You need an occasional layered edit without installing a desktop app
Its browser editor uses PSD as its working document model and offers free access.
Adobe Photoshop vs Photopea
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.
Which software fits your needs
Your production work depends on Adobe-specific editing or handoffs
Its desktop workflow and sharing tools can support that requirement directly.
The short answer
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.
Prices and billing terms
Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Adobe Photoshop
Mobile entry plan
Free
Free mobile app with optional premium features
AvailabilityApp availability varies by region
This does not include perpetual free desktop Photoshop.
SourcePhotoshop — annual billed monthly
USD 22.99/month
Annual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes desktop, web and mobile plus Express Premium. This is not a cancel-any-month plan.
SourcePhotoshop — annual prepaid
USD 263.88/year
Annual subscription paid upfront
AvailabilityUnited States
Official FAQ annual price; 100 GB cloud storage.
SourcePhotography — annual billed monthly
USD 19.99/month
Annual subscription billed monthly
AvailabilityUnited States
Includes Photoshop and Lightroom; 1 TB shown in the comparison.
SourcePhotopea
Free
Free
Ad-supported editor
AvailabilityGlobal web access
The account documentation distinguishes Free from ad-free Premium.
SourcePremium — observed 90-day offer
EUR 15.00
One-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 2The details, side by side
14 features
Documented differences. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Platforms
Photopea
Runs in a browser on desktop, tablet or phone; its guide recommends a large screen with precise pointer and keyboard.
Vendor documentedSource
Offline use
Adobe Photoshop
Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
After loading the site, standard editing can continue without internet.
Vendor documentedSource
Collaboration
Adobe Photoshop
Share for review supports browser comments. Invite to edit requires the document to be saved in the cloud.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
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
Adobe Photoshop
Save locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
Save as PSD for an editable document or export JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF and other formats.
Vendor documentedSource
Project portability
Adobe Photoshop
Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
Opened image documents are represented as PSD internally; support is not a guarantee of perfect Photoshop round-tripping.
Vendor documentedSource
Free plan limits
Photopea
Free access is ad-supported. Premium removes advertising and requires a login.
Vendor documentedSource
AI features
Adobe Photoshop
The Photoshop single-app offer lists 25 monthly generative credits. Larger bundles have different allowances.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
Not yet verified for this product.
Smart Objects
Photopea
Smart Objects retain a source that can update multiple copies and support nondestructive transformations.
Vendor documentedSource
Local or cloud
Adobe Photoshop
The default save location can be set to the computer or Creative Cloud.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
Not yet verified for this product.
AI Assistant availability
Adobe Photoshop
The current mobile page places AI Assistant beta on web and mobile and explicitly excludes desktop.
Vendor documentedSource
Photopea
Not yet verified for this product.
Privacy and storage
Adobe Photoshop
Not yet verified for this product.
Photopea
Official documentation says opened files are processed on the device. Optional cloud access transfers files to the chosen storage.
Vendor documentedSource
Commercial work
Adobe Photoshop
Not yet verified for this product.
Photopea
The terms permit commercial work without paying Photopea a revenue share.
Vendor documentedSource
Color depth
Adobe Photoshop
Not yet verified for this product.
Photopea
The guide documents ICC color spaces with 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit color depth.
Vendor documentedSource
Observed basic editing
Adobe Photoshop
Not yet verified for this product.
Photopea
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
| Feature | Adobe Photoshop | Photopea |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Desktop on Windows and macOS with separate web, phone and iPad experiences. | Runs in a browser on desktop, tablet or phone; its guide recommends a large screen with precise pointer and keyboard. Vendor documentedSource |
| Offline use | Installed apps can work offline after activation; periodic licensing checks and plan-dependent grace periods apply. Vendor documentedSource | After loading the site, standard editing can continue without internet. Vendor documentedSource |
| Collaboration | Share for review supports browser comments. Invite to edit requires the document to be saved in the cloud. Vendor documentedSource | 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 locally or to Creative Cloud. Save a Copy can produce flattened JPEG or PNG while preserving the working document. Vendor documentedSource | Save as PSD for an editable document or export JPG, PNG, SVG, PDF and other formats. Vendor documentedSource |
| Project portability | Embedded Smart Objects preserve source information; PSD, TIFF or PSB can retain layers while JPEG flattens them. Vendor documentedSource | Opened image documents are represented as PSD internally; support is not a guarantee of perfect Photoshop round-tripping. Vendor documentedSource |
| Free plan limits | Free mobile and iPad apps have optional premium features. Desktop pricing offers a seven-day trial rather than an ongoing free desktop plan. | Free access is ad-supported. Premium removes advertising and requires a login. Vendor documentedSource |
| AI features | 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 | Adjustment layers, masks and Smart Objects support revisable image workflows. | Smart Objects retain a source that can update multiple copies and support nondestructive transformations. Vendor documentedSource |
| 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 | 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. | 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. | The terms permit commercial work without paying Photopea a revenue share. Vendor documentedSource |
| Color depth | Not yet verified for this product. | 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. | 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 |
Match the task before comparing the price
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 3Keep free mobile separate from paid desktop
Adobe 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 trialPSD support is the beginning of a test
Photopea 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 3Offline and privacy need precise wording
Photopea 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 4What the small browser trial actually showed
A 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 trialDecide using the revision cycle
For 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 cloud editing invitations and separate browser review links. 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 3Our take
Photopea 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.
Common questions
Was Photopea export tested successfully?
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.
Is Photopea Premium a monthly subscription?
The observed EUR offer was a one-time payment for 90 days. Its monthly-equivalent headline should not be presented as recurring monthly billing.
Check the sources
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.
- Photoshop features (opens in a new tab)
www.adobe.com
- Photoshop on mobile (opens in a new tab)
www.adobe.com
- Photoshop embedded Smart Objects (opens in a new tab)
helpx.adobe.com
- Adobe offline use and licensing (opens in a new tab)
helpx.adobe.com
- Photoshop plans (opens in a new tab)
www.adobe.com · Fresh US-targeted Firecrawl retrieval resolved currency. Promotional suite prices are excluded from the recorded plans.
- Save work in Photoshop (opens in a new tab)
helpx.adobe.com
- Photoshop sharing and feedback (opens in a new tab)
helpx.adobe.com
- Photopea accounts and Premium (opens in a new tab)
www.photopea.com
- Photopea signed-out synthetic editing trial (opens in a new tab)
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.
- Photopea introduction (opens in a new tab)
www.photopea.com
- Photopea Smart Objects (opens in a new tab)
www.photopea.com
- Photopea terms and privacy (opens in a new tab)
www.photopea.com · Local-processing claims describe normal editor use and optional cloud storage. No independent privacy audit was performed.
- Photopea opening and saving (opens in a new tab)
www.photopea.com
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