Behind the Site

Photopea

photopea.com

Free browser-based photo and graphics editor built and largely run single-handedly by Czech developer Ivan Kutskir.

  • Software
  • active
  • Founded 2012
  • Researched Sep 2026
Confirmed
Age14 yearsDomain registered 2012
Confirmed
Based inPrague, Czech Republic
Likely
Employees1-2Solo founder-run for most of its history; a report from 2025 cites a 2-person team, a 150% increase from the prior year
Confirmed
FundingSelf-funded
Likely
PlatformsWeb, API
Confirmed
FoundersIvan KutskirFounder / CEO

The story

Photopea is a web-based, Photoshop-like image and graphics editor created by Ivan Kutskir, a Czech (born in Ukraine) computer science graduate of Charles University in Prague. He began developing it in 2012 as a side project, launched it in 2013, and grew it into a multi-million-dollar bootstrapped business while working almost entirely alone; as of 2025 he has reportedly brought on one additional team member.

Timeline

  1. Founded2012

    Development begins

    Ivan Kutskir starts building Photopea as a university side project

  2. LaunchSep 2013

    Photopea launches

    First public release of the browser-based editor

  3. Milestone2020

    Revenue nears $1M/year

    Kutskir reports about $1 million earned in 2020, mostly from ads

  4. Milestone2021

    Passes $1M annual revenue

    Solo-run product crosses $1 million per year, per press coverage

  5. Milestone2024

    Revenue reaches $2.8M ARR

    Annual revenue grows from $1.5M in 2023 to $2.8M in 2024

  6. Milestone2025

    Team grows to two people

    Company expands from a solo founder to a reported 2-person team

Founders

  • Ivan Kutskir

    Founder / CEO

    Charles University Prague CS graduate; sole developer of Photopea since 2012

    ivank.netx.com

9 sourcesEvery fact above links back to these.
  1. Photopea - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
  2. Building a Photo Editor and Making $100k/mo as a Solo Founderfailory.com
  3. Creating Photopea (official blog)blog.photopea.com
  4. Photopea Revenue 2024: $2.8M Est. ARR (Bootstrapped)getlatka.com
  5. Photopea: Details, Reviews, Pricing, & Featurescheckthat.ai
  6. Photopea Reviews & Pricing 2025 (founder interview quote)goodfirms.co
  7. This Founder's Legion of Reddit Fans Helped Him Build a Free Alternative to Photoshopbootstrappers.com
  8. Domain registration data (RDAP, provided evidence)RDAP registry record (photopea.com)
  9. Photopea - 2025 Company Profile & Competitors - Tracxntracxn.com
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