I’ve started to look for apps like Picsart when I noticed that the images I edit there are of lower quality, particularly if it’s a portrait or full-body photo. The skin loses some of its detail, and the backdrop becomes blurry after I apply a filter or delete some elements.
As a FixThePhoto employee, I constantly deal with professional retouching tasks, which is why I need a reliable tool that would allow me to enhance my photos without lowering their sharpness. I tested apps similar to Picsart, both free and premium, to ensure you have a wide selection of apps to choose from:
Picsart’s AI functionality is supposed to deliver quick, professional edits, but the results don’t always live up to those expectations. Even though it can handle basic tasks, it struggles to process more detailed images.
I employed the AI backdrop remover on a portrait taken against a sunflower field. I wanted to isolate the model and add a different, less intrusive background. As a result, the AI deleted some of the hair and replaced it with a smeared yellow smudge that ruined the photo.
The edges became blurry and some of the flowers blended with the model’s clothes. Fixing all those errors took more time than I would have spent if I simply did everything myself.
Picsart can still be useful, particularly for playful edits, but its AI functionality can often damage an otherwise professional picture. If your goal is to get sharp, realistic results, I suggest checking out apps similar to Picsart that are more robust and better suited for professional use.
When working on an outdoor portrait photoshoot from Barcelona, my coworker Tati showed me how efficient Photoshop Express editor is at handling complex backgrounds compared to Picsart.
"I adore Adobe Photoshop Express, as it lets me receive nearly the same level of quality I get from the desktop version while doing my work on the go."
In one photo, we needed to delete the graffiti behind the model. Photoshop’s Healing Brush erased it naturally while preserving the original wall texture. Meanwhile, Picsart produced blurry patches that looked unrealistic and made it the instant loser in the PicsArt vs Photoshop Express battle.
The Contextual Task Bar introduced in the 2025 update now ensures you can swap between tools automatically based on your selection. This has significantly streamlined my workflow when enhancing portrait backdrops.
Moreover, the upgraded sky replacement feature did a great job blending the sunset behind the subject without affecting the edges, delivering a significantly more accurate result than the one I got from Picsart.
Price: Free basic version; Premium from $9.99/mo
I employed the Fix The Photo Body Editor&Tune app to get rid of power lines when editing some real estate photos of a villa for sale. The results surpassed all my expectations. In contrast to most AI photo editors that tend to leave behind weird patches, app retouchers added a perfect recreation of the tiled roof, ensuring all textures and details are preserved.
When communicating with the retouchers using the app, I described exactly what I had in mind, using such instructions as “delete this power line” or “don’t touch the shadows”. Since real people handled my order, my request was fulfilled to the tiniest detail, which is a level of personalization that is unachievable by most free apps like Picsart or even Picsart itself.
The best thing about it? The first image is free! This is great news if you’d like to check if this app is up to your standards before purchasing any other services.
Price: First image is free, then from $5 per photo
When creating a campaign for a new café, my coworker Kate and I made some animated Instagram ads by leveraging Pixlr’s Motion tool. When juxtaposed against Picsart’s stickers and filters, this layer blending feature feels a lot more suitable for professional projects.
“Pixlr is my favorite app for applying creative overlays and trying out different layering effects in just a few taps.”
I particularly appreciated its ability to delete backgrounds in a single tap while swapping them out for animated effects. If you want to produce eye-catching results without learning advanced software, Pixlr provides the best combination of fun and user-friendliness compared to most alternatives.
Moreover, if you’re looking for apps like Picsart for PC, you’ll be happy to learn that you can use Pixlr straight in your browser.
Price: Free with ads; Premium from $1.99/mo
Photoshop on iPhone made me feel the difference between a professional solution and a more casual one like Picsart instantly. I opened an urban-style portrait with a busy backdrop to check how this app can tackle intricate object deletion and background replacements.
The AI features allow me to remove people and various elements in only a couple of taps, and I swapped the backdrop for a blurry city skyline from Adobe Stock. Even though you can only get this app for iPhones right now, it’s definitely the most robust editing solution I’ve ever used.
Price: Free basic plan; Premium version offered as an in-app purchase
I employed PhotoDirector to enhance an outdoor portrait that had some serious lighting issues. The AI dehaze feature managed to properly adjust the shadows without flattening the model’s face. Additionally, I replaced the sky in the photo to ensure it looked more eye-catching and emotionally charged.
Compared to other apps like Picsart, PhotoDirector AI photo editor provides more creative freedom over adjusting the colors and facial features. While some features, like noise reduction, need some refinement, I was generally happy with the results I received.
