🇱🇹 Lithuania · Pixelmator Pro — Mac Image Editor with AI
Status: 🟩 COMPLETE 🟦 LIVING Section: 14 — Design and UX
| Vendor | Pixelmator Team (acquired by Apple Inc, January 2024) |
| Country/origin | 🇱🇹 Lithuania (Vilnius) — acquired by 🇺🇸 Apple |
| Recommended for AUS? | ✅ Yes — now Apple-owned; deep privacy model; Mac-native |
| Privacy summary | All AI processing on-device using Apple Neural Engine and Core ML; no data sent to any server; Apple privacy standards apply |
| Free tier | No (was ~$75 AUD one-time; pricing post-Apple acquisition under review) |
| Paid tiers | Previously one-time purchase; check current status |
| First released | Pixelmator 2007; Pixelmator Pro 2017 |
| Last reviewed | June 2026 |
| Official site | https://pixelmator.com |
What it is
Pixelmator Pro is a professional image editing application for macOS — widely considered the best Photoshop alternative for Mac users who don’t want an Adobe subscription. It was created by a small Lithuanian team and became famous for its exceptional AI features and one-time purchase model.
In January 2024, Apple acquired Pixelmator Team, making Pixelmator Pro an Apple-owned product. The implications are still unfolding — pricing and future direction are subject to change.
What sets Pixelmator Pro apart from GIMP and other alternatives:
- Beautifully designed, Mac-native interface — feels at home on macOS
- Best-in-class AI features (more on this below)
- All AI runs on-device using Apple’s Neural Engine — no internet required; perfect privacy
- Professional colour management, RAW photo editing, non-destructive editing
AI features (the headline capability):
- ML Super Resolution: AI upscaling — make small images 2×–4× larger with exceptional quality. Uses machine learning to intelligently add detail, not just enlarge pixels.
- ML Enhance: One-click AI enhancement of photos — brightness, contrast, colour, sharpness, all automatically optimised
- Remove Background: AI background removal in one click — extremely accurate
- Repair Tool: AI-powered object removal and background inpainting (similar to Photoshop’s Generative Fill but running fully on-device)
- ML Denoise: Remove grain and noise from photos using AI
- Auto White Balance: AI colour temperature correction
- Subject Selection: AI selects the main subject in a photo automatically
What you’d use it for
- Editing and retouching photos for personal use, social media, or professional portfolios
- Product photography editing for e-commerce
- Creating marketing graphics, posters, and visual content
- Photo manipulation and compositing
- As a Photoshop replacement for Mac-only workflows
How to get started from Australia
- Search “Pixelmator Pro” on the Mac App Store (requires macOS 12 or later)
- Purchase and download (pricing: check current price — post-Apple acquisition pricing may have changed)
- Open → File → Open a photo
- Try: Format → ML Enhance → see the AI improve your photo instantly
- Try: Edit → Remove Background → AI removes the background in one click
- Try: Format → ML Super Resolution on any small image → watch it upscale with detail
What it costs
Pixelmator Pro was previously a one-time purchase of approximately AUD $75 from the Mac App Store. Post-Apple acquisition pricing may have changed — check the Mac App Store for current pricing. Apple has been known to make acquired apps free (they did this with Final Cut Pro components and others).
How it compares to alternatives
| Tool | Cost | AI features | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixelmator Pro | One-time / check | Excellent; on-device | Mac only |
| Adobe Photoshop | ~$40 AUD/month | Industry-leading; cloud | Mac + Windows |
| Affinity Photo | ~$80 AUD one-time | Good; less AI | Mac + Windows + iPad |
| GIMP | Free | Limited built-in AI | Mac + Windows + Linux |
| Photos (Apple) | Free (built-in) | Good AI basics | Mac + iPhone |
Pixelmator Pro sits between GIMP (free but complex) and Photoshop (expensive subscription) — professional quality at a one-time price, with the best on-device AI features of any affordable image editor.
Privacy / data handling
- All AI processing is 100% on-device. Pixelmator uses Apple’s Core ML and Neural Engine — nothing is sent to any server.
- Post-acquisition: Apple privacy standards (some of the world’s strongest) apply
- No account required to use the software
- The Mac App Store distribution means Apple’s standard privacy review processes apply
Gotchas
- Mac only. No Windows version has ever existed; this hasn’t changed post-Apple acquisition.
- Future under Apple is uncertain. Apple could integrate Pixelmator Pro features into the Photos app, make it a paid service, or keep it standalone. Monitor the Mac App Store for changes.
- Not a full Photoshop replacement for complex professional workflows. Features like complex 3D compositing, extensive plugin support, or CMYK print workflows are more mature in Photoshop.
- No iPad version of Pixelmator Pro (there is a separate Pixelmator for iPad app, which is simpler).
- Apple Silicon optimised: Performance is significantly better on Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4) than on older Intel Macs, due to the Neural Engine dependency.
See also
- gimp — free cross-platform alternative
- adobe-photoshop-ai — professional subscription alternative
- krita — open-source painting (different use case)
- apple-intelligence — Apple’s broader AI strategy that Pixelmator now falls under
Sources
- Apple acquisition of Pixelmator announcement (January 2024)
- Pixelmator Pro feature documentation: pixelmator.com/pro
- Mac App Store product listing
- MacStories, 9to5Mac coverage of Pixelmator acquisition and features (2023–2024)
- Apple Core ML documentation