8.9
SpotScore
Paintshop Pro Review: Is It The Right Photo Editing Software For Your Team?
Best for SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise
Free Trial Available
Overview
Pricing
Features
Buyer feedback
Alternatives
Media
Security & Compliance
Support
FAQ
Blogs
Spotsaas Analysis for Paintshop Pro
Paintshop Pro is a popular choice among freelance photographers and small creative teams looking for an affordable photo editing solution. With a 4.0/5 rating from 342 user reviews, it is broadly validated as a reliable tool for those who need strong editing capabilities without the complexity of more advanced software.
The software's strengths lie in its affordability and comprehensive feature set, making it an excellent alternative to Adobe Photoshop for beginners and medium-skilled users. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive tools allow users to easily retouch images, enhance photo quality, and work with layers. However, it lacks advanced features that professional graphic designers might require, which could be a limitation for those seeking more sophisticated capabilities.
Quick facts about Paintshop Pro
What is Paintshop Pro?
Paintshop Pro is a photo editing program that is fast and powerful, with exceptional tools for digital artists. Featuring core technologies designed to increase productivity and performance, extensive file format support and new Digital Camera Raw technology to enhance speed and quality, Paintshop Pro X5 provides the best solution for professional photographers and hobbyists alike.
Pricing
Free Trial available
Best For
Suited for small teams, SMBs, and enterprise
Security & Compliance
Data residency:🇺🇸
Platform
Web-based — no mobile app
Installed - Windows
Paintshop Pro Software Demo
Paintshop Pro was reviewed internally using user feedback, in-house testing, and market research to assess its performance, reliability, and user experience. Learn how we review products and our evaluation process.
Who should consider Paintshop Pro
- Use cases
- Professional photographers, Hobbyist photographers, Digital artists
- Team types
- Freelance photographers, Graphic designers with beginner to intermediate skills
- Company size
- Individuals, Small to medium businesses
- Workflow style
- Simple and streamlined
- Setup complexity
- Low
Why teams choose Paintshop Pro
Affordable alternative to Adobe Photoshop suitable for beginners and medium-skilled users
Wide range of features for retouching, photo enhancement, and layer work
User-friendly interface with intuitive tools enabling easy quality compositions
Is Paintshop Pro right for you?
Best for affordable, user-friendly photo editing by photographers and digital artists.
Choose Paintshop Pro if
- You are a professional or hobbyist photographer needing powerful yet accessible editing tools.
- You prefer a one-time purchase over subscription pricing for photo editing software.
- You want faster rendering and a simple, streamlined workflow for small creative teams or individuals.
Consider alternatives if
- You require advanced graphic design features beyond photo editing capabilities.
- You need software compatible with macOS platforms.
What buyers should know before choosing Paintshop Pro
Paintshop Pro receives high praise for its versatility and user-friendly interface, making it a trusted choice for many users. The software offers a wide array of features for both photo editing and graphic design, allowing users to create vibrant images and animations with ease.
Users appreciate the cost-effectiveness of Paintshop Pro compared to other competitors, making it a budget-friendly alternative without compromising on quality. Some users find the app launching time slow and encounter minor inconveniences like having to navigate through different tabs.
Additionally, for more advanced users, the software may lack some high-level features found in more professional programs like Photoshop. Overall, Paintshop Pro stands out for its affordability, ease of use, and extensive toolset, making it an excellent choice for beginners and intermediate users looking for a reliable image editing software.
Paintshop Pro pros and cons
- Paintshop Pro pros
Affordable alternative to Adobe Photoshop suitable for beginners and medium-skilled users
Wide range of features for retouching, photo enhancement, and layer work
User-friendly interface with intuitive tools enabling easy quality compositions
- Paintshop Pro cons
Lack of advanced features needed by professional graphic designers
Incompatibility with macOS limits platform availability
Ready to try it?
Get started with Paintshop Pro
Start your free trial — no credit card required.
Still comparing?
See how it stacks up
Compare Paintshop Pro side-by-side with top Photo Editing Software alternatives.
What is the pricing of Paintshop Pro?
Paintshop Pro Pricing Plans
PaintShop Pro 2021
NEW AI Upsampling
NEW AI Denoise
NEW AI Artifact Removal
NEW AI Style Transfer
PaintShop Pro 2021 Ultimate
Includes features of the PaintShop Pro plan, plus
NEW AI HDR Studio
NEW Sea-to-Sky™ Workspace
NEW Painter® Essentials™ 7
PhotoMirage™ Express
Show more +
Photo Video Bundle Ultimate
Includes all the new AI-powered tools
VideoStudio 2020
Weighing your options?
Not sure if Paintshop Pro fits your budget?
Paintshop Pro reviews and ratings
Buyer sentiment
Overall positive sentiment highlighting affordability, ease of use, and feature richness, with some concerns about advanced capabilities and platform limitations.
What buyers like
- Affordability
- Ease of use
- Feature set for photo editing
Common complaints
- Lack of advanced professional features
- MacOS incompatibility
Are you using Paintshop Pro?
- See if Paintshop Pro fits your business
- Real pricing — no sales pressure
- A demo or quick answers, your call
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What are the features of Paintshop Pro?
Auto Select is a powerful software feature that simplifies the user's workflow by automatically selecting the best option based on certain c…
Batch editing is a powerful software feature that allows users to make changes to multiple files or data sets at once. It is a time-saving t…
Built-in templates are pre-designed layouts or formats that are incorporated into software applications to help users create documents, pres…
Effects and filters are powerful tools available in most software programs that allow users to enhance their photos, videos, and other visua…
Enhancement tools are features within software that let users improve and modify their digital creations. One core function is adjusting vis…
The import-export option is a commonly used feature in software that allows users to easily transfer data between different applications or…
Remove objects is a software feature that allows users to easily delete or remove objects within a digital file or image. This feature is co…
The Text Tool is a crucial feature found in various software programs that allows users to input, edit, and format text within their project…
Transform tools are sophisticated features that allow users to modify or manipulate an existing object in various ways. These tools are comm…
Paintshop Pro security and data handling
Key compliance certifications and security features for IT and security teams evaluating Paintshop Pro.
Developer & data
Alternatives to Paintshop Pro
Paintshop Pro Support Options
Frequently Asked Questions About Paintshop Pro
Common questions buyers ask before choosing Paintshop Pro.
Paintshop Pro is a Photo Editing Software. Paintshop Pro offers Text Tool, Transform tools, Remove objects, Enhancement Tools, Effects and Filters and many more functionalities.
Paintshop Pro is a strong fit if: You are a professional or hobbyist photographer needing powerful yet accessible editing tools.; You prefer a one-time purchase over subscription pricing for photo editing software.. Consider alternatives if: You require advanced graphic design features beyond photo editing capabilities.; You need software compatible with macOS platforms..
Buyers commonly note the following limitations of Paintshop Pro: Lack of advanced features needed by professional graphic designers; Incompatibility with macOS limits platform availability; Less frequent updates compared to Adobe products.
Some top alternatives to Paintshop Pro includes Pixelz, FotoFlexer, Ribbet, BgSub and Adobe Photoshop.
Paintshop Pro offers Free Trial, One-time license pricing models
The starting price is not disclosed by Paintshop Pro. You can visit Paintshop Pro pricing page to get the latest pricing.
Ready to try it?
Get started with Paintshop Pro
Start your free trial — no credit card required.
About the reviewer
Rajat Gupta is the founder of Spotsaas. Over the past two years, he has reviewed 2,000+ tools across CRM, HR, AI, and finance — applying hands-on product research and a background in commerce and the CFA program to evaluate software through a business and ROI lens. His goal: help teams make software decisions they won't regret.
Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].