GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source image editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. It covers photo retouching, compositing, masking, layers, channels and scriptable batch work — the bulk of what most people open Photoshop for. There is no subscription, no licence key and no watermark on anything you export.
Why Choose GIMP Over Photoshop?
Photoshop is a subscription: stop paying and you stop editing. GIMP is genuinely free and open source — you own your copy permanently, there is no account, and nothing expires. For photo correction, cut-outs, compositing, text and export work, the two do the same job.
Where Photoshop still leads is the polish around the edges: smarter content-aware fill, better CMYK handling for commercial print, and a deeper ecosystem of paid plugins. If you are laying out magazine print for a press, that matters. For web images, social graphics, product photos and general retouching, the free Photoshop alternative argument is simply won on price.
GIMP also opens PSD files, so you are not locked out of work a designer sends you. If your work is illustration rather than photo editing, compare GIMP vs Inkscape and GIMP vs Krita before you decide.
GIMP Features
- Full layer system — layers, masks, channels and paths, the foundation of any serious photo editing software free of charge
- Retouching tools — clone, heal, perspective clone and a capable set of selection tools for cut-outs
- Opens PSD and exports PNG, JPG, TIFF, WebP and more, so GIMP open PSD file workflows keep working
- RAW photos through darktable or RawTherapee as a plug-in front end
- Scriptable with Script-Fu and Python for batch resizing and repetitive edits
- Large plugin ecosystem, including brush and filter packs built by the community
- Runs on modest hardware — a usable GIMP for Windows 10 and Windows 11 install on machines that would struggle with Creative Cloud
How to Install GIMP on Windows
- Ask for the official link. Use the request button on this page — we send you the current gimp.org address. Never take a GIMP exe download from a mirror or a "download manager" portal; those are what wrap the real installer in a bundler.
- Pick the standard installer. Most people want the regular Windows build. There is also a GIMP portable option if you would rather run it from a USB stick without installing.
- Run the installer and accept the defaults. It is a large download because the brushes, filters and fonts all ship with it — there is no bundled extra software to decline.
- Set the layout you prefer. Windows → Single-Window Mode is the first thing most people switch on, because it makes GIMP behave like the single canvas Photoshop users expect.
- Open a photo and try a cut-out. The Free Select and Fuzzy Select tools with a layer mask cover most real jobs, and that is how to use GIMP day to day.
Downloading GIMP in India
GIMP is the same software worldwide — there is no separate India build, no regional licence and nothing to pay. A GIMP download in India gets the identical package everyone else receives, straight from gimp.org.
We point only at that official source, so a GIMP setup download India from this page cannot arrive wrapped in someone else's installer. That matters more than download speed: the adware people blame on "free software" nearly always comes from a mirror site, not the publisher.
Is GIMP really free?
Open Source. Source code is public; free to use, study and modify. You can download and use it without paying, and without creating an account with us.
How to download GIMP safely
Use the request button on this page and we will email you the current link for www.gimp.org — the publisher's own website — so you receive the authentic, digitally signed build. We do not host, mirror, patch or repackage this software in any way.
Avoid third-party "download manager" sites offering GIMP. They commonly wrap the genuine installer in their own bundler, which is how adware and browser hijackers get onto a machine that the user believed was clean.
Alternatives to GIMP
Other free photo & graphics software worth comparing before you decide:
Inkscape
Professional vector illustration — the free Illustrator alternative.
View details
Krita
Digital painting software built for illustrators and concept artists.
View details
Paint.NET
The sweet spot between MS Paint and Photoshop.
View detailsdarktable
Non-destructive RAW photo workflow — the free Lightroom alternative.
View detailsSee all GIMP alternatives compared →
Compare GIMP head-to-head
Frequently asked questions
Is the GIMP free download the full version?
Yes. GIMP is open-source software under the GPL — GIMP free download full version is simply what GIMP is. There is no paid tier, no feature behind a key, no trial period and no watermark on exports.
Is GIMP safe to download?
It is, provided you take it from gimp.org. GIMP itself carries no adware or bundled extras. Almost every report of a problem traces back to a download-portal copy rather than the genuine one.
Can GIMP open PSD files?
Yes, GIMP opens layered PSD files, though very complex Photoshop documents using advanced adjustment layers or smart objects may not render identically. For straightforward layered artwork it works well.
Is GIMP as good as Photoshop?
For photo correction, compositing, cut-outs and web graphics, it does the same work. Photoshop keeps an edge in content-aware tooling and professional CMYK print output. Since GIMP costs nothing, the honest way to find out is to try it on a real job.
Does GIMP work on Windows 11?
Yes. There are current builds for Windows 11 and Windows 10, as well as macOS and Linux. It also runs comfortably on older hardware that would struggle with a subscription suite.
Tell us what went wrong — a person reads every message and replies. Corrections to this page are treated as priority fixes.
People also search for
The terms visitors use to find this page. Each one lands here because it describes the same program.
Searches from India
GIMP is identical worldwide — these are search phrasings, not different downloads. Every one of them gets the same official build from www.gimp.org.