Picsart vs Photoshop: Which Photo Editor Should You Choose?

Deciding between Picsart and Photoshop can be a challenge. While both platforms offer robust photo editing capabilities, Picsart is the best choice for mobile creators focused on accessibility, community and ease of use. Its templates, filters and intuitive interface allow hobbyists to quickly enhance images. Photoshop provides unparalleled versatility and precision for professionals pursuing technically complex photographic manipulations and design projects.
Lets compare the key strengths of each platform to help you determine which solution best fits your needs and budget

Overview of Picsart and Photoshop

Picsart and Photoshop have each carved out a strong position in the photo editing space. Picsart burst onto the scene in 2014 as a mobile-first platform offering easy social media graphics creation through templates, stickers and filters. It has grown into an ecosystem with over 150 million active monthly users.

Photoshop, first released in 1990, stands as an industry standard known for unparalleled selection tools, layers and masks. It enables intricate manipulation geared toward photography, graphic design and digital art professionals.

While both deliver robust functionality, there are tradeoffs to consider regarding pricing, features, system requirements, learning curves and ideal use cases.

Pricing Comaprison of Picsart and Photoshop

Photoshop and Picsart take divergent approaches when it comes to pricing. Picsart utilizes a freemium model to attract users, then offers paid subscriptions to unlock additional capabilities. In contrast, Photoshop licenses must be purchased upfront as part of Adobe’s broader Creative Cloud plans.

Picsart Pricing

The Picsart platform includes:

Free Plan

• Access to standard photo and video editing tools.
• 5 credits per week for generative AI tools.
• A variety of free images, videos, and editable templates to choose from.
• Available on both web and mobile apps.
• 100 MB of cloud storage.

Gold Plan

• Annual Subscription: $55.99 per year.
• Includes all features of the free plan plus:
• Receive 200 monthly credits for generative AI tools
  • Access to premium templates, fonts, and stickers.
  • 5 GB of cloud storage.

Team Plan

• Annual Subscription: $74.98 per year per seat.
• Designed for teams, includes all Gold Plan features plus:
  • 500 credits per month for generative AI tools.
  • Ability to add additional seats.
  • 20 GB of cloud storage per seat.

Enterprise Solutions

• Custom pricing based on specific needs.
• Offers advanced features and API access for businesses.
• Includes options for bulk pricing and annual commitments.

Photoshop Pricing

Adobe Photoshop offers several pricing plans to accommodate different users, including individuals, students, teachers, and businesses.
Individual Plans
Photoshop Single App
Starting at $20.99 per month for an annual plan paid monthly.
Access to the full version of Photoshop.
Creative Cloud All Apps
Starting at $54.99 per month for an annual plan paid monthly.
Includes access to over 20 Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro.
Student and Teacher Plans
Students and teachers can save over 66% for the first year.
The Creative Cloud All Apps plan is available at a significantly reduced rate for eligible students and teachers.
Business Plans
Creative Cloud for Teams
Offers the same apps as individual plans but includes additional business features.
Enterprise Solutions
Custom pricing for larger organizations, including advanced features and support.
While the subscription-based pricing provides frequent updates, it costs notably more than Picsart for ongoing access, especially when bundled with additional Adobe apps.

Features	Picsart Free Plan	Picsart Gold Plan	Picsart Team Plan	Photoshop Individual Plan	Photoshop Business Plan
Pricing	Free	$55.99/year	$74.98/year per seat	Starts at $20.99/month	Varies (custom pricing)
Photo/Video Editing	Standard tools	Includes all Free features	Includes all Gold features	Full version of Photoshop	Full version of Photoshop
Generative AI Tools	5 credits/week	200 credits/month	500 credits/month	–	–
Templates, Fonts, Stickers	Limited selection	Premium access	Premium access	–	–
Stock Photos/Videos	Limited free images and videos	Millions, including Getty videos	Millions, including Getty videos	–	–
Cloud Storage	100 MB	5 GB	20 GB per seat	Depends on plan	Depends on plan
Access Platforms	Web and mobile apps	Web and mobile apps	Web and mobile apps	Desktop and mobile apps	Desktop and mobile apps
Additional Features	–	–	Ability to add seats	Access to Creative Cloud All Apps (with All Apps plan)	Enhanced support, advanced features
Special Plans	–	–	–	Student and Teacher discounts	Custom solutions for larger teams

Features of Picsart and Photoshop

Photoshop and Picsart approaches overlap in some capabilities like layers, curves and brush tools but diverge when it comes to focus areas.

