Free Photo Editing Apps to Replace Picnik.com

The day Picnik announced it was closing as a stand-alone site and would be integrated into Google+ as their photo editing tool was disheartening for some. Bloggers not already utilizing this new social media juggernaut had the same knee-jerk reaction: “What free photo editing app am I going to use now?!?”

Some are turning to Photoshop Elements but the $99 price tag for a full version is a big leap from the free resource that Picnik offered. Keeping overhead low is important to bloggers who write full-time so I’ve curated a list of sites—some even comparable to Photoshop—that you’ll want to definitely check out!

Downloadable Software

Online Apps

 Do you have a favorite free/cheap photo editing software? What do you currently use to edit images? Let us know in the comments!

41 comments

  1. Janie B says:

    I’ve used both Powerpoint and Windows Live Photo Gallery, never had any issues with either. Picasa and Flickr are the other two on occasion! ;O)

  2. Oh man, I am SO thankful for this post! I love Picnik, and very sad to see it go. They say their powerful tools will be used @ Google+ but I’ve not see anything impressive going on over there photo editing wise.

    Can’t wait to try out picmonkey.com!

  3. Reporting back: I did try to picmonkey.com very easy to use! But one of the most valuable tools for me is ‘curves’ they currently don’t offer this tool. However iPiccy.com does!

    Another online tool you might find useful is fotofuse.com which helps to remove shadows and lighten white backgrounds!

  4. Boyd Ackland says:

    Being just a small user hobbyist, I thank you for saving me the hassle for searching for a new pic. editor.
    Much Appreciated
    “Acky”

  5. Lauar says:

    I’m finding Picmonkey to be pretty much right in line with what I was used to on Picnik. I’ve been able to move seamlessly from one to the other. And believe me for a few weeks I had been in a panic!

  6. Jo says:

    Don’t forget http://www.aviary.com/
    they’ve just taken over the editing service for flickr. They have a basic level editor that’s integrated into flickr, then some other more in depth programs that are completely free (to a level) with a registration. I’m nothing to do with them by the way, just a long time admirer!!
    Jo x

  7. Hilary says:

    Photobucket has amazing photo editing software (it’s actually Pixlr), and you can aggregate all of your camera and phone-camera photos there, edit them and share them from there…keeping your originals with a Pro account.

  8. angie says:

    i’m looking for a free editing software that will allow me to remove people or things from a background. any suggestions.?

  9. Renee says:

    I have personally used Gimp and think it’s wonderful! A friend of mine who’s a professional photographer (with her own business) told me about it. She uses it to edit her photos and to make cards she sells on Etsy. There is a learning curve with it, but there are many, many great tutorials on youtube to show you how to use it. It’s a GREAT program!!

  10. Amy says:

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for this blog I loved picnik. I can’t find anything that I like so thank you for everyone’s info I will try some of the others out.

  11. I hate that Picnik is gone . Its Great that people can learn to use photo tools and make there Pis fantastic. I run a site that offers lots of options But does not intergrade the customer using tools . but lets different designers work on a photo and the customer gets to pick the one they like the best. Its a Totally different concept But is a option . we do everything to Basic edits , color popping , and full out manipulations.

  12. Anthony Kalowski says:

    Ribbet! have just announced that they’re opening a photo editor that’s almost identical to Picnik (built on the same platform and with all the same features). They’re giving away a chance to win 1 of 100 free Ribbet Premium memberships if you request an invite on their site:

    http://www.ribbet.com

  13. Olivia says:

    Picmonkey is almost exactly like picnik, it works great. It’s absolutely free. The royal features can be unlocked just by clicking them and then pressing apply without the little monkey symbol in the corner. The only problem I have it that it has less cool fonts that picnik had.

  14. Valencia says:

    I’m so glad I found this page – I felt so lost without picnik. Thank you Kristen!

    And yes, I love picmonkey, it’s exactly the same as picnik!

  15. Thanks for introducing these alternatives! We were looking for one to suggest to our users after Picnik went down, and wrote a post about how you can use PicMonkey and conXt to send your photocards: http://cnxt.me/VHO40O If you’re interested, conXt is your paper address book online – and makes it easy to gather, back up, organize and automatically update all your family contacts. From conXt, you can print mailing labels to send holiday cards from home, export your list to any online card retailer, or send holiday cards straight from conXt. And it’s free!

  16. cymbeline says:

    Picmonkey LOOKS the same but I’m finding that the effects are not as refined as picnik. It’s good, but it’s not great, not like picnik was. There are effects that I am yet to find a photo that these improve. I was hoping that they would add a bit more sophistication as time went on, but have been disappointed. I am yet to find a replacement for picnik. Very sad.

  17. Cathy says:

    I have been using PicMonkey and really like it because it’s very similar to picnik. But now they are charging for it, $33/year. That’s not a bad price but does anyone know a similar one for free?

  18. Lily Feinsmith says:

    Hi, sorry I don’t have any suggestions, but have you found anything? I’m looking for the same thing: a software that can remove people/things from a picture.

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