Gimp

Easier/harder/better/worse is such a subjective thing. Only you can answer that.

It's like asking someone to advise you on which is a better picture or better piece of music.

FWIW, of all the programs I've tried the basic features are pretty much the same on all of them. where they differ is in the extra, more in depth features. For example, sdjusting the brightness or contrast is going to be the same in everything from Photoshop to some 1Kb free utility found on the back of a cornflakes packet

I#ll try Gimp and see what its like.