PhotoCraft and GIMP are both free, open source and run without an account or subscription, which is usually how people end up comparing them. But they are not aimed at the same thing. GIMP is a general-purpose editor that has grown its own tools, menus and plug-in ecosystem since 1995. PhotoCraft is a much younger, clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop's specific workflow, rebuilt in Rust so a PSD file or a Photoshop habit transfers directly.
The short answer
If you already think in Photoshop's menus, shortcuts and PSD files, PhotoCraft is the closer fit, even though it is still early alpha. If you want a mature, fully-featured editor with its own scripting language, filters and decades of plug-ins, and you don't need Photoshop-identical PSD round-trips, GIMP is the more finished tool today.
Side by side
| PhotoCraft | GIMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| License | Open source (MIT or Apache-2.0) | Open source (GNU GPL) |
| First released | 2026 (early alpha) | 1995 |
| Current version | 0.6.0 | 3.2.8 (November 2026) |
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, web browser | Windows, macOS, Linux (AppImage/Flatpak/Snap), FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris |
| Design model | Clean-room reimplementation of Photoshop's workflow | Its own menus, tools and non-destructive layer model |
| PSD support | Opens, edits and saves layered PSD/PSB; keeps 307/309 test files rendering correctly on re-save | Imports and exports PSD/PSB, mapped into GIMP's own layer model |
| Scripting | CLI, JSON control channel, MCP server for AI agents | Script-Fu and Python-Fu, plus a new GEGL Filter Browser and 111 new API functions in 3.2 |
| Generative AI | No (listed as the project's largest gap) | No (no mention in the 3.2 release notes) |
| Maturity | Early alpha, roughly 45% ready for real work by its own roadmap | Mature, 25+ years of releases and plug-ins |
Where GIMP is ahead
GIMP's 3.2 release shows the depth of a 25-year-old project: it added three new non-destructive layer types (Link layers that update automatically when a source file changes, Vector layers with live stroked and filled paths, and improved Text layers), a GEGL Filter Browser for finding filter names and properties, and 111 new scripting functions in libgimp. File format support grew too, with PSB export, APNG, JPEG 2000 export, HEIF variants and Procreate/Krita palette import. None of this depends on PhotoCraft catching up — it is GIMP's own, independent toolset, built up over two and a half decades, with Script-Fu and Python-Fu scripting that PhotoCraft does not have an equivalent for.
Where PhotoCraft is ahead
PhotoCraft's advantage is narrower but specific: it rebuilt Photoshop's own layer and effects model — adjustment layers, layer styles, type layers, vector shape layers — rather than translating a PSD into a different model the way GIMP's importer does. That is why its README can report 307 of 309 PSD-tools test files rendering correctly after a round trip, and 116 of 116 shape layers matching Photoshop's pixels. It also ships a CLI, a JSON control channel and an MCP server as first-class ways to drive the app, which fits scripted batch edits or an AI agent more directly than GIMP's Script-Fu console.
Neither has generative AI
If you're comparing the two hoping for Photoshop-style generative fill or an AI image generator built in, neither has it. GIMP's 3.2 release notes don't mention any AI or generative feature. PhotoCraft's own roadmap lists "AI features" at about 10% ready and calls it the largest remaining gap toward full parity with Photoshop, alongside its plug-in ecosystem.
Which to pick
- You have PSD files from a Photoshop user and need them to look right: try PhotoCraft first.
- You want a complete, scriptable general editor and don't need Photoshop-identical PSDs: GIMP is the safer, more finished choice today.
- You want to automate edits from the command line or an AI agent: PhotoCraft's CLI and MCP server are built for that; GIMP's Script-Fu/Python-Fu consoles are the equivalent on its side.
- You're on Linux or FreeBSD and want the most mature option: GIMP has 25 years of packaging and testing on those platforms; PhotoCraft supports them too but is still early alpha everywhere.
See the full PhotoCraft vs Photoshop comparison if Photoshop itself, not GIMP, is what you're replacing.