GIMP alternative?

I enjoy using GIMP but there are a lot of issues I run in to when I want to so free hand drawing. I started using Krita in place of this for that but ehh...
I am used to GIMP and while I love it, I kind of find it limiting. Is there another program I can use that is like it but has more options? (Free as well)

I like to use Paint.net, but it's not really as powerful as GIMP.

Have you seen/used any of the plugins available for GIMP? There's loads available (even more if you search Google for what you want) that allow you to do a wide range of tasks.

I assume you're also looking for an alternative to Adobe Photoshop and Corel Paint...

I would say FireAlpaca is fairly impressive, Paint.net is nice, Pixlr is pretty fair, Pixelmater is fair now (used to be something special), and Adobe Photoshop Express is picking up popularity.