GIMP is a capable desktop editor, and many people keep it installed for good reason. A GIMP alternative online is useful when you are on a borrowed laptop, a work machine where you cannot install software, a Chromebook or a tablet, and you still need to retouch a photo properly.
CutLift opens in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. There is no installer, and the photo editor works on a computer, tablet or phone, so you can use it as a GIMP alternative with no install wherever you happen to be. Close the tab when you finish; your latest edit is kept on the device, ready to continue.
If you are looking for a photo editor like GIMP, the core retouching set will feel familiar: clone stamp, healing brush, liquify, curves, levels, hue and saturation, unsharp mask and noise reduction, along with layers and masks. Adjustments stay editable, so a curve can be changed after you have moved on.
Where CutLift differs is selection. The AI can remove a background or an object in one click, and Quick Selection, Colour Range, the Pen and the lassos sit next to a refine panel for clean edges.
Open common photos, layered PSD files or camera RAW files, and export a layered PSD, a CutLift project file or transparent PNG and WebP cutouts. Editing happens on your device; your photos are not uploaded.
GIMP still has more depth for things like scripting, plug-ins and its own file format, so keep it for those jobs. For quick retouching in a browser, CutLift is a free GIMP alternative that is ready in a tab.
Most of the editor is free, including background removal, healing, Liquify and every adjustment. CutLift Pro, at $7.99 a month or $47.99 a year, adds tap-to-select with the AI model, segment everything, upscaling, sky replacement and studio exports. Pro features are free to use while editing; the download of a result that used them needs Pro, and each account gets one free premium download.