PaintShop Pro review

PaintShop Pro is photo-editing software that also includes tools for graphic design. Its homepage describes it as a complete image-editing solution, while the Ultimate edition is positioned for editing, optimizing and correcting photos. The product information also lists a Photo Video Bundle Ultimate, which pairs PaintShop Pro Ultimate with VideoStudio Ultimate. That makes the bundle relevant if you need photo and video software, but the published product details do not specify how the two applications work together.

PaintShop Pro is sold as a perpetual license rather than a monthly or annual subscription, according to the published pricing information. The listed editions are PaintShop Pro 2023, PaintShop Pro 2023 Ultimate, the Photo Video Bundle Ultimate, and a volume-licensing option for businesses and educational organizations. Monthly and annual prices are not published. The main decision is whether the lower-cost edition covers your photo-editing needs, or whether the extra software in Ultimate is worth the higher listed price.

The clearest selling point is the one-time license. The pricing page lists PaintShop Pro 2023 at $79.99 per license, with a $59.99 upgrade price, and a 30-day free trial. If you want to avoid an ongoing software bill, that is a straightforward alternative to subscription pricing—though the published material does not provide a like-for-like feature comparison with subscription products.

The Ultimate edition adds a bonus software bundle and is presented for editing, optimizing and correcting photos. Its listed perpetual license price is $99.99, with a promotional price of $59.99 and an upgrade price of $79.99. The 30-day trial also applies to this edition. One Reddit commenter described Ultimate’s extras as brushes and backgrounds, but that is a user report, not a complete feature list.

For people who also edit video, the Photo Video Bundle Ultimate combines PaintShop Pro Ultimate with VideoStudio Ultimate. Its listed license price is $199.99, with a promotional price of $79.99. A Reddit user described PaintShop Pro as simple to use, but that is subjective; the trial is the safer way to judge whether its workflow suits you.

The biggest drawback is uncertainty about the product’s release future. The listed editions are still branded 2023, and users in Reddit discussions question when a newer version will arrive. One commenter said development was continuing without annual releases; another thread included a reported company response saying it could not provide a clear update. Those comments do not establish that development has stopped, but buyers should not assume yearly upgrades or a specific release schedule.

The pricing information leaves practical details unanswered. Seat and usage limits are not published for the standard, Ultimate or photo-and-video licenses. The Photo Video Bundle’s free-trial availability is also not published, and business and education volume-license pricing is available only on request. Monthly and annual prices are not published for any edition.

The Ultimate price also needs context: its $59.99 promotional price is listed below the standard edition’s $79.99 license price, but the source does not state how long that promotion lasts. If you are paying mainly for the bonus software, check what is included before buying. A Reddit commenter said they found Ultimate not worth the extra cost, while another reported receiving a refund; those are individual experiences, not a guarantee of the same outcome.

PaintShop Pro is sold as a subscription-free, one-time license; monthly and annual prices are not published. The listed price for PaintShop Pro 2023 is $79.99, with a $59.99 upgrade price. PaintShop Pro 2023 Ultimate lists at $99.99, with a $59.99 promotional price and a $79.99 upgrade price. That is a $20 jump from the standard edition at list price, though the Ultimate promotion is cheaper than the standard edition’s listed license price. Ultimate includes bonus software, but the published pricing details do not break out its value.

The Photo Video Bundle Ultimate lists at $199.99, with a $79.99 promotional price, and combines PaintShop Pro Ultimate with VideoStudio Ultimate. Business and education pricing is available on request. There are no add-ons listed. PaintShop Pro 2023 and Ultimate have 30-day trials; trial availability for the bundle and business licensing is not published. Seat and usage limits are also not published, so teams should confirm them before buying.

The published information describes PaintShop Pro’s editing tools and license options, but not a migration process, supported import or export formats, or compatibility with projects from other editors. We can’t estimate how much work a move will take from those details alone. Before switching, check the documentation for your current project formats and confirm that PaintShop Pro can open and save the files you need. Keep original files until you have verified the workflow.

A one-time license avoids monthly or annual billing, but it does not establish that projects are portable or that a particular release will suit future needs. The published pricing details do not publish a release roadmap or seat limits. We also have no Reddit posts or comments in the published material, so we can’t attribute reasons for leaving PaintShop Pro to users there. If switching away, confirm export options and preserve editable originals before ending access to any other software.