PhotoCraft vs Photoshop: Can the Open-Source Clone Replace It?

Where PhotoCraft already matches the workflow

• Layers, masks, adjustment layers (Curves, Levels, Vibrance) and layer styles (Drop Shadow, Bevel & Emboss, Stroke).
• Selections: Quick Selection, Object Selection, Select Subject, Select and Mask.
• PSD and PSB files at 8, 16 and 32 bits, plus real ICC colour management and RGB, Grayscale, CMYK and Lab documents.
• Free, no account, runs locally; also available as a self-hostable WebAssembly build.

Where Photoshop still wins

• Generative features: PhotoCraft has none - the README calls AI/generative the biggest gap.
• Tool depth: roughly 15 tools are still missing and typography is thinner.
• Plug-ins and ecosystem: limited plug-in compatibility versus decades of third-party filters.
• File fidelity on complex PSDs - re-saved files are not byte-identical to their sources.
• Stability and support - Photoshop is mature, PhotoCraft is weeks old.

Price and licensing

PhotoCraft is dual-licensed MIT or Apache-2.0: free to use, modify and redistribute. Photoshop is a subscription product. If your Photoshop use is mostly layers, masks and adjustments, the saving is real; if you rely on generative fill and plug-ins, it is not a drop-in swap.

The practical answer

Use PhotoCraft for everyday compositing and retouching and for opening PSDs without a subscription. Keep Photoshop for client work that needs generative tools or exact PSD round-trips. Need a quick cutout or a PSD flattened to PNG? Our free PSD to PNG converter and background remover run in the browser.