Gimp vs Paint.Net: Finding The Best Tool For Creatives
December 02, 2025
Image editors are friends to influencers, designers, photographers, and scientists, helping them in their work directly or indirectly. Often, the choice comes down to GIMP versus Paint.net: the tools are free and suitable for quick and safe editing.
However, this does not mean that you should ignore the alternatives. In this article, we will compare the programs in detail and tell you about Luminar Neo, an editor with built-in AI, which can be a good replacement in the long run.
What is Gimp?
GIMP is a powerful tool that gives experienced pros an edge and helps newbies get started in the field. Remove pimple from photo, change colors, or play with shadows—the editor lets you achieve high-quality results quickly. Moreover, GIMP has gained a creative and faithful community because of its availability and open source code. They do not grumble about the issues and instead develop extensions that make their preferred study, work, or utility tool even more useful.
Strengths and weaknesses of Gimp
Use a simple but powerful tool to change scene parameters completely or locally. Gimp was created 30 years ago by two enthusiasts who wanted to turn time-consuming editing into a practical, efficient, and convenient process. The advantages of this editor prove that the work done has paid off:
Plugins. Open source applications are easy to add to, so if you need an extravagant feature, you can create it yourself.
Work with any format. No need to limit yourself to conversions and searching for alternative ways to do things; here, you can get everything at once.
Interface customization. Don't like how the elements are arranged? Move them around as you see fit.
Integration with other applications. Connection is established without installing additional packages or utilities, so you can set up interaction with programs such as Scribus or Inkscape in just a couple of clicks.
Brushes. Just like in Photoshop, in GIMP you can add new brushes or customize existing ones. If you want, you can even decide on the shape of a maple leaf.
As for the negative aspects, the creators of Gimp have tried to minimize inconveniences, but some problems remain. Unlike other photo composition tools that are distributed on a paid basis, this tool is offered free of charge, which means there is no technical support or adequate standardization. In addition, you can only animate images using Gimp in two cases: if you are stuck on a desert island and have no alternatives, or if you are parodying the style of 2005.
What is Paint.Net image editor?
Paint.NET was also originally a student project, so many of its features match the description of Gimp. The program has an intuitive interface: conveniently structured functions, well-thought-out sections, and a user-friendly layout. Paint.NET is free and even suitable as a layer photo editor, but is everything really that great? Let's take a closer look below.
Advantages and disadvantages of Paint.Net
Simple editing, without the need to check everything with a ruler. Using Paint.NET in this way is a real sacrilege, because the editor only reveals its potential over short distances. It is worth studying its advantages more carefully before coming to this conclusion:
Ease of use. In most cases, Paint.NET was the first instrument of change in the careers of many photographers and designers. This is evident, as minimal complexity is the hallmark of this tool.
Regular updates. The program is constantly evolving, bringing new ideas, features, and options for its implementation. This is complemented by the active influence of the community on the editor's life, so each update brings what people need.
Unlimited history. Got a brilliant idea, but need to go back 40 steps to make it happen? With Paint.NET, it's a piece of cake.
Layer support. Among free alternatives, it is rare to find tools that enable you to influence an image from several angles at once, which is undoubtedly a major advantage.
Comprehensive processing. If you have OCD, Paint.NET will be a real lifesaver. Do everything at once and work on several projects simultaneously.
The modern Paint.NET is a reimagining of the program we used as children to draw rectangles and color them in different colors. This description perfectly illustrates the situation, because this program can hardly be called full-fledged: there are no custom brushes, it is limited in terms of platforms, and it is pixelated. The cherry on top of this cake of ugliness is the security issues that users have noticed when using the program. Therefore, if you are concerned about the security of your information, we recommend that you consider alternatives.
Worthy alternatives
Perhaps you don't like the options offered? That's okay if you're aiming for more complex and sophisticated processing. Modern GIMP alternatives can offer much more than just light curve control, filling, and cutting objects.
To become true editing gods, it's worth keeping an eye on market trends. Photoshop is already mainstream, despite its practicality and regular updates. We suggest taking a look at a product from Skylum called Luminar Neo, which takes interaction with the scene to a whole new level.
Of course, an AI tool may not be to the liking of some influencers. But have you ever considered using a smart decision to modernize your content rather than creating it from scratch? Using it in this way can greatly improve the quality of your images and posts.
Features of Luminar Neo
Adding a third variable to this equation, it is worth mentioning another fact that divides editors into two groups. Do they work on macOS or Linux? Of course, Microsoft's product remains extremely popular, but depriving users of other platforms of the ability to conveniently change their photos is, at the very least, wrong.
Gimp is adapted for all three operating systems, which gives it a huge advantage over its competitors. In the case of Paint.Net mac alternative is needed, as this tool is only available within the Microsoft ecosystem. It is weird to observe this occurrence in the 21st century, as the business is knowingly disconnecting with two-thirds of its audience. Nevertheless, it is unnecessary to bother, as a more sophisticated solution can easily replace Paint.NET's functionality.
From working with layers, automatically selecting objects, or adjusting color correction, you can even turn the sky into a parade of night stars with a single click. To avoid being unfounded, here are some features you will encounter when using Skylum's product:
Automated boost. Now you do not have to do the boring routine chores, a computer-assisted by AI will take care of that. The work that cannot be done without two additional clicks is retouching portraits, eliminating the unneeded objects, and improving the tone.
Adaptive workflow. Skillfully combine manual processing skills and cold machine calculations to achieve high-quality results.
Extension. As with Gimp, you can supplement the existing functionality with special plugins. The difference is that with Luminar Neo, you get a professional product created by experts, not a community.
High processing speed. Functions that do not require serious intervention make it possible to see the result in a matter of seconds. When completely replacing the sky or adding the “golden hour” effect, you will have to wait a few seconds.
Flexible configuration. Remove unnecessary interface elements, change the location of parameters, and the degree of display. You decide what your workspace will look like.
The free trial version is available, but if you want to gain control over Luminar Neo for a longer period, you will need to familiarize yourself with the packages and select one of them. Another inconvenience is that the program may periodically “slow down” on some devices. The problem does not occur every time; rather, it is characteristic of heavy projects. However, if you have weak hardware, such freezes do occur.
The main points in brief: Gimp or Paint.Net?
At their core, Gimp and Paint.NET are very similar programs. From their history and development to the features available today. Therefore, choose the option that seems more user-friendly to you. If the tasks you need to perform using the editor are simple: they do not require ultra-precise selection, a wide variety of shadow settings, or working with hundreds of layers, then either option will work. When it comes to complex projects, it is better to give preference to Luminar or Photoshop, as mentioned earlier.
