Thinking of ditching Adobe? These are the best alternatives according to creatives

By now you've likely heard the recent news about Adobe's latest policy allowing the company to "access your content" through "manual and automated methods". Despite Adobe's claims that the controversial update was purely in the name of transparency, that wasn't enough for some users, who voiced concerns over invasive AI training or potential NDA and WFH contract breeches. Now Adobe's AI backlash has led to an online movement, calling for creatives to migrate from all Adobe programmes.

When your workflow is integrated into Adobe software it can be tricky to know where to start when looking for reliable alternatives. Thankfully, users on X have banded together to share their favourite software alternatives for Adobe's top programs, so if you're thinking of making the transition, here's a rundown of the favourites among creatives. 

Best Photoshop alternatives

Three predominant alternatives stood out for creatives: Krita, GIMP and Clip Studio. "Clip Studio Paint has easily become one of my favourite alternatives to Photoshop," tweeted artist and designer @QuickDrawMarina. "It can now do almost everything PS can," she added. 

While GIMP and Krita offer a solid free option, many pointed to Affinity's suite of products as the most natural alternative to Adobe. "I'm a big fan of Affinity products. They're also buy-to-own and have good tutorials. Nice UI, too," another user added. For a more detailed deep dive, check out our picks of the best Photoshop alternatives to suit your needs. 

Best Premier Pro alternatives 

When it comes to Premier Pro alternatives one programme reigned supreme: DaVinci Resolve. "I switched to Davinci Resolve this year and it is singularly the best software move I've made in a decade!" commented @KameraNinjaa. "I love Davinci resolve, it's so powerful, and there are tons of free community plugins too," said @AI_EmeraldApple.

Another X user suggested: "If anyone is looking for a Premiere alternative, I’ve been using both Olive and Kdenlive for over a year now. Great substitutes that don’t charge a subscription or use your videos to train their AI model."

Best Illustrator alternatives

Many creatives agreed that one of the best Illustrator alternatives was Inkscape. "For Illustrator, I use Inkscape," says @FunkitToys "These are free! you can also donate to their production" they continued. "There are much better alternatives like Pixelmator for image editing," added @eurveo. 

For more design and vector-based projects, Affinity also received many honourable mentions. "I’m going to give Affinity a shot. Tired of bloated apps, expensive subscriptions and draconian terms of service," said visual artist Brian Romero. 

If you're after a quick and definitive list of the alternatives, there's a handy visual created by graphic designer @xDanielArt which lists the best free and paid options available. While initially, it may be tricky to switch your workflow to a new program, thankfully there's a diverse selection to try out. 

If you want more of a deep dive into the other options out there, you can check out our picks of the best Adobe CC alternatives. If you missed it, check out the initial backlash to Adobe's new terms of use.