# 4 Best Open Source Alternatives for Affinity Photo

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/affinity-photo
Last updated: 2026-11-07

Looking for the best open source alternative for Affinity Photo? Compare 4 verified free and open source alternatives to Affinity Photo (Compositor, Darktable, GIMP) with license details, self-hosting requirements, and practical trade-offs.

## Affinity Photo Overview & Subscription Cost
- **Product**: Affinity Photo
- **Category**: [photo editing](https://caniforkit.com/category/photo-editing)
- **Paid Subscription Price**: $20/month per seat
- **1-Seat Annualized Cost**: $240/year
- **5-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $1,200/year
- **10-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $2,400/year
- **Can I Vibe-Code / Rebuild It Myself?**: NO (use a free alternative, save the tokens)
- **Rebuild Verdict**: Instead of paying recurring SaaS fees for Affinity Photo or rebuilding it from scratch, deploy one of the 4 battle-tested open-source alternatives like Compositor.

## Verified Free & Open Source Alternatives

| Alternative | Type | License | Runs On | GitHub Stars | Head-to-Head |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Compositor](https://caniforkit.com/fork/compositor) | Open Source | Open Source | Local | ★ 18.5k | [Compare vs Affinity Photo](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-compositor) |
| [Darktable](https://caniforkit.com/fork/darktable) | Open Source | GPL-3.0+ | Local | ★ 13.4k | [Compare vs Affinity Photo](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-darktable) |
| [GIMP](https://caniforkit.com/fork/gimp) | Open Source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 6.6k | [Compare vs Affinity Photo](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-gimp) |
| [RawTherapee](https://caniforkit.com/fork/rawtherapee) | Open Source | GPL-3.0 | Local | ★ 4.3k | [Compare vs Affinity Photo](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-rawtherapee) |

## In-Depth Alternative Profiles

### Compositor
- **Fork Page**: [Compositor Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/compositor)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Affinity Photo vs Compositor](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-compositor)
- **Official Website**: https://robbietilton.com/compositor
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/robbietilton/Compositor
- **License**: Open Source
- **Runs On**: Local
- **GitHub Stars**: 18.5k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: desktop, cross-platform, one-click install
- **Summary**: Mac-native Photoshop alternative built around compositing and post-processing workflows, with layers, masks, blend modes, filters, and background removal.
- **The Catch vs Affinity Photo**: Community-driven open source project without dedicated enterprise SLAs.
- **Installation**: Clone https://github.com/robbietilton/Compositor or deploy with Docker Compose
- **Setup**: Download the native package or installer for your operating system.
- **Data Storage**: All application data lives locally on your own machine.

### Darktable
- **Fork Page**: [Darktable Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/darktable)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Affinity Photo vs Darktable](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-darktable)
- **Official Website**: https://www.darktable.org
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable
- **License**: GPL-3.0+
- **Runs On**: Local
- **GitHub Stars**: 13.4k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: desktop, one-click install
- **Summary**: Open source photography workflow application for RAW development. Non-destructive editing, professional color management, and GPU acceleration for photographers.
- **The Catch vs Affinity Photo**: It has the photographic depth, but not Lightroom's effortless Adobe cloud sync, mobile editing, shared albums, Discover ecosystem, or gentle learning curve.
- **Installation**: Install the Windows executable, macOS disk image, Linux package, Flatpak, or AppImage
- **Setup**: macOS may require a Gatekeeper right-click Open or xattr step; the larger obstacle is learning darktable's module-heavy workflow rather than installation
- **Data Storage**: Original photos stay untouched; edits, ratings, tags, and history are stored in a local SQLite library and portable XMP sidecar files, with thumbnails and cache data in the user profile

### GIMP
- **Fork Page**: [GIMP Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/gimp)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Affinity Photo vs GIMP](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-gimp)
- **Official Website**: https://www.gimp.org
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/gnome/gimp
- **License**: Open Source
- **Runs On**: Self-host
- **GitHub Stars**: 6.6k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, docker to self-host
- **Summary**: Free, open-source image editor with professional tools for photo manipulation, digital art creation, and graphic design. Cross-platform support.
- **The Catch vs Affinity Photo**: Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed Adobe Photoshop.
- **Installation**: Clone https://github.com/GNOME/gimp or deploy with Docker Compose
- **Setup**: Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- **Data Storage**: All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.

### RawTherapee
- **Fork Page**: [RawTherapee Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/rawtherapee)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [Affinity Photo vs RawTherapee](https://caniforkit.com/vs/affinity-photo-vs-rawtherapee)
- **Official Website**: https://rawtherapee.com
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/rawtherapee/rawtherapee
- **License**: GPL-3.0
- **Runs On**: Local
- **GitHub Stars**: 4.3k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: desktop, one-click install
- **Summary**: Free, cross-platform raw image processor with 32-bit floating point engine, advanced demosaicing algorithms, and professional-grade editing tools for photographers.
- **The Catch vs Affinity Photo**: It offers excellent manual RAW control, but not DxO's DeepPRIME neural noise reduction or automatically matched laboratory camera and lens corrections.
- **Installation**: Install the Windows installer, macOS disk image, or Linux AppImage/distribution package
- **Setup**: Download the native package or installer for your operating system.
- **Data Storage**: Original RAW files remain unchanged; processing settings are saved as human-readable .pp3 sidecars beside the image or in the local cache, and rendered exports go to a chosen folder

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best free alternative to Affinity Photo?
The top free alternative to Affinity Photo is Compositor (open source, Open Source). Mac-native Photoshop alternative built around compositing and post-processing workflows, with layers, masks, blend modes, filters, and background removal. Other popular Affinity Photo replacements include Darktable, GIMP, RawTherapee.

### How much does switching from Affinity Photo to a free alternative save?
Affinity Photo starts at $20/month per seat ($240/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Compositor saves $1,200 per year in software subscription fees.

### What is the catch when switching away from Affinity Photo?
While Compositor replaces core Affinity Photo features without subscription fees, the real-world trade-off is: Community-driven open source project without dedicated enterprise SLAs.

## Related

- [photo editing Software Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/photo-editing)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)
- [Self-Hosted Software Directory](https://caniforkit.com/self-hosted)
- [Homepage](https://caniforkit.com)