Photopea can be useful for an occasional layered-file edit in a browser. Photoshop is a paid desktop production environment with related web and mobile experiences. The question is whether your actual files and required handoffs justify that broader workflow, not whether both products have a Layers panel.
Try Photopea for a small browser-based edit or a PSD you need to inspect. Choose Photoshop when a required Adobe workflow, detailed capability or client file handoff makes it necessary. Neither name guarantees that a complex document will behave exactly as you expect.
Based on the documented differences below. Your priorities can change the choice.Its browser editor uses PSD as its working document model and offers free access.
Opened image documents are represented as PSD internally; support is not a guarantee of perfect Photoshop round-tripping.
SourceIts desktop workflow and sharing tools can support that requirement directly.
Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Free mobile app with optional premium features
AvailabilityApp availability varies by region
This does not include perpetual free desktop Photoshop.
SourceAnnual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes desktop, web and mobile plus Express Premium. This is not a cancel-any-month plan.
SourceAnnual subscription paid upfront
AvailabilityUnited States
Official FAQ annual price; 100 GB cloud storage.
SourceAnnual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes Photoshop and Lightroom; 1 TB shown in the comparison.
SourceAd-supported editor
AvailabilityGlobal web access
The account documentation distinguishes Free from ad-free Premium.
SourceOne-time payment for 90 days; not recurring monthly billing
AvailabilityEUR browser-session offer; country and tax not established
Signed-out Account panel displayed 90 days for €15. Checkout, eligibility and final payment terms were not verified. The 'From €5/mo' headline is a duration equivalent.
Read the app trialSource 2Enter the offers you see at checkout. These are your estimates, separate from our sourced prices above. Use the same currency and region for every offer. This worksheet supports monthly bills, annual bills and purchases that cover the full year. Day-based passes and introductory rates need their actual renewal schedule checked separately.
The scenario starts with a payment today and assumes 12 months of use at the same entered price, including any renewal. Monthly extras repeat 12 times; one-time extras are counted once. It excludes discounts, price changes, refunds, cancellation fees and anything you have not entered. Amounts are rounded to the currency’s usual precision. Confirm the actual charge and contract with the vendor.
Entries stay in this page while it is open. They are not saved or included in shared links.
14 features
Row headings group related topics. Each answer keeps its specific scope. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Devices
Runs in a browser on desktop, tablet or phone; its guide recommends a large screen with precise pointer and keyboard.
Offline use
Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply.
Offline editing
After loading the site, standard editing can continue without internet.
Team accounts
Team Premium applies paid access to members; the reviewed account guide does not establish simultaneous document editing.
Centralized billing should not be interpreted as live co-editing.
Save choices
Save locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document.
Output formats
Save as PSD for an editable document or export JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF and other formats.
Editable objects
Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them.
PSD document model
Opened image documents are represented as PSD internally; support is not a guarantee of perfect Photoshop round-tripping.
Free and Premium
Free access is ad-supported. Premium removes advertising and requires a login.
AI entitlement
The Photoshop single-app offer lists 25 monthly generative credits. Larger bundles have different allowances.
Not yet verified for this product.
Smart Objects
Smart Objects retain a source that can update multiple copies and support nondestructive transformations.
Local or cloud
The default save location can be set to the computer or Creative Cloud.
Not yet verified for this product.
AI Assistant availability
The current mobile page places AI Assistant beta on web and mobile and explicitly excludes desktop.
Not yet verified for this product.
Not yet verified for this product.
Local processing
Official documentation says opened files are processed on the device. Optional cloud access transfers files to the chosen storage.
Not yet verified for this product.
Commercial work
The terms permit commercial work without paying Photopea a revenue share.
Not yet verified for this product.
Color depth
The guide documents ICC color spaces with 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit color depth.
Not yet verified for this product.
Observed basic editing
A signed-out Chrome trial created a 640 × 360 synthetic document and added a rectangle and text. PNG download completion was not verified.
| Feature | Adobe Photoshop | Photopea |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Devices Desktop on Windows and macOS with separate web, phone and iPad experiences. | Devices Runs in a browser on desktop, tablet or phone; its guide recommends a large screen with precise pointer and keyboard. Vendor documentedSource |
| Offline use | Offline use Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply. Vendor documentedSource | Offline editing After loading the site, standard editing can continue without internet. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Review and editing Share for review supports browser comments. Invite to Edit lets collaborators edit a cloud document one at a time; Photoshop warns when someone else is editing. | Team accounts Team Premium applies paid access to members; the reviewed account guide does not establish simultaneous document editing. Centralized billing should not be interpreted as live co-editing. Not yet verifiedSource |
| Export | Save choices Save locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document. Vendor documentedSource | Output formats Save as PSD for an editable document or export JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF and other formats. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | Editable objects Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them. Vendor documentedSource | PSD document model Opened image documents are represented as PSD internally; support is not a guarantee of perfect Photoshop round-tripping. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | Free scope Free mobile and iPad apps have optional premium features. Desktop pricing offers a seven-day trial rather than an ongoing free desktop plan. | Free and Premium Free access is ad-supported. Premium removes advertising and requires a login. Vendor documentedSource |
| AI features | AI entitlement The Photoshop single-app offer lists 25 monthly generative credits. Larger bundles have different allowances. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Smart Objects | Nondestructive changes Adjustment layers, masks and Smart Objects support revisable image workflows. | Smart Objects Smart Objects retain a source that can update multiple copies and support nondestructive transformations. Vendor documentedSource |
