10 Best Free Photo Editing Apps (iPhone, Android and PC)

The best free photo editing app for most people is the one already on their phone: Google Photos on Android and Apple Photos on iPhone now handle cropping, lighting, colour and even object removal for free. If you want more control, Snapseed is still the best completely free mobile editor, and on a PC, Photopea and GIMP give you Photoshop-style layers without paying a cent. Below we compare 10 free photo editor apps, what their AI tools can do, and the catch in each free plan.

Quick answer: On a phone, start with the built-in editor (Google Photos or Apple Photos), then add Snapseed for free, ad-free fine control. For social posts with text and templates, use Canva or Adobe Express. On a computer, Photopea runs in the browser and opens Photoshop files, and GIMP is a full free desktop editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. Windows 11 users already have Microsoft Photos with AI erase built in.

Best free photo editing apps compared

The best free photo editor apps for your phone

1. Snapseed (iPhone and Android)

Snapseed (external site), made by Google, is the best fully free photo editing app for people who want more than one-tap filters. It has no subscriptions and no ads, and it gives you precise tools: Tune Image for brightness, contrast and saturation, Selective to adjust just one area, Healing to brush away small spots, Perspective to straighten buildings, and support for RAW photos. Edits are non-destructive, so you can go back and change any step.

Catch: it has no generative AI tools like sky replacement or “erase and fill” for big objects, and there is no desktop version.

2. Google Photos editor (Android, iPhone, web)

The editor in Google Photos (external site) is good enough for most everyday photos. Tap Edit for auto-enhance, crop, lighting and colour sliders, portrait blur and filters. Google made Magic Eraser (remove unwanted people and objects) and Photo Unblur available to all Google Photos users on supported phones, so you no longer need a Pixel or a Google One plan for them.

Catch: the newest generative edits, such as Magic Editor, depend on your phone model, country and account. Photos are backed up to your Google storage if backup is on, which counts toward your free storage.

3. Apple Photos (iPhone, iPad and Mac)

If you use an iPhone, open a photo and tap Edit: you get auto-adjust, exposure, highlights, shadows, white balance, crop and straighten, filters and Portrait mode depth control. Edits sync to your Mac and iPad through iCloud Photos and can always be reverted. On iPhones, iPads and Macs that support Apple Intelligence (external site), the Clean Up tool removes distracting objects with a tap or a brush.

Catch: Clean Up only works on Apple Intelligence devices; on older iPhones you get the classic tools only.

4. Adobe Lightroom mobile (iPhone, Android)

Lightroom (external site) is the favourite of photographers for colour and light. The free app gives you its excellent light, colour and detail sliders, curves, presets and a built-in camera. If you like a “look” you can save it as a preset and apply it to a whole holiday album in seconds.

Catch: many of Lightroom’s headline AI features, such as Generative Remove, and cloud sync for full-size photos need a paid Adobe plan. You need a free Adobe account to sign in.

5. Canva (web, phone and desktop)

Canva (external site) is less a pure photo editor and more a design tool, which is exactly why it is useful for Instagram posts, YouTube thumbnails, invitations and collages. Its free plan includes filters, adjustments, cropping, text, frames, thousands of templates and free stock photos and graphics.

Catch: the background remover, Magic Eraser and many premium templates and photos need Canva Pro. Premium elements carry a watermark until you pay for them or remove them.

6. Picsart (iPhone, Android, web)

Picsart (external site) is popular for creative and fun edits: stickers, cut-outs, effects, collages, text and lots of AI tools. It is quick for social media edits and has a big library of community content.

Catch: the free version shows ads, and many AI tools, effects and assets need a paid Picsart plan. Read what each tool costs before you spend time on an edit.

7. Adobe Express (web, iPhone, Android)

Adobe Express (external site) is Adobe’s free design app. It is great for quick graphics and social posts, and its quick actions let you remove a background, resize a photo for any platform or crop it in a few taps. The free plan includes a set of Adobe Firefly generative credits each month for AI edits.

Catch: the monthly AI credits are limited, and premium templates and assets need a paid plan. You need an Adobe account.

