Adobe Alternatives

There are numerous free and lower cost options that may replace some or all of the functionality in different Adobe products. The OIT Software Licensing Management group has reviewed and approved the Terms & Conditions of the licenses for the following applications. They can be used by all campus users unless otherwise noted.

Have suggestions or need help?

Please contact us at help@sciences.ncsu.edu

Software costs listed below are current as of May 21, 2019. Go to the product site for the latest pricing information as licenses costs and terms change.

Free and recommended

These tools are in wide use and have active online communities.

Image editing: Gimp

Gimp is a full featured image editing tool that essentially has feature parity with Adobe Photoshop. The interface is similar.

Cost: Free and open source

Site: https://www.gimp.org

Platforms: Windows 7 /8/10 , macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or later , Linux, Solaris, BSD

Page design: Scribus

Scribus is a full featured page layout program that includes LaTeX and Lilypond support, and is a challenger to Adobe InDesign.

Cost: Free and open source

Site: https://www.scribus.net

Platforms: Windows, macOS X, Linux, FreeBSD, PC-BSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, OpenIndiana, Debian GNU/Hurd, , OS/2 Warp 4, eComStation, and Haiku

Vector graphics: Inkscape

Inkscape is a professional vector graphics editor that is an alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

Cost: Free and open source

Site: https://inkscape.org/

Platforms: Windows, macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or higher with MacPorts, Linux

Video editing: OpenShot Video Editor

OpenShot is a video editing package that is an alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro. It does not have feature parity, but does have a strong feature set and is usually sufficient for the average user.

Cost: Free and open source

Site: https://www.openshot.org/

Platforms: Windows 7/8/10, macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher, Linux

Other options

These applications are approved by Software License Management (ClickWrap approved) unless otherwise noted. They may have an associated cost or may not be cross-platform or approved for student use.

They may be viable alternatives for your specific needs.

PDF editing (Acrobat Pro alternatives)

See https://sciences.ncsu.edu/intranet/pdf-software-choices/

Image editing (Photoshop alternatives)

Photopea

A browser-based image editing application that provides a set of tools suitable for many needs. Supports Photoshop and Gimp files.

Site: https://www.photopea.com/

Cost: Free (ad-supported), Single user: $8/mo or $50/yr for Premium (no ads). Team rates available.

Platforms: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, possibly others

Krita

An open source painting program

Site: https://krita.org

Cost: Free

Platforms: Windows, Linux

Affinity Photo

Includes an application for iPad for an additional cost

Site: https://affinity.serif.com

Cost: $69.99 one time,  $18.49 for iPad add on

Platforms: Mac, Windows (see system requirements)

Corel Paintshop Pro

Presents itself as a well designed, low-cost alternative to Adobe Photoshop

Site: https://www.paintshoppro.com/en/products/paintshop-pro/

Cost: $39.99 – $99.99 depending on version

Platforms: Windows

Page design (InDesign alternatives)

Canva

Perhaps closer to Microsoft Publisher than Adobe InDesign, offers many templates

Site: https://www.canva.com/

Cost:

Teachers and students: Free

Everyone: Free for basic version, Pro version available.

Vector graphics (Illustrator alternatives)

BoxySVG

Popular vector graphics manipulator

Site: https://boxy-svg.com/

Cost: $9/month

Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux

Note: Approved for faculty/staff use only. Do not use in classrooms or student computer labs. May request an accessibility review if student use is desirable.

Affinity Photo

Includes an application for iPad for an additional cost

Site: https://affinity.serif.com

Cost: $69.99 one time,  $18.49 for iPad add on

Platforms: Mac, Windows (see system requirements)

Video editing (Premiere Pro alternatives)

Note: Almost any product that uses FFMPEG, including most open source video editors, cannot be approved for use on campus due to a legal issue (patent violation).

DaVinci Resolve/DaVinci Resolve Studio

Full featured professional video editing application

Site: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/

Cost: Free for Resolve, $295 for perpetual license for Resolve Studio (all future versions at no additional cost)

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Videopad

A popular alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro

Site: https://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad

Cost: $69.95, one time charge for purchased version

Platforms: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Note: Approved for faculty/staff use only. Do not use in classrooms or student computer labs. May request an accessibility review if student use is desirable.

Camtasia

Screen recorder and video editor

Site: https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html

Cost: $169 for educational version, volume discounts available. This software can be purchased through Marketplace and should not be purchased on a PCard.

Platforms: Windows, macOS

Want to use an application that’s not listed above?

• All apps and software installed on university owned computers must be reviewed and approved by the university Software License Management group.
• Contact us at help@sciences.ncsu.edu and we will take care of the approval and installation processes.
• Please provide the name and version of the software and the URL to the vendor’s website.
• Let us know if you plan to have students use it as part of a class or for use by the general public because that will require an accessibility review as well. We will help with this process as well.