6 Best Pixlr Alternatives For Graphic Designers

What is Pixlr?

Pixlr is an online photo editor. With Pixlr, you can edit photos right in your browser, no registration or download required. 

There are two main ways to use Pixlr: 

• The Pixlr Editor, which is a full-featured photo editor, and 

• The Pixlr Express, which is a more basic photo editor.

Pixlr: Advantages

The biggest perk when using Pixlr is that you don’t have to download anything to edit photos. 

If you use one of the paid plans, you gain access to 50,000 templates, fonts, elements, stickers and overlays.

Moreover, its dashboard is quite intuitive and straightforward and has basic photo editing tools like cropping, resize, effects, retouch, etc.

Pixlr is a good app for quick photo edits, but its free version has some shortcomings that might be a deal-breaker for some graphic designers.

So what are the most common problems and complaints regarding Pixlr?

Pixlr: Shortcomings

It is natural that the free version of any app always differs and offers fewer features than its paid counterpart. 

However, it seems that with Pixlr, that gap is rather unacceptable for many of its users. The most common disadvantages of using this tool refer to:

• Too many ads- These ads can interfere with your editing work and make the website slower and less reliable.

• Poor mouse optimization- it makes it hard to control what you’re designing.

• The lack of tools such as paint tools.

• Fewer features in a mobile app compared to the desktop version.

This could be the reason why some graphic designers turn to Pixlr alternatives. So, without further ado, let’s see which are those.

6 Best Pixlr Alternatives To Consider

1. Glorify

Although Glorify has been around for only a few years, it managed to stir the waters of graphic design tools because it offered something new.

Glorify managed to combine two aspects of graphic designs that other apps usually separate or lack:

• Rich photo editing tools

• Different mockup design tools

Moreover, let’s see some of the other things Glorify has to offer.

Glorify: Features

Although Glorify is primarily a graphic design tool for beginners and eCommerce store owners, its features are not lacking complexity in terms of what they offer.

And yet, the whole platform is super intuitive and user-friendly. Let’s quickly go through Glorify’s main features.

• Infinite canvas - An open space great for brainstorming, reorganizing your assets, strategy planning, or just simply being creative.‍

• Mockups - Fully customizable 3D mockups and scenes so you can showcase your product realistically.‍

• Brand Kit - Helpful for centralizing all your brand assets in one place, which furthermore helps you stay consistent across all the campaigns and social media.‍

• Photo editing tools - Useful for tweaking your images and designs to achieve the optimal outcome. The most popular tools are:  ‍

• BR tool to eliminate unwanted background in a few clicks,‍

• Shadows and Reflections to add a layer of extra depth to your designs, ‍

• Annotate Tool to highlight the most significant product’s features, but also useful for creating charts and diagrams, 

• Image Resizer to resize one design for multiple platforms, etc.‍

• Marketing campaign transformation - A wide range of template bundles to boost your marketing efforts and reflect your style and brand.‍

• ‍Share your designs - Practical for collaboration and providing feedback all on a single platform. Once you’ve finished, you can export your design or share it on social media.

This quick draft of Glorify’s features shows how versatile this platform is. But how about pricing?

Glorify: Pricing

Beside a Free plan, Glorify offers  two paid plans.

So it’s time to show some other best Pixlr alternatives.

2. GIMP

GIMP is a free and open-source raster graphics editor used for image retouching and editing, free-form drawing, converting between different image formats, and more.

Since GIMP is open-source, you can change the source code to suit your needs better. Another great perk of being open-source is that it provides lots of customization.

Furthermore, it supports different third-party plugins. 

However, you would need to be an advanced user to fully utilize and benefit from this great app.

Pricing

GIMP is free.

Moving on to the next Pixlr alternative.

3. Adobe Photoshop

It is impossible to write about graphic design tools and not mention Adobe. It is a granddad of all the other tools since it has been on the market the longest.

Adobe specializes in photo editing and therefore offers a wide range of photo editing tools such as crop, resize, retouch, collage, layers and masks, etc., making it great for more complex and advanced designs.

Truth be told, there isn’t much you can’t do with Adobe, from photo editing and digital painting to designing posters, banners, and packaging. 

However, although Adobe has become more intuitive over the years, it is still quite a complex tool with a steep learning curve.

Pricing

Adobe has a 7-day free trial. After it expires, the monthly fee is €25.39.

The next on our list is PicMonkey.

4. PicMonkey

If you're looking for an online photo editor focused on ease of use, then PicMonkey is a great option. 

It offers a simple, intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started with editing your photos. It also provides a wide range of features such are:

• Photo editor tools for resizing and retouching your images,

• Templates to create designs for social media like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, with thousands of graphics and icons, as well as stock images

• Branding tools to create logos and business cards, choose brand colors, etc.

However, most of the advanced features are only available as a part of the Pro and Business plans. Hence,  the Basic plan, although the paid one, doesn't offer most of the more extensive features.

Pricing

PickMonkey comes with 3 premium plans and a 7-day free trial for each of them.

Which graphic design tool hides at number 5 on our list of the best Pixlr alternatives?

5. Fotor

Fotor is another practical design tool if your main focus is photo editing. It provides tools to:

• Crop and resize

• Create blur effects

• Add text

• Flip images

• Remove backgrounds, etc.

You can also create designs for social media, flyers, posters, and banners.

What also deserves our praise is lots of How- to tutorials providing extra editorial tips.

However, access to more advanced features and all the templates is available only in paid plans.

Pricing

Fotor has one free and 2 premium plans.

We’re almost at the end of our list. Let’s see our final pick.

6. Be Funky

Be Funky is a lightweight graphic design tool great for simple and more basic photo editing.

Moreover, you can create photo collages and make use of various templates such as  social media, posters, flyers, menus, cards, etc.

This tool can be a good choice for designs on the go, but it might not be the best choice if you want to create more complex graphic designs.

Furthermore, its Free plan provides only very basic editing tools.

Pricing

Be Funky offers two plans, one Free and one paid.

After going through these Pixlr alternatives, it’s high time to see which one will be optimal for you.

Why Should Glorify be Your Top Choice?

It goes without saying that each of these tools has its advantages and disadvantages and can help you immensely depending on your business needs and demands.

However, if you look again at each of these tools, you will see that there is only one among them that combines both photo editing with graphic design. 

And in addition, it doesn’t have a steep learning curve. That tool is Glorify.

All the other tools are either focused only on photo editing or graphic design. And even if they combine both, they come with a learning curve. But not Glorify.

What’s more, Glorify has just released its 3.0 version, which is even more intuitive and sleeker. What does it mean for you?

It means you can create and optimize your designs even faster than before, making you 10x more effective and efficient.

From robust photo editing tools, and marketing elements to mockup designs, Glorify has features that could make it your go-to platform.

So, sign up for free and start creating engaging designs for any stage of your company's development.