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 find photoshop to be the best editing app because it offers the most number of tools and effects for editors
The pricing , they couldve made it cheaper but i guess after releasing lightroom its fine
I edit my instagram photos with photoshop
You can draw right over hand drawn sketches and copy your formats from one design to another.
It can be tough to figure out how to do certain things, I often need to Google tutorials.
Refining designs and having them digitally available for directors to see.
Even if you aren't a fancy designer, using the basic tools is a powerful tool for business owners who need great, customized graphics for their business.
It can be a bit overwhelming for non-designers.
I'm able to design promotional images for my event planning business. This allows me to save money on a professional designer for small projects, or even allows me to edit the images our designer creates.
once you get comfortable with using this software you will save alit of time editing photos
It is not very user friendly. You need to take tutorial before perfecting this software
Removing photo shadows and changing the pixel size to accommodate e-commerce needs
What I likes best about Photoshop is how easy it is to navigate and manipulate any type of image. The layer control is great and adding other functions within the filters palette has improved over the years. With proper labeling and organization, the more you use the product the more creative you become.
There's not much to dislike about Photoshop. There's only things like automatic scaling with short cuts and selecting layers piled on top each other faster but that's easy to adjust to. Updates from the Cloud have improved these methods which is great.
Within marketing and graphic design fields this program is a must as it solves so many issues that can occur when promoting grand elements. It also allows you to adjust any raw photo taken and color correct any part of the photo. Photoshop brings it to life with a couple of simple clicks.
i love all adobe products, but my favorite thing about photoshop is how i can use it with illustrator so easily
i don't use this product as much as illustrator so i still have to research how to do some things with it. i really do not like the libraries tool & how long it takes when loading vectors from illustrator... but i do understand how another person may LOVE this function... it just isn't for me personally.
along with illustrator... i design all of my companies campaigns with these 2 programs.
you can do anything you want. it's infinitely customizable. very powerful
definitely processor intensive. the learning curve is quite steep, but that's to be expected with such a complex software used for copmlex tasks
making flyers, ads, etc.
It’s ability to adapt to various design scenarios.
Do not like the subtraction of save for web option. It is now extremely hard to find for some folks.
A simple and powerful tool to present web design layouts to clients
I like that all the students we serve at the print shop use Adobe Photoshop, so I am able to open and edit their files.
It takes a lot of time to learn the features on Adobe Photoshop. It takes a steady hand to draw around objects for removing backgrounds but the Magic Brush is helpful too.
Opening and editing student's artwork for laying out for print, ready for book binding.
I love how powerful and broad you can make this application work! What an amazing tools of you know how to use it properly
The dashboard is very outdated and could use a refurbishing
Creating ads with ease and the ability to adjust it to be any shape or size I want!
This program allows me to put together graphics quickly with its robust features and ease of use
I miss the variations adjustment tool that was removed when they went to a cloud based system
I am able to create graphics and identities for use within our church and externally
Photoshop is one of the most effective editors I have used for creating detailed posters/screenshots. There is an abundance of tools at your fingertips. You can even mask one layer or selected parts of it on another layer. I'd recommend it for every professional designer.
The license is a bit expensive, considering the learning curve required. Also, a lite version with limited features would be extremely helpful. For laptops with limited power, working on multiple PSDs tends to heat up the CPU.
We needed to create posters that could effectively communicate the client needs while also meeting the set deadlines. Photoshop proved to be highly effective for the required specification. We also designed screenshots for several Android applications keeping in mind the latest trends on Play Store and were easily able to put all the elements together with Photoshop.
Every function that is needed for making edits and improvements to photographs is available to me with Adobe Photoshop.
I don't like that the toolbars are now so tiny at the sides.
Editing and masking photographs and superimposing them onto company web sites.
1. It allows to improve images quality in a simple and effective way because the user interface is very friendly and you have multiple tools. 2. No specialized knowledge is required for its use, so it is possible to obtain good and immediate results.
1. It is a program that consumes a large memory amount from your computer . 2. It is advisable to have a computer with sufficient processing capacity so that the program is not rentilized when using the different available tools or by increasing thepixels number in the image.
During the internal competition of the company regarding the design of new products carried out at the end of last year, it was possible to: 1. Improve the quality of the images 2. Creation of new images making use of superposition of several of them. 3. Application of filters. 4. Creation of logos 5. Creation of custom icons
there are various functions. You can even make animations on a picture. A lot to explore and a lot to learn but overall it is a good tool.
As a beginner at first I don't like to memorize those alias keyboard tips... but I found them pretty effective then.
to modify images so that one image can be used on different channels and this gave the image extra value!
I really like how much you can do with this software. I do the complete layout for all my websites in Photoshop. Its really easy to splice and import into Dreamweaver making fast and easy to complete websites. I really like how easy it is to import/export your work to and from Photoshop.
Ive been in love with Photoshop since7.0 came out.. There's nothing At all I can really complain about.
It allows me to make all my website layout designs, splice them, then import into Dreamweaver. Making it much faster and easier to finish.
It’s the industry standard. You can do so many things with Photoshop. You’d be crazy to use anything else.
Not much to dislike here. It’s great. I just dislike that I’m sitting all day while using it. Haha. It promotes a sedentary lifestyle.
Making online courses better through graphic creation and implementation.
Photoshop is very intuitive and easy to use, Adobe integrates well into everything, which makes all of their software easy to use and manage. They have a lot of options for photo correction and manipulation. GUI is on point. Vast amount of resources available since they have an impeccable track record and long lasting history.
