Photopea
Shotcut
| Feature | Photopea | Shotcut |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Best For | designers, students, photo-editors, budget-conscious-creatives | beginners, budget-users, linux-users, hobbyists |
| Founded | 2013 | 2011 |
| Photo Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Psd Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Layers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Batch Processing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vector Tools | ✓ | ✗ |
| Timeline Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Transitions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Format | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hardware Acceleration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audio Mixing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Photopea Pros
- Free and browser-based
- Opens PSD files perfectly
- No installation needed
- Full editing capabilities
✗ Photopea Cons
- Ads on free version
- Can be slow with large files
- Limited batch processing
✓ Shotcut Pros
- Completely free
- Cross-platform
- Wide format support
- No watermarks
✗ Shotcut Cons
- Less intuitive UI
- Fewer effects
- No mobile version
The Verdict
Photopea is built for designers and students, with a focus on photo-editing and psd-support. Shotcut targets beginners and budget users and leads with timeline-editing and filters.
Shotcut uses custom enterprise pricing, while Photopea starts at $5/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Photopea edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Photopea has a slight overall edge — but if completely free matters most to you, Shotcut may still be the right call.