Buying photoshop should also be cheaper than hiring a developer to integrate coppermine.
NO WAY...
When you buy a photopost license, you pay about 129 bucks. Thats good for THAT version you install forever... If you ever want to upgrade after one year of use, you HAVE TO re-pay for ANOTHER license!! So far I have fed photopost easily over 600-1000 bucks over 4-5 years, and have received support, although it takes a while and I would love to leave because of the nickle and dime.