| Local or cloud | Local or cloud The default save location can be set to the computer or Creative Cloud. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| AI Assistant availability | AI Assistant availability The current mobile page places AI Assistant beta on web and mobile and explicitly excludes desktop. Vendor documentedSource | Not yet verified for this product. |
| Privacy and storage | Not yet verified for this product. | Local processing Official documentation says opened files are processed on the device. Optional cloud access transfers files to the chosen storage. Vendor documentedSource |
| Commercial work | Not yet verified for this product. | Commercial work The terms permit commercial work without paying Photopea a revenue share. Vendor documentedSource |
| Color depth | Not yet verified for this product. | Color depth The guide documents ICC color spaces with 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit color depth. Vendor documentedSource |
| Observed basic editing | Not yet verified for this product. | Observed basic editing A signed-out Chrome trial created a 640 × 360 synthetic document and added a rectangle and text. PNG download completion was not verified. Observed in an app testRead the app trial |
Changing a headline in a supplied graphic is a narrower job than rebuilding a detailed composite. Photopea's browser route removes an installation step, while Photoshop's desktop workflow offers a broader Adobe context. That does not make either universally faster. Describe the actual output and the parts that must remain editable. If the task ends with a flattened web image, a smaller toolset may be sufficient. If another designer must keep working on the layered file, the compatibility check becomes part of the job rather than an optional final glance.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Adobe offers free Photoshop mobile entry points with different premium entitlements. The desktop subscription is a separate decision. The verified US single-app offer is $22.99 per month under an annual commitment, with a prepaid annual option also listed. Photopea's observed account panel offered a prepaid 90-day Premium period in EUR, not a recurring monthly subscription. Free Photopea remains ad-supported. Compare the exact product, currency and term you will use. Do not turn a free phone app or a divided multi-month price into a claim about free desktop production.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Read the app trialPhotopea uses PSD as its primary working format and documents Smart Objects. Photoshop also supports embedded Smart Objects and layered source files. Those shared terms are useful starting points but they do not prove identical handling of every effect, font or resource. Open a copy of a representative file, make a reversible change and inspect it again in the receiving editor. Check the layer structure as well as the visible image. A perfect screenshot can hide a flattened adjustment or a substituted typeface that creates repair work during the next revision.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Photopea says standard editing runs on the device and can continue after the page has loaded without internet. Its optional cloud storage integration has a separate transfer path. Photoshop can save to the local computer and work offline after activation, with licensing requirements that depend on the subscription. Neither statement is a claim that every AI or connected feature works without a network. Choose the workflow that matches your data handling needs, then test the exact tools you intend to use. This comparison did not independently inspect network traffic or audit privacy controls.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4A signed-out Chrome session on Windows created a synthetic 640 by 360 document in Photopea and added a rectangle plus a text layer. That is useful evidence that this narrow basic workflow was accessible without an account. The PNG export preview opened with the expected dimensions, but a completed downloaded file was not verified after Save. The observation does not establish a general export failure or a payment requirement. It also does not measure speed, large-file behavior, PSD compatibility or the experience of an untrained user.
Read the app trialFor a recurring project, test the second revision as carefully as the first result. Can you change the subject, update the type and send a file that the next person understands? Photoshop documents separate browser review links and Invite to Edit for cloud documents. Invite to Edit allows one collaborator to edit at a time and warns if someone else is editing. Photopea's team account documentation primarily explains shared Premium access rather than simultaneous editing. If review and accountability are central, that difference deserves attention. If you work alone on occasional assets, it may barely matter. Pay for a demonstrable requirement and keep a recoverable original throughout the evaluation.
Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Photopea merits a trial for occasional PSD-oriented browser work. Photoshop is worth paying for when its specific editing or collaboration workflow earns the recurring cost. Use a representative layered file to settle the decision.
The PNG preview was observed, but completion of a downloaded PNG was not verified. Only the basic signed-out creation and editing result is treated as tested.
The observed EUR offer was a one-time payment for 90 days. Its monthly-equivalent headline should not be presented as recurring monthly billing.
Evidence used for this comparison. A checked date records when we reviewed the source, not a promise that the vendor has made no changes since.
helpx.adobe.com · Adobe's 6 October guidance describes one collaborator editing at a time and a version-conflict warning when another person is editing.
www.adobe.com
www.adobe.com
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www.adobe.com · Fresh US-targeted Firecrawl retrieval resolved currency. Promotional suite prices are excluded from the recorded plans.
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helpx.adobe.com · Adobe's redirected review article still documents browser comments; the separate cloud-document article covers Invite to Edit.
www.photopea.com
www.photopea.com · Recorded in docs/app-tests/photopea.md (PHOTOPEA-20260917-01). Chrome on Windows: 640 × 360 document, rectangle and text. Account panel showed Log In. Download completion was not verified. Application and browser build numbers were not recorded.
www.photopea.com
www.photopea.com
www.photopea.com · Local-processing claims describe normal editor use and optional cloud storage. No independent privacy audit was performed.
www.photopea.com
Graphic design · Affinity is a serious candidate when you want local photo work without a recurring payment for the core editor. Photoshop deserves priority when a client's editable PSD requirements or an established Adobe workflow determine the handoff. Verify the actual files before switching.
Graphic design · Choose GIMP when an open-source desktop workflow fits the job and you can validate the handoff. Choose Photoshop when a specific Adobe capability or client requirement justifies the subscription. Keep GIMP's native XCF archive separate from files exported for other applications.
Graphic design · Shortlist Canva for a reusable content workspace with its current brand tools. Shortlist Express when Adobe asset handoffs or a monthly Premium commitment fit your work. Start with the free plans and one real deliverable rather than paying for a longer feature list.
