I really recommend Krita over GIMP - it subjectively feels more "normal" - it has better cross-platform support, better tablet support, better brush engine, better vector layers, and it uses single-window layout without needing to be told.
GIMP has also defaulted to single window mode for many years now (and it's a much different kind of editor from Krita, which is also a great product, but oriented toward digital painting/sketching)
Yes, that was it - I switched to Lightroom Annual before cancelling. Moved to outright buying Capture One, not for speed but image quality, colour rendering and controls are first rate, and Photo Mechanic for ingest.
Raster graphics - Affinity and an older Mac with Photoshop CS something :D
I've used Affinity for about four years (~2017) and it's honestly great. It offers way more power than I need for editing my wildlife photos, has a nice, familiar UI and I actually own my licences.
I use it in combination with Capture One, but if Serif ever release a tool that can manage my ~30k photos I'll definitely consider switching.
Curious, what did you choose as a replacement for raster graphics? GIMP is a no-go, as its slow and buggy as well.