Paint.NET Alternatives for Mac

Paint.NET is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac alternative is Krita, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Paint.NET and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Paint.NET are Pinta, GIMP, Adobe Photoshop and Pixelmator.

filter to find the best alternatives

Paint.NET alternatives are mainly Image Editors, but if you're looking for Photo Editors or Digital Painting Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, Mac, iPhone, Online, iPad and Android Tablet. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Paint.NET.
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Alternatives list

  1. Krita icon

    Krita

     1475 likes

    Free, open-source painting software designed by artists for artists. Offers customizable UI, 9 brush engines, color management, tablet support, non-destructive editing, and privacy features. Portable and available on major platforms, supporting seamless texture creation.

    149 Krita alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Steam
    • AppImage
    Krita screenshot 1
     
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    16
    Krita vs Paint.NET Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Generic_Sweetener
    5

    There isn't anything else exactly like paint.net, but Krita comes the closest in terms of features and ease of use. It's relatively intuitive, has various customization options, and is sufficient for basic photo editing and more advanced image manipulation and drawing.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    16

    Very good, but not focused to photo editing.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    beng tang
    Positive
    0

    As an alternative to Paint.NET for Linux, Krita is not exactly the same, but it has most of the same functionality and it can resize (Image > Scale Image to New Size) images using a variety of resampling filters including Lanczos3, which makes it better than GIMP for resizing photos.

    3 of 16 comments
    • Krita is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • Krita is Customizable and Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
  2. Pinta icon

    Pinta

     283 likes

    Pinta is a image editing, drawing and painting application with a simple yet powerful interface. Pinta has a wide range of drawing tools, including: freehand, rectangles, circles and lines. It also has over 35 effects to apply to your images, and also has the ability to create...

    100 Pinta alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Mono
    • Snapcraft
    Pinta 3.0
     
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    22
    Pinta vs Paint.NET Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    12

    This functions in almost identical ways to Paint.NET, more so than any other program listed on here.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    6

    It gives you a good taste of Paint.NET, but it's so broken and painful to work with that it just isn't worth using; e.g. the text function doesn't work.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    no settings menu (!), won't snap in place on windows, couldn't change language, buttons have a clunky mac-styled shape and they're too small. won't use.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 22 comments
    • Pinta is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • Pinta is Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
  4. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4797 likes

    Free open-source suite offering advanced photo retouching, image composition, original artwork creation, batch processing, plugin support, custom scripting, mass image format conversion, and integration with free publishing tools for comprehensive editing solutions.

    204 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    • AppImage
    GIMP screenshot 1
     
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    41
    GIMP vs Paint.NET Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    free, open-source, cross-platform

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    zlelmefs
    7

    The #1 perk of paint.net is how lightweight and fast it is, it's intended as a competitor to Paint. GIMP is the complete opposite- it's a big, slow monster designed to compete with photoshop.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    It's slow and has a lot of stuff you have to learn while paint.net is easy to use and lightweight.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 41 comments
    • GIMP is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