The best free photo editors for PC and Mac

8. Microsoft Photos (Windows)

The Microsoft Photos (external site) app that comes with Windows 11 now goes beyond crop and filters. It includes AI tools such as Generative erase to remove unwanted objects, background blur and background removal or replacement, all inside the app you already have.

Catch: it is a quick editor, not a layer-based one, so for detailed work you’ll want Photopea or GIMP.

9. Photopea (any browser)

Photopea (external site) looks and works a lot like Photoshop, but runs free in your web browser on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook. It supports layers, masks, adjustment layers, the healing brush, text and opens PSD, XCF, RAW and other files. Nothing to install, and it works well on low-end PCs.

Catch: the free version shows ads; a paid plan removes them. Very large files can be slow in a browser.

10. GIMP (Windows, Mac, Linux)

GIMP (external site) is the best-known free and open-source desktop photo editor. It has layers, masks, selection tools, curves and levels, the healing and clone tools, and a big community of plugins and tutorials. Version 3 brought a modern interface and non-destructive filters.

Catch: GIMP is powerful but has a learning curve, and its menus work differently from Photoshop. No built-in generative AI.

AI photo editing tools in free apps

Most people searching for the best AI photo editor want three things: remove an object or person, replace or blur the background, and fix a blurry or dark shot. Here is where you get each one free:

• Remove objects and people: Google Photos Magic Eraser, Apple Photos Clean Up (Apple Intelligence devices), Microsoft Photos Generative erase. Snapseed’s Healing tool and GIMP’s heal tool handle small spots.
• Remove or blur the background: Adobe Express (free quick action), Microsoft Photos, portrait blur in Google Photos and Apple Photos.
• Fix blur and lighting: Google Photos Photo Unblur and auto-enhance, Apple’s auto-adjust, Lightroom’s light and detail sliders.
• Create new images: for generating pictures from a prompt, see our guides to the ChatGPT image generator and these Gemini AI photo prompts.

AI edits can change faces and details in ways that look wrong up close. Zoom in before you share, and keep the original: all the apps above let you undo or revert edits.

Free vs paid: watermarks, ads and export limits

• Truly free, no watermark: Snapseed, Google Photos, Apple Photos, Microsoft Photos and GIMP. Photopea is free with ads and no watermark.
• Freemium: Lightroom, Canva, Picsart and Adobe Express. The basic tools are free, but premium templates, assets and many AI features are locked, and premium items can carry a watermark until you upgrade or remove them.
• Check export size: some freemium apps limit resolution or formats on the free plan. If you plan to print, export a test file first and check the pixel size.
• Privacy: online editors upload your photo to their servers. For private photos, stick to on-device editors such as Snapseed, Apple Photos or GIMP, and read the app’s privacy policy.

Which free photo editing app should you pick?

• Just want better holiday photos on your phone: your built-in editor, plus Snapseed.
• Best free photo editing app for iPhone with no subscription: Apple Photos plus Snapseed.
• Best for Android: Google Photos plus Snapseed.
• Making posts for Instagram, YouTube or a small business: Canva or Adobe Express.
• Serious edits on a PC or Mac without paying: Photopea in the browser, or GIMP installed.
• Photographers who shoot RAW: Lightroom’s free tier or Snapseed on the phone; GIMP or Photopea on desktop.

Need photos to edit for a blog or project? Here are the best free stock photo sites.

FAQ

What is the best free photo editing app with no watermark?

Snapseed, Google Photos, Apple Photos, Microsoft Photos, GIMP and Photopea all export without a watermark. In Canva and Picsart, watermarks appear only on premium elements.

What is the best free photo editing app to remove objects?

Google Photos Magic Eraser on Android and iPhone, Clean Up in Apple Photos on Apple Intelligence devices, and Generative erase in Microsoft Photos on Windows. All are free.

Is there a free app like Photoshop?

Yes. Photopea is the closest free alternative and runs in a browser; GIMP is a full free desktop editor. Both support layers and masks.

Is Lightroom mobile really free?

The core editing tools and presets are free with an Adobe account. Premium features, including many AI tools and cloud storage, need a paid plan.