# Alternatives to Polarr

Filters-forward photo editor.

Polarr ranks #8 of 10 in Image editing, with an Alt Score of 51. It is proprietary, freemium from $3.99/month and available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. 6 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/polarr/
Category: Image editing

## Where Polarr stands out

- **Runs in browser** — 2 of 9 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Photographers and content creators — from casual mobile editors to advanced users — who want fast, filter-driven photo and video editing across phone, desktop, and web.
- **What you get**: A photo/video editing suite with AI-powered editing tools and a library of millions of user-created filters. It includes the core Polarr app, Polarr Pro for more advanced photo editing, 24FPS for video aesthetic effects, and Polarr Next, a browser-based batch RAW editor. Users can create and share their own custom filters with the community.
- **How it works**: Import a photo or video in the app or browser, then either apply a pre-made filter from the creator community or adjust it manually with the built-in AI-assisted editing tools, and export or share the result.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $3.99/month (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Photopea](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photopea.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Web |
| 2 | [Photoshop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photoshop.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web |
| 3 | [GIMP](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gimp.md) | 74 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Krita](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/krita.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 5 | [Pixelmator Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pixelmator-pro.md) | 70 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 6 | [Affinity Photo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/affinity-photo.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS |
| 7 | [Luminar Neo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/luminar-neo.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 8 | [Paint.NET](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/paintnet.md) | 48 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 9 | [PhotoScape X](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photoscape-x.md) | 40 | Proprietary | macOS |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Image editing checklist | Polarr | Photopea | Photoshop | GIMP | Krita | Pixelmator Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Free | Free | One-time |
| Starts at | $3.99/month | $5/month | $22.99/month | ? | ? | $49.99 |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | Web | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | macOS |
| Layers | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Non-destructive editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| RAW support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| CMYK support | ? | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | ? |
| PSD compatibility (open / save) | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content-aware / AI fill | ? | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Vector tools included | ? | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Batch processing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Plugins ecosystem | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? |
| Runs in browser | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | ? | No |
| GPU acceleration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting / macros | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |

## Sources

Sources for Polarr. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/polarr-pro-photo-editor/id1077124956> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Free · In‑App Purchases”
- **Starts at**: $3.99/month — <https://www.polarr.com/windows/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “$3.99/mo”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.polarr.com/policy/termsofservice_v3_en.html> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Polarrcan and its licensors exclusively own all right, title and interest in and to the Services, including all associated intellectual property rights.”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS — <https://www.polarr.com/all_platforms/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Limit: Up to 5 users on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Web”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.polarr.com/windows/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Starting 2018, Polarr has shifted all development focus to Windows 10/11, which provides the necessary performance and security features.”
- **Layers**: Partial — <https://www.polarr.com/web/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Unlimited stacking of local adjustments”
- **Non-destructive editing**: Yes — <https://www.polarr.com/web/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “History tracking, infinite undo and redo”
- **RAW support**: Yes — <https://github.com/Polarrco/polarr-next-sdk> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “RawSpeed: fast decoding & decompression of RAW files”
- **Batch processing**: Yes — <https://www.polarr.com/web/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Batch export: Batch rename, resize, apply filters, etc”
- **Runs in browser**: Yes — <https://www.polarr.com/web/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Polarr Pro Online Photo Editor”
- **GPU acceleration**: Yes — <https://github.com/Polarrco/polarr-next-sdk> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “WebGL2: main rendering pipeline.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/