Price: Free basic version; Premium from $4.99/mo
Beach scenery tends to lose a lot of its appeal when over-edited with rough filters. VSCO allowed me to preserve the soft palette of the sunset and the sand texture with its vintage film presets. I also made a couple of subtle contrast and saturation tweaks to increase the warmth while ensuring the photo still looks natural.
In contrast to Picsart, where effects can often have an artificial feel, VSCO strives to emphasize the existing mood of the photo. The available presets are a particularly great fit for travel, food, and art photography.
Even though VSCO doesn’t offer advanced retouching tools like body retouching services, most of the photos I work on only need a tasteful touch-up, and this app is perfect for that.
Price: Free basic version; Plus version from $2.50/mo; Pro plan from $5.00/mo
PhotoScape has done wonders for me when I had to quickly enhance more than 100 product images for a website gallery. This batch photo editor applied identical brightening and sharpening adjustments to all photos, saving me hours that I’d waste in Picsart otherwise.
Additionally, I designed a collage for a travel blog article by leveraging its intuitive collage maker, as the whole process only took me a couple of minutes.
Even though its UI is more dated compared to most alternatives, its speed and user-friendliness make it a great option for certain users. If you’re handling a large number of images or want to edit your images quickly, PhotoScape is among the best free apps like Picsart out there.
Price: Free
When working on an outdoor food picture, I employed Fotor’s object removal tool to get rid of a stack of plates in the background. It only took me a couple of taps, but I had to get rid of the blur applied by the AI manually.
For a different task, I made some Instagram posts by leveraging the available templates, which took a lot less time than editing images manually in Picsart.
Even though Fotor isn’t always great at erasing complex objects, it’s still a terrific Picsart alternative for creating marketing assets, lifestyle photos, and social media posts on the go.
Price: Free version; Premium from $8.99/mo
“I tend to rely on Fotor for quick edits whenever I have to post something on social media.”
I had to make a travel infographic for a blog post that would feature multiple images and captions. Canva ensured this task was a breeze, as I chose a suitable template, imported my photos, tweaked the layout, and had the project done within 15 minutes. Adjusting the brightness and cropping the images was quick and simple, but I do wish there were more advanced retouching tools.
In comparison to other websites like Picsart, Canva excels at creating elaborate graphic layouts, but can’t be a complete replacement for specialized free photo editing apps. You can use it for designing flyers, Instagram stories, resumes, menus, and any other type of content that requires professional visuals.
Price: Free basic plan; Canva Pro from $14.99/mo
When editing a close-up picture of a vintage coffee mug, I applied Snapseed’s selective tool to selectively brighten the mug without changing the rest of the scene. Such accuracy is uncommon for free apps, which is why I greatly appreciated it. Additionally, I used the Drama filter for a street photo, increasing the contrast to highlight the mood of the shot without lowering its quality.
When juxtaposed against Picsart, Snapseed provides a wider range of manual tools that should satisfy photographers interested in fine-tuning the tiniest details of their work themselves. Learning this app requires a bit of time, but the payoff is worth it, as you can receive professional results without relying on inconsistent AI algorithms.
Price: Free
When testing apps like Picsart, our FixThePhoto team sticks to a hands-on approach to gauge the functionality, user-friendliness, and versatility of each option. We strived to choose editing apps that go further than basic filter applications and can help enhance images without creating artifacts or looking noticeably artificial.
Our testing covered a broad selection of images: portraits, landscapes, street photos, and lifestyle pictures. For example, we used Prequel to add a vintage effect to street photos, but it tended to overprocess the smaller details.
Afterlight won us over with its film-style color grading features, which achieved great results with nature photography without sacrificing its natural beauty. We also tested Prisma’s artistic filters, but they tend to turn pictures into paintings rather than stylized photos.
We also examined how each app tackles color balance, sharpness, and exposure tweaks. Solutions that offer both AI-based adjustments and manual tools received better scores since they allow the user to pick the best approach for each project themselves.
Even though AI functionality can speed up the editing process, manual involvement is still essential for more complex photos that require precise adjustments. Picsart alternatives that offered a satisfying balance between creativity and realism earned our highest recommendations.
Picsart is a mobile app first, as it comes with a broader toolset and superior performance compared to the desktop version.
Solutions like Fotor and PhotoDirector are a fantastic choice for inexperienced users, providing intuitive UIs, single-tap tools, and comprehensive guides without bombarding them with an abundance of features.
Filters allow highlighting a mood or style, but aggressive filters can ruin the natural appeal of an image. Subtle color adjustments are the recommended approach for professional photographers.
Yes, Picsart employs AI for background removal, object swapping, single-tap filters, and other automated effects, but the quality of the results is usually dependent on how complex the image is.
Editing typically refers to overall tweaks like color balance and exposure, while retouching tends to infer fine-tuning details like skin smoothing, object removal, and fixing minor flaws.
