Pixelmator Pro
Professional image editing tools that anyone can use, built natively for Mac
Pixelmator Pro is a remarkably powerful, beautiful, and easy-to-use image editor designed exclusively for Mac. Known for being a true "Mac-assed Mac app," it deeply integrates with macOS technologies like Metal and Core ML to deliver lightning-fast performance. Following its high-profile acquisition by Apple in late 2024, Pixelmator Pro has cemented its place as the definitive mid-tier photo editing and design tool for the Apple ecosystem, offering a feature-rich alternative to Adobe Photoshop without the recurring subscription fee.
Key Features
Native Mac Design — Built from the ground up for macOS, avoiding bulky cross-platform frameworks (like Electron) to ensure incredibly smooth scrolling, zooming, and interface responsiveness.
Machine Learning Magic — Extensively uses Core ML for intelligent features like automatic background removal (Magic Background Eraser), AI-powered Deband, super-resolution scaling, and subject selection.
Non-Destructive Editing — Every color adjustment, effect, and layer tweak is completely non-destructive, meaning you can endlessly experiment without permanently altering your original pixels.
Vector & Raster Tools — Combines traditional photo retouching with lightweight vector illustration tools, making it easy to add text, draw shapes, and create UI mockups or web banners.
No Subscriptions — Offered as a flat one-time purchase, making it highly attractive to freelancers and hobbyists fatigued by standard industry subscription models.
Why Choose Pixelmator Pro?
If you love software that feels like a natural extension of macOS, Pixelmator Pro is unmatched. It strikes the perfect balance between the basic tools found in Apple Photos and the overwhelming complexity of Adobe Photoshop. For anyone needing to remove backgrounds, retouch portraits, composite images, or design quick graphics—without paying a monthly fee—it is arguably the best value in the Mac App Store today.
Platform & Compatibility
Architecture
Minimum macOS
macOS Monterey 12Public Opinion
Curated highlights from Reddit and other communities, not user-submitted reviews.
“Developers and designers on Product Hunt and Hacker News constantly praise it for being incredibly fast, native, and responsive, noting that its performance blows sluggish Electron-based design apps out of the water.”
Hacker News: Discussions on native Mac performance
“Users absolutely love the one-time payment model. Forums are filled with photographers who cite Pixelmator Pro as the primary reason they were finally able to cancel their expensive Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions.”
“Photography enthusiasts on DPReview highlight the genuine utility of its Machine Learning tools. Features like the 'Magic Background Eraser' and 'Select Subject' are frequently cited as massive time-savers that accurately handle complex edges like hair and fur.”
DPReview: Community feedback on ML tools
“Following Apple's acquisition of Pixelmator in late 2024, there is noticeable anxiety in the community. Long-time users on Hacker News worry Apple might eventually strip the app for parts, merge it into Apple Photos, or abandon it entirely like they did with Aperture.”
“Power users note that while it is an excellent editor, it lacks some of the extreme high-end compositing features, deep typography controls, and advanced CMYK print tools found in full Adobe Photoshop.”
GetApp / User Reviews: Pixelmator Pro limitations
“Some users migrating from Photoshop find the UI paradigms and layer management slightly counterintuitive, noting that it takes time to unlearn decades of Adobe muscle memory.”
Community
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