively high, and it requires a lot of resources.
Adobe Photoshop is the best tool for photo editing, retouching, and photo manipulation.
Adobe Photoshop is easy to learn, has a recognizable interface, and has great program scripts
There are not enough undo counts. In clip studio, there is way more undo counts which makes it easier to backtrack on your work
I use photoshop in my creative field. At work, we use photoshop to design characters, backgrounds, and props. We also do layout, photo correction, and rough brainstorming. I feel like photoshop could help bring any visual construction into a digital platform. As far as benefits, I feel like once you master a program like photoshop, using other adobe programs and other digital painting programs like clip studio and procreate becomes easier to learn
This is my most used application! I use it for editing photos, as well as for creating art for my website. I also use it for saving elements for web.
I dislike that it can be a little confusing to use. It's not an intuitive application and definitely takes some learning.
I think that the biggest problem we are solving with photoshop is making sure that all of our web elements look crisp and web ready but also load quickly
I like that there is always something new to learn and that I can use many techniques to manipulate a design the way I envision it.
Some of the shortcuts are inconsistent with other adobe programs. Also, I do wish it didn't use up so much space on my hard drive. As your computer gets older, the program does begin to glitch.
I can design everything from marketing posters to photo edits. I am able to develop creative lesson plans because there are so many processes to teach and discover.
I like the wide variety of design solutions PS offers
That PS files are so large when saving and there is not a way to get files back once they are lost
Photoshop allows me to touch up renderings, site plans, elevations, do illustrative sections, design graphics for clients
Ease of use. The tools are very intuitive, and great explanations given.
Many tutorials are available to learn new techniques, but can get a bit wonky.
Adobe Photoshop program gives new life to old pictures using Old Photo Restoration. My clients were very happy with restorations.
The array of tools for nearly any requirement.
Sometimes features are a bit difficult to learn and implement into daily workflow
Speed of editing, it can really improve my processes