If you're not so much looking for editing as painting/drawing, you might be able to get away with Autodesk Sketchbook Pro or ArtRage (and GIMP for those times you really need an editor). Both have Windows and MacOS editions. ArtRage's license I believe covers both. SBP I've only liked for doing quick sketches; not necessarily a limitation of the program so much as a limitation of my understanding of how to use it. ArtRage simulates real media, which I've liked for painting. There's also Painter along those lines, but I haven't used it since version 8, and I never managed to figure out how to utilize it fully either.
I use GIMP sometimes as a free editor for cropping/resizing/etc, but I've never liked it much for drawing. And the interface is occasionally frustrating/confusing for someone who's used to Photoshop. It can do pretty much anything PS (7?) could, though, you just have to figure out how to do it GIMP's way instead of PS's. There is a plugin that supposedly makes the interface more Photoshop-like, though I've found it's still... not really the same.
As for the subscription service on Photoshop-- I'm trying it right now because I found a deal that lets me have the Master Suite for a discount for the first year. It is pretty much the only way to only buy one license and get both Windows and Mac versions if that's important to you (it was to me, since I use both regularly and didn't really want to buy two copies), but you only get to install any given program on two computers at the same time. If you're really keen on being always on the latest update it can be a good deal, or might also be useful if you don't have the thousand(s) of dollars to spend on the software upfront and would prefer a monthly payment. It does come with cloud storage space, too, which I haven't tried to use yet.
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I use GIMP sometimes as a free editor for cropping/resizing/etc, but I've never liked it much for drawing. And the interface is occasionally frustrating/confusing for someone who's used to Photoshop. It can do pretty much anything PS (7?) could, though, you just have to figure out how to do it GIMP's way instead of PS's. There is a plugin that supposedly makes the interface more Photoshop-like, though I've found it's still... not really the same.
As for the subscription service on Photoshop-- I'm trying it right now because I found a deal that lets me have the Master Suite for a discount for the first year. It is pretty much the only way to only buy one license and get both Windows and Mac versions if that's important to you (it was to me, since I use both regularly and didn't really want to buy two copies), but you only get to install any given program on two computers at the same time. If you're really keen on being always on the latest update it can be a good deal, or might also be useful if you don't have the thousand(s) of dollars to spend on the software upfront and would prefer a monthly payment. It does come with cloud storage space, too, which I haven't tried to use yet.
Not sure if that helps?