P 
Photopea
Already free, already in the browser, already good enough.
NOT REALLY
why this verdict
Keep paying — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the design job, so this one still earns its $5/mo.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Free browser Photoshop is hard to undercut. OpenAI, March 25, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 2 listed replacements have a usable free tier: GIMP and Pixlr.
- What the call is worth $60/yr
- $5/mo at the entry paid tier — $60 a year per seat.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- March 25, 2025
- List price
- $5/mo
- Per year
- $60
The backstory
Photopea is a browser-based Photoshop clone funded by ads with a cheap ad-free tier. The AI wave attacked expensive creative subscriptions; a $5 tool that opens PSD files in a tab was never the target. It even benefits, as people generate images elsewhere and need somewhere free to touch them up.
Escape hatches
G 
GIMP Free desktop image editor.
gimp.org open_in_new P 
Pixlr Browser editor with AI features.
pixlr.com open_in_new2 of 2 replacements have a usable free tier.