Photopea – Free Photoshop Clone Makes Over $2 Million Per Year

A free online photo editing tool has emerged as a viable alternative to Adobe Photoshop, thanks to the ingenuity of its founder, Ivan Kutskir. Photopea not only offers a comprehensive suite of editing features but has also become a multi-million dollar success story, all while being managed by Kutskir alone.

Kutskir’s grew up in a small village in Ukraine, where his early fascination with computers set the stage for his future endeavors. By the age of 14, he was already building websites, and his passion for computer graphics only grew from there.

It was during his computer science studies in Prague that the idea for Photopea took root. Identifying a significant gap in the market—Photoshop’s high subscription fees and its demanding hardware requirements—Kutskir envisioned a platform that could open and edit PSD files directly in a browser, making photo editing more accessible.

Kutskir’s initial version of Photopea was relatively simple, designed to open PSD files and download layers separately. However, through thousands of hours of development, it evolved into a full-fledged photo editor. This transformation was driven by Kutskir’s commitment to filling the void left by Photoshop, particularly for users unable to afford its subscription.

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