I use GIMP on one machine and PS5.5 on the other. At first, using GIMP was a trial. I hated it. But because I couldn't install PS5.5 on that machine, it was either boot up the other every single time I wanted to edit an image, or learn GIMP. So I've been learning GIMP. I've gotten much more used to it, and there are very few things that I cannot do with it that I can do with PS5.5.

However, those "very few things" are essential sometimes. Moreover, despite the fact that there are plugins to GIMP to allow PS plugins to work, they aren't surefire. So I have some utterly essential plugins that only work with PS.

So I'm at the point that I can do MOST things with GIMP just fine. But I still end up having to take my image to PS5.5 to finish it.

GIMP is fantastic and gets better with every update, but it is not yet a complete substitute. And until plugin makers start supporting it, it will never be a complete substitute.

I expect most open source/free/low cost substitutes will have similar issues. Whether or not they do for any given user will depend on how deeply they've investigated each app, and which features they actually use.

As for using the cloud and subscription based licenses... I'm not a fan, but I also don't think it's some enormous conspiracy to suck away my precious pictures of Vicky in a temple. And it DOES permit me the option of accessing apps that would normally be too expensive. I actually wish C4D and Maya had subscription options, for instance.

HItfilm does look good, though. Really good.

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PoserPro 2014, PS CS5.5 Ext, Nikon D300. Win 8, i7-4770 @ 3.4 GHz, AMD Radeon 8570, 12 GB RAM.