GIMP vs Inkscape

Raster (bitmap) editor: pixels, layers, masks, selections, and GEGL filters. Ideal for photos, painting at fixed resolution, and texture work. Non-destructive filter layers new in 3.2 improve flexibility.

Vector editor: resolution-independent paths, shapes, and text. SVG is the native format. Ideal for logos, icons, illustrations, and any artwork that must scale or be cut/plotted.

Capable text layers with on-canvas editing, but typography is secondary. Vector paths exist for selections and SVG import, not as primary illustration tools.

Professional-grade vector toolset: Pen and Pencil, Boolean ops, path effects (envelope, lattice), clones, and OpenType-aware text on path. The reason illustrators choose Inkscape.

Full retouching stack: healing, clone, levels/curves, colour management, and GEGL non-destructive filters. PSD import preserves layers for collaborator handoffs; RAW via darktable/RawTherapee helpers.

Vector-first; raster edits limited to imported bitmaps with SVG filters (blur, colour matrix). Not a photo retoucher and not designed to be.

Native arm64 and Intel builds for macOS 11+. Improved multi-threading in 3.2, but still largely CPU-bound without broad GPU acceleration. Handles web and photo documents well; very large layered composites can lag versus Metal-accelerated apps.

Universal macOS build, increasingly optimised in 1.4.x with faster canvas rendering and palette performance. Vector workloads scale well; extremely complex filters or huge node counts still tax the CPU.

Native XCF; imports PSD with improved layer-style support, plus JPEG 2000, TIFF, PNG, BC7 DDS, and SVG vector layers. Export via PDF and standard rasters.

Native SVG (W3C standard); exports PDF, EPS, PNG, and DXF/HPGL for makers. PDF export via Cairo; SVG keeps artwork vendor-neutral and future-proof. PSD is not a primary workflow.

Deep scripting: Python 3, Scheme, Lua, Vala, plus thousands of plugins including G'MIC. API in 3.2 supports multi-layer operations and GEGL integration, a tinkerer's paradise.

Python-based extensions, live path effects, and command-line export for batch workflows. Extensible but less vast than GIMP's plugin culture; Maker-oriented extensions (lasercut, plotter) are strong.

GTK3 UI with improved HiDPI and theme support in 3.x, single-window mode recommended. Strong but idiosyncratic; Photoshop migrants need a mental translation period. File picker and shortcuts feel less Mac-native.

Similarly GTK-based; cleaner for vector workflows but still not AppKit-native. Node editing and path logic reward learning. Documentation is thorough, community tutorials abundant, but first-week friction is real.

$0, GPLv3+. No account, no subscription, no telemetry requirement. Donations optional. Community-governed for 30 years.

$0, GPLv3+. No account, no subscription. Same community-governed model. Fully free for commercial use under GPL terms.

You can paint a logo as pixels, but scaling for billboard vs favicon forces redraws or quality loss. Text tools exist, yet brand systems want paths, not bitmaps.

SVG-native logos scale cleanly, export to PDF/EPS/PNG, and feed laser or vinyl workflows. Boolean ops and path effects are the daily tools for mark design.

Strong raster retouching and colour tools. Serious RAW work usually pairs GIMP with darktable or RawTherapee. CMYK and prepress workflows are weaker than paid suites; many print shops still prefer PDF from a CMYK-aware commercial app.

Vector print and plotter output are strong; photographic RAW pipelines are out of scope. Use Inkscape for line art and packaging dielines, not for developing camera files.