Swap Adobe Creative Cloud Pro for GIMP, Inkscape, Kdenlive, darktable, Audacity, Scribus, Blender, Stirling-PDF or PhotoCraft and stop paying $839.88/yr.
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As a Photoshop stand-in: layered PSDs open, but adjustment layers, smart objects and most layer styles don't carry over.
Imports your data: opens layered PSD/PSB files; adjustment layers and smart objects are lost
$ sudo pacman -S gimpAs an Illustrator stand-in: no CMYK print output yet, and .ai files open via PDF import, often losing layers.
Imports your data: opens PDF-compatible .ai files via PDF import; layers and effects may flatten
$ sudo pacman -S inkscape$ flatpak install flathub org.inkscape.InkscapeStands in for Premiere Pro only; the other picks cover the rest of the suite.
Imports your data: OpenTimelineIO import, but Premiere timelines must be converted first; no .prproj
$ sudo pacman -S kdenlive$ flatpak install flathub org.kde.kdenliveAs a Lightroom stand-in: no phone app or cloud sync, and its editing workflow takes real time to learn.
Imports your data: reads Lightroom XMP sidecars for ratings, tags, GPS and a few basic edits (crop, exposure, tone curve)
$ sudo pacman -S darktable$ flatpak install flathub org.darktable.DarktableStands in for Audition only; the other picks cover the rest of the suite.
$ sudo pacman -S audacity$ flatpak install flathub org.audacityteam.AudacityAs an InDesign stand-in: can't open .indd files (IDML import is partial), and its typography lags InDesign's.
Imports your data: imports IDML exported from InDesign; layouts usually need cleanup
$ sudo pacman -S scribus$ flatpak install flathub net.scribus.ScribusCovers 3D and some motion and compositing work, but it isn't a layer-based After Effects replacement.
$ sudo pacman -S blender$ flatpak install flathub org.blender.BlenderAs an Acrobat stand-in it merges, converts, OCRs and signs PDFs; it's open-core, with the desktop app under a commercial licence.
Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on stirlingpdf.com.
Early alpha first released in September 2026; its own docs say it isn't yet ready for daily professional work.
Imports your data: opens and saves layered PSD/PSB files (its tests re-save 307 of 309 sample PSDs faithfully)
Download it from getartcraft.com.
| Alternative | Verdict | License | Linux | AUR | Self-host | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP | Replaces it | GPL-3.0-or-later open source | Yes | Yes | No | 6.5k★ |
| Inkscape | Replaces it | GPL-2.0-or-later open source | Yes | Yes | No | — |
| Kdenlive | Replaces it | GPL-3.0 open source | Yes | Yes | No | 5.8k★ |
| darktable | Replaces it | GPL-3.0 open source | Yes | Yes | No | 13.3k★ |
| Audacity | Replaces it | GPL-3.0 open source | Yes | Yes | No | 18.7k★ |
| Scribus | Partly replaces it | GPL-2.0-or-later open source | Yes | Yes | No | 634★ |
| Blender | Partly replaces it | GPL open source | Yes | Yes | No | 20.8k★ |
| Stirling-PDF | Partly replaces it | MIT core open source | Yes | — | Yes | 94.3k★ |
| PhotoCraft | Early (alpha/beta) | MIT or Apache-2.0 open source | Yes | — | No | 66.2k★ |
Adobe Creative Cloud Pro bundles 8 apps: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe InDesign. Their free alternatives cover it piece by piece.
| Plan | For | Paid monthly | Paid yearly | Annual plan, paid monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Cloud ProMost common | individual | $104.99/mo | $779.88/yr | $69.99/mo |
| Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers | student | — | $239.88/yr | $19.99/mo |
| Creative Cloud Pro for teams · per user | business | — | $1,199.88/yr | $99.99/mo |
| Creative Cloud Standard | individual | $82.49/mo | $599.88/yr | $54.99/mo |
| Creative Cloud Pro Plus (teams) · per user | business | — | $1,325.88/yr | $110.49/mo |
Quoted from adobe.com on Oct 17, 2026, US prices in USD before tax.
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