A Free Photoshop for Mac, No Subscription

Compositor is a free, open-source image editor for Mac that does what most people actually use Photoshop for — without the monthly bill.

What it is

Someone just released a free image editor for Mac called Compositor. It works like Photoshop — layers, masks, distortion, the whole thing — but costs nothing and doesn't ask you for a subscription.

It landed on GitHub this week and shot straight to the trending charts within hours. The community immediately started building on top of it, including a version that works on older Macs.

Why it matters for your business

If you or someone on your team edits images for your brand — product photos, social posts, website banners — you've probably either been paying Adobe around €600 a year or using something that felt like a compromise.

Compositor is the first free alternative that seems to have been designed by someone who actually uses Photoshop professionally. It's not a dumbed-down tool. It handles the layered, non-destructive editing that real visual work requires.

For a small team running a design agency, a café, a product brand — anything where you touch images regularly — this is worth knowing about.

Words worth knowing

Open-source — The code is public and free. Anyone can read it, use it, or improve it. No company can suddenly start charging you.

Non-destructive editing — You make changes without ruining the original. Think of it like editing in pencil, not pen — you can always go back.

Layer mask — A way to hide or reveal parts of an image without deleting anything. Useful for cutting out backgrounds or blending photos together.

If your business pays for Adobe Creative Cloud mostly for Photoshop, it's worth having someone on your team try Compositor this week. You might find you don't need the subscription at all.