Paint Shop Pro may well be the consummate exemplar of shareware applications, demonstrating that shareware clients really can compete with the big boys. Not only does Paint Shop Pro offer more than 95% of the features found in expensive commercial rivals like Adobe Photoshop, it includes a ton of its own unique features with a great-looking interface and an excellent online help system.
Even better, Paint Shop Pro costs less than $100 and is available on the 'net for a free thirty-day trial evaluation. PhotoShop on the other hand will set you back more than $500, and you can't even try it out first (not the latest release anyway)!
