Graphics & Design: what to install, and why
Professional-grade image and 3D tools that happen to cost nothing. This category has a steeper learning curve than the rest of the list, so the useful…
What this category is for
Professional-grade image and 3D tools that happen to cost nothing. This category has a steeper learning curve than the rest of the list, so the useful question is not which tool is most powerful but which one matches the job you actually have this afternoon.
What we filter on
- A real workflow, not a toy: layers, vector paths or a genuine 3D pipeline.
- No feature gate that appears only when you try to save or export.
- Active development and a documented file format story, so your work is not trapped.
- Free for the use case we describe, with the exceptions stated plainly.
The 7 programs, compared
The table below is generated from the same directory data as the main list. Licence wording matters here: free for personal use is not the same as free for a work machine, and source-available is not the same as open source. Every link opens the publisher's own site.
| Program | Licence / price | Platforms | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | The closest thing to a free Photoshop: layers, masks, curves, batch processing, plugin ecosystem. The interface takes a week to stop annoying you. Worth it if you edit photos regularly. |
| Krita Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Built for drawing and painting rather than photo editing: brush engines that feel like real media, onion skinning, animation timeline. The best free option for a drawing tablet. |
| Inkscape Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Vector editing for logos, icons and print-ready SVG. If you need to draw shapes that stay sharp at any size, this replaces Illustrator for most real-world jobs. |
| Paint.NET Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Closed source | Windows | The sweet spot between Paint and GIMP: layers, selections, effects, and an interface you understand in ten minutes. This is what most people actually want. Windows only. |
| Blender Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | A complete 3D pipeline and a serious video editor in one download, funded by donations rather than licences. Enormous. Assume a month before you are productive in it. |
| IrfanView Publisher's site ↗ | Free for personal use | Windows | Opens a 50 megapixel photo before other viewers have finished launching. Also batch-resizes, converts and rotates entire folders. Not free for commercial use, which catches people out. |
| XnView MP Publisher's site ↗ | Free for personal use | Windows, macOS, Linux | A photo browser and converter that reads over 500 formats, with tagging and a real database behind it. Use this instead of IrfanView if you also work on a Mac. |
If you only install one
GIMP. For the recurring job of editing a raster image, it does the work without a subscription and without holding your files hostage. Its interface is its main weakness, and that is a smaller cost than a monthly fee for something you use twice a month.
Its Free · Open source licence and Windows, macOS, Linux support are listed in the table above. The rest of this category exists because the right answer changes with the job, not because the other entries are filler.
The trade-offs
| Instead | What changes |
|---|---|
| Krita | A better brush engine and a more comfortable experience if the job is drawing or painting rather than photo editing. |
| Inkscape | The right tool for logos and anything that must scale; not a substitute for a raster editor. |
| Paint.NET | Much easier to learn on Windows, with a smaller feature ceiling. |
Mistakes we see
- Using a raster editor for a logo. A vector file stays sharp on a business card, a slide and a banner; a PNG does not.
- Installing Blender because it is free and impressive. It is a full 3D application with a real learning cost, not a viewer.
- Overlooking the licence wording on IrfanView and XnView MP: free for personal use is not the same as free for a studio.
Questions people ask
Which one should a complete beginner start with?
Paint.NET on Windows, or Krita if the goal is drawing. GIMP rewards patience but punishes a five-minute task.
Can these open proprietary files from paid suites?
Often partially. Layers and effects are where you will see differences, so keep an exported copy alongside the working file.
Where to go next
These guides use tools from this category:
- When free software is enough, and when it is not
- Building a free creative toolkit without collecting twenty editors
Or continue through the other categories:
- Browsers — 4 programs
- Files & Organisation — 6 programs
- Media, Recording & Capture — 10 programs
- Documents & Notes — 8 programs
- Communication — 6 programs
- Privacy & Security — 10 programs
- Developer Tools — 12 programs
- System & Hardware — 8 programs
- Backup & Sync — 5 programs
- Network & Remote — 6 programs
How to read this page. How to read this page. Platform, licence and publisher details come from our directory data. Where an independent review, audit or survey is mentioned, it is summarised in our own words with the source named and linked; our /sources page sets out that policy. The recommendation, the trade-offs and every 'skip it if' line are our editorial judgement. We do not run benchmarks, publish measured performance figures or host installers, and every download link goes to the publisher's own site. If a detail is out of date, our About page explains how to tell us.