Ivan Kutskir built Photopea by himself and made it look almost exactly like Photoshop. Not as a joke or a commentary, but as a deliberate usability decision. If you know Photoshop, you can open Photopea and start immediately. The keyboard shortcuts match. The layer panel works the same way. The blend modes are in the same place.
That surface-level familiarity covers a feature set that's more complete than most people expect from a browser-based tool. Layers, masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, blending modes, text tools with OpenType support, custom brushes, pen path editing: it's all there. The file format support is broad: PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, CDR. Photopea handles PSD files well enough that it's become a common answer when someone asks how to open a PSD on a machine that doesn't have Photoshop.
The privacy model is worth noting. Files aren't uploaded to a server by default; they're processed locally in the browser. The tool works offline after the initial load. For teams with NDAs or sensitive client assets, this matters more than the price difference.
The free version is ad-supported, which is noticeable but not overwhelming. The $9/month premium tier removes ads, extends undo history, and adds AI credits for generative fill and background removal. That's a low bar for anyone using it regularly enough to care about the history length.
Where it falls short: performance on very large files is slower than native apps, and the lack of non-destructive layer effects (in the Photoshop sense) means some advanced workflows hit limits. For designers doing photo retouching, digital illustration, or composite work without an Adobe subscription, it covers most of what's actually needed. For photographers doing professional print work with strict color management requirements, a native app is still more reliable.
The closest alternatives are GIMP for desktop use and Pixlr for browser-based work. Photopea sits between them on capability: less cumbersome than GIMP for web-first work, more capable than Pixlr for complex compositions.
Ivan Kutskir built Photopea by himself and made it look almost exactly like Photoshop. Not as a joke or a commentary, but as a deliberate usability decision. If you know Photoshop, you can open Photopea and start immediately. The keyboard shortcuts match. The layer panel works the same way. The blend modes are in the same place.
That surface-level familiarity covers a feature set that's more complete than most people expect from a browser-based tool. Layers, masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, blending modes, text tools with OpenType support, custom brushes, pen path editing: it's all there. The file format support is broad: PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, CDR. Photopea handles PSD files well enough that it's become a common answer when someone asks how to open a PSD on a machine that doesn't have Photoshop.
The privacy model is worth noting. Files aren't uploaded to a server by default; they're processed locally in the browser. The tool works offline after the initial load. For teams with NDAs or sensitive client assets, this matters more than the price difference.
The free version is ad-supported, which is noticeable but not overwhelming. The $9/month premium tier removes ads, extends undo history, and adds AI credits for generative fill and background removal. That's a low bar for anyone using it regularly enough to care about the history length.
Where it falls short: performance on very large files is slower than native apps, and the lack of non-destructive layer effects (in the Photoshop sense) means some advanced workflows hit limits. For designers doing photo retouching, digital illustration, or composite work without an Adobe subscription, it covers most of what's actually needed. For photographers doing professional print work with strict color management requirements, a native app is still more reliable.
The closest alternatives are GIMP for desktop use and Pixlr for browser-based work. Photopea sits between them on capability: less cumbersome than GIMP for web-first work, more capable than Pixlr for complex compositions.