There is not much that I would say I dislike. The more advanced features can be very tricky without learning via a guide or training video but once you get a hang of it, it becomes easy to get a grasp of. The cost can also be prohibitive since its not cheap and there are other options that can mostly cover the same type of work and are cheaper or even free.
We use it to create graphics and information that is forward facing to our clients. It is great to use to make updates and refresh our content to make it look and feel new and more contemporary. This helps make our information easier to digest for our customers and helps our department look more professional, and as a result more trustworthy.
Photoshop me parece una herramienta imprescindible para diseño, tiene infinidad de herramientas para multitud de opciones, tanto como para retoque digital, dibujo, corrección de fotografía etc. Combinado con Adobe Illustrator tengo prácticamente todo lo que necesito para trabajar.
Estoy muy satisfecho en general con Photoshop, pero sí que es verdad que no todo el mundo puede permitírselo, ya que puede ser un poco caro para algunas personas con recursos económicos limitados. Hay opciones alternativas gratuitas como gimp, pero no son tan completas ni por asomo para el edición de imágenes como lo es Photoshop.
Yo Photoshop lo utilizo normalmente para retoque fotográfico cuando tengo que, por ejemplo, modificar una imagen ya sea editando ciertos elementos, corrigiendo cosas que me parecen innecesarias, o por ejemplo si necesito borrar el fondo de algo en concreto. A veces también utilizo pinceles para agregar elementos más visuales, que gracias a la tableta gráfica se hace el trabajo más sencillo. PS junto con Illustrator son las herramientas que utilizo para crear todo el contenido web (digital) y también el físico.
Once you get the hang of it, Photoshop is very user friendly. It's easy to find tutorials and instructions to questions online, and the interface is very simple to grasp. I also really like the ability to create keyboard shortcuts to improve workflow.
I dislike that sometimes, after making a mistake, it can be nearly impossible to "undo" or "step backward" after a certain point. This occasionally results in losing all work.
I am editing photos for my website that would otherwise not be suitable (by making them brighter, sharper, clearer, etc.).
I love using adobe photoshop for editing images that need to be adjusted for my projects. The program is very easy to learn along with being similar to other adobe programs.
The only thing I would say negative about adobe photoshop is the cost of subscription. Since I run a business that needs this program, I am always going to be using this subscription service.
Fixing mistakes in photos for clients.
Versatility in term of tools and powerful automation making it my first choice of application in so many fields of work and different workflows such as (and not limited to), graphics & logo creation, sketching & prototyping, photo edition, web design, and as a companion tool for After Effect (CGI & animation). Great Online Community. Being able to expend the tools available with extensions. The always more powerful tools available with each updates. Great customization options and workflow optimization.
I'm pretty sure there is so many useful tools that I am not aware of that would be increasing my productivity using photoshop, more tutorials, learning tools and better suggestion of tutorials. Better implementation of other softwares part of adobe creative cloud, but in itself, there is noting concerning photoshop that I dislike.
Having at my disposal and mastering always the same powerful tools in all my workflows are pretty efficient it term of productivity and knowledge, such as prototyping, photo edition, graphic design, web design. Great Community making the learning and problem solving pretty much self efficient, a great feature when you prefer to search for a solution by yourself than contacting the support team.
I love how I can filter my photos, and be able to handle the color variations.
Trying to mask and replace images and not to have too many pixels to obscure the image.
We have drone pictures being taken and sometimes they can be blurry. Also I can go in and adjust construction plans and add color to highlight important items.
I love Photoshop. I think it is an extremely useful tool and not too hard to use compared to other design software. Photoshop provides a user friendly interface that allows one to navigate easily and edit pictures or any type of files as fast as possible. The layer and groups option is useful to organize your file. I also find useful that you can create or edit different images within the same file, copying and pasting easily.
I think it should include more options for people that like to create or edit booklets or boards here. Sometimes it would be better to do something in the same place, since I use photoshop very often to improve my images. I would like also to use it to create a great artboard. Also, I think filters should be improved.
I use photoshop to do concept booklets, design boards and edit pictures for architectural and interior design projects
Photoshop taps into your creativity by providing a tool that express it.
There are so many features in the application, which means there is a learning curve for how to properly use the application.
Photography, key art, print ads, posters, video screenshots, reference images, etc
It is a great tool for creating graphics for marketing materials to use in advertising. With some training it is easy to use but can go as advanced as you want it to.
The price can be a little bit inaccessible for the beginner.
I use it to create high quality marketing materials. It is good for making the best marketing materials.
I really enjoy working with Adobe Photoshop. It is easy to use once you get a hang of the shortcuts and allows me to breeze through work projects simply and efficiently
There is not much that i dislike about photoshop, maybe just learning all of the short cuts
We are sometimes asked to work on photoshop when putting together production books for shoots. It is easy to drag and customize our books
How professional it is at photo editing. Love the layering effects.
How expensive it is. It’s too bad it’s still not very affordable for small businesses and students.
Making photos look nice for marketing purposes and student artwork. Also editing final gallery images and website images.
I love photoshop for all of the options on design. If you can dream it, you can make it, then edit it! It's easy to find tutorials online if you get stuck. I love all of the tutorials online through Adobe as well. It makes creating designs that much easier when you can find easy-to-follow tutorials.
Photoshop takes a few days to learn. Adobe offers great tutorials that I definitely recommend. You must learn the tools to use them correctly. It makes all the difference!
We use Adobe Photoshop for editing and marketing material. We spend less money on professional photographers through the use of photoshop.
Everything about this is awesome! So easy and being able to troubleshoot right within the software is excellent.
The price! It is on the upper scale. It is definitely worth every penny, though. Maybe consider getting the bundle.
Creating promotional pieces is fun. It makes my business ads easily customized and there are no limits!
