In this article, we’ve handpicked some of the best free photo editing apps for Android. These selections are in no particular order but we’ve sorted them according to the different needs that you may want in a photo editor. Let’s get started!

1. Canva: Best for Social Media, Blog Graphics, and Ads

Social media campaigns need attractive and colorful photos and posters to capture the audience’s attention. Canva performs quite well in this regard with the thousands of graphic templates and image elements it offers.

Canva templates are available and optimized for any social media platform you can think of—YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc.

Using the app doesn’t require any special skills, all you have to do is upload your photo and use Canva’s many features to come up with a unique design within minutes. You can also collaborate with others in editing projects in a team setup across different platforms.

The free version would be enough in most cases, but if you upgrade, you can get even more unique elements, templates, and functionality like background removal and instant resizing of an existing photo or project.

You’ll need to create an account before using Canva to access your projects on different devices. Canva is also available on iOS and the web.

Download: Canva (Free, subscription available)

2. Adobe Express: Best All Round Android Photo Editor

Adobe has a wide array of photo editing apps but one that easily stands out from the rest is Adobe Express. While most of the others are great photo editing apps, they are primarily designed for professional editors. Adobe Express is much easier to use with simple editing tools to get a small project done within minutes.

The standout feature of Adobe Express is its almost perfect background removal tool, which happens to be free. You have to pay for this feature on other major Android photo editors. It also excels in adding simple but colorful text to images in a wide array of fonts.

Adobe Express comes with a variety of templates to use but not as many as Canva offers in the free plan. You can quickly resize photos depending on what platform you want to post them on or set your desired dimensions before you get started on a project.

For finer editing options, you can use the available filters alongside the ability to adjust contrast, brightness, saturation, warmth, and image sharpness. You’ll also have six animation options if you want to create an animated graphic.

Download: Adobe Express (Free, subscription available)

3. ScreenMaster: Best for Editing Screenshots

While sharing screenshots, you may unintentionally share sensitive information that can compromise your privacy or security. ScreenMaster alleviates this problem by letting you quickly mask any private or sensitive information on your screenshots before sharing them with friends or on social media.

ScreenMaster has three core functionalities: Markup Photo, Stitch Photo, and Web capture. These features help in censoring sensitive info, merging multiple photos, and capturing full online web pages respectively. This ScreenMaster guide should help you learn how to utilize all these core features.

The only downside of using ScreenMaster is the constant popping up of ads. To get rid of the ads, you must make a one-time purchase or sign up for a subscription at a small monthly or annual fee.

Download: ScreenMaster (Free, subscription available)

4. Snapseed: Best Editor for Selfies

Simplicity is the standout feature when using Snapseed. It’s a bare-bones photo editor that does exactly what it’s supposed to do without all the bells and whistles. Whether you’re a pro or just need to touch up a quick selfie, Snapseed has all the necessary tools.

You can sharpen, crop, blur, use filters, contrast, add frames and brighten your images all in one place. Snapseed also has more advanced options if you need them. If you’re keen on finer details, the Selective tool can help you focus attention on a particular portion of the image you’re working on.

Download: Snapseed (Free)

5. PhotoDirector: Best Android Photo Editor for Professionals

Among all the photo editing apps in this guide, PhotoDirector is the closest you’ll come to a full-fledged professional PC editor. If you’re a pro, you can play around with the numerous advanced tools available at your disposal, like animating objects and retouching specific areas.

For the everyday user, you can take advantage of basic tools like contrast, brightness, cropping, and background replacement among many others. You can also choose from the many available templates if you’re editing for social media.

PhotoDirector is user-friendly and you can become a pro in no time with practice. Buying a subscription will get you more templates and elements to work with.

Download: PhotoDirector (Free, subscription available)

6. Samsung Photo Editor: Best for Samsung Galaxy Users

If you own a Samsung Galaxy device, you don’t have to download a third-party photo editor. Samsung Gallery’s native photo editor does basic editing well enough. It allows you to take photos and start editing instantly.

Samsung Photo Editor comes with basic editing tools like text, cropping, rotating, brightness, contrast, exposure, and numerous filters among others. You can also create an emoji of yourself and use it when adding elements to the photo you’re editing.

You can take advantage of this in-built app to get your photos done quickly if you’re the touch-and-go kind of person and are using a Samsung device.

7. Google Photos: Best User-Friendly Android Photo Editor

Like Samsung’s photo editor, Google Photos may come pre-installed on your Android device. In this case, you already have one of the best photo editing apps in your hand. Google Photos is easy to use and has all the essential tools easily accessible in one place.

These tools include cropping, markup, filters, and settings to adjust the color and tone of the overall picture. Once you finish editing a photo on Google Photos, you can save it and access it on another device with the same Google account.

Download: Google Photos (Free)

A Free Photo Editor App That Meets Your Needs

With a bit of creativity and the right free photo editing app, you won’t have to spend a penny on an app subscription. You can get the best out of these Android apps without having to upgrade to their paid versions.

It all boils down to the specific needs you have for your editing project. Canva would be the perfect photo editing app if you’re working on website and social media graphics. PhotoDirector would be the best if you’re working on professional photo editing projects. Google Photos and Snapseed work like a charm if you value simplicity and user-friendliness.