A free Photoshop alternative turned out to be a copy of an indie project, and now I check this before installing any open-source app
Looking like Photoshop was never the problem
Free Photoshop alternatives are a popular choice for many, often recommended by reputable companies or hosted on GitHub. PhotoSuite, which emerged in September 2021, appeared to be a well-fitting option with its familiar layout and open-source license. However, it was soon discovered that PhotoSuite was actually a copy of Photopea, a browser-based editor created by Ivan Kutskir.
Kutskir has been working on Photopea for about 14 years, mostly alone, and runs it for free in a browser with ads. Despite not being open-source, Photopea generates revenue through ad-based funding. When PhotoSuite appeared on GitHub, Kutskir accused it of being a repackaged version of Photopea, citing matching code from a 2021 version.
Kutskir's claims were backed up by the GitHub history, which showed an unusually large number of files and releases for a new project. GitHub acted quickly, disabling PhotoSuite and the associated copies. However, Kutskir quickly moved on to a new project, PhotoSplice, which he claimed was built on PhotoCraft. Despite the dramatic end, it is still possible to vet open-source projects before using them.
One should review the project's history, check the license, and look for any suspicious patterns, such as a sudden surge of activity or a ban on critics. It is also recommended to search for the project's name online using terms like "stolen" or "copy". In this case, the controversy could have been discovered before the GitHub takedown if more thorough research had been conducted.
Written by urgent.news from XDA Developers's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