Editing Capabilities

The breadth and depth of editing tools differ significantly:

Tools and Options – Photoshop offers far more selection, drawing, painting and retouching tools for intricate manipulation. Picsart delivers a solid set of image enhancement essentials.

Control and Precision – Photoshop enables more granular adjustments through features like blend modes, vector shapes and masking. Picsart concessions like automatic cropping simplify workflows for novices.

Power and Customization – Photoshop supports extensive scripting, plugins and integrations tailored to specialized disciplines like science and engineering. Picsart capabilities cater more to mainstream consumer creativity.

AI and Automation

Both platforms utilize AI, but each in its own way:

Enhanced Creativity – Picsart utilizes AI to generate entirely new avatars, backgrounds and effects. Photoshop integrates AI to amplify human creativity through assists on complex tasks like selections.

Efficiency – Picsart leverages templates to speed up editing through pre-designed graphics, frames and collages. Photoshop employs AI to streamline cumbersome changes like removing objects.

File Format Support

There are also major differences in supported file types:

Common Formats – Both apps support JPEG, GIF, PNG with transparency and PSD to varying degrees. RAW files necessitate Photoshop.

Maximum Quality – Photoshop enables much larger image dimensions and provides lossless 16/32 bit depth editing. Picsart supports more limited resolutions and color fidelity.

Compatibility and Portability – Photoshop preserves intricate layering and other elements during export. Picsart can break apart complex PSD-based project files upon saving.

Performance and Reliability

Picsart emphasizes lightweight mobile editing while Photoshop excels in robust desktop environments.

System Requirements and Speed

There are substantial platform differences that impact velocity:

Processing Power – Using Photoshop effectively requires newer multicore processors, dedicated GPUs, and sufficient RAM to manage multilayer files. Picsart runs smoothly on most modern mobile devices.

Complex Projects – Photoshop uniquely supports up to 8K resolution, 3D/VR capability, scientific photo formats, massive panoramas and intricate artwork with hundreds of layers. Most Picsart usage revolves around simpler mobile images.

Responsiveness – Basic edits happen quicker in Picsart, while high-resolution compositing with complex masks, filters and adjustments remains faster in Photoshop via desktop hardware acceleration.

Stability and Bugs

Reliability varies across use cases:

Crashes – Picsart experiences periodic crashes when applying multiple edits, especially on lower-end mobile devices with limited memory. Photoshop benefits from greater stability via desktop environments.

Troubleshooting – Photoshop benefits from decades of issue diagnosis including diagnostic logging capability. Picsart users rely primarily on clearing app caches to resolve problems.

Support – Adobe offers live chat, phone and email assistance for Photoshop users needing expedited answers or troubleshooting. Picsart provides community-based help and email ticketing.

Use Cases and Learning Curve

Ideal users differ substantially between the two apps regarding skill levels and objectives.

Ideal Users

Experience levels impact which solution best aligns with editor goals:

Beginners vs Professionals – Picsart often serves as an entry point for novices before potential migration to Photoshop over time as skills progress. Photoshop satisfies professionals out of the gate.

Creative Disciplines – Photoshop meets demanding photographic, graphic design and digital art needs. Picsart empowers more casual creators through phones and tablets.

Social Media – Picsart delivers templates, stickers and effects optimized for platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Photoshop users share polished artwork exported after meticulous editing.

Learning Curve

The onboarding experience and ramp-up time also differs markedly:

Interface Complexity – Picsart’s simplified interface allows new users to quickly understand available options. Photoshop’s expansive toolbar can overwhelm newcomers.

Tutorials and Resources – Picsart offers a private learning community along with video guides on each feature. Photoshop benefits from enormous third-party tutorials and documents.

Getting Started – Picsart enables users to plunge into editing through intuitive sliders and effects. Unlocking Photoshop’s immense capabilities necessitates climbing a steeper initial learning curve through layers, masks and selections.

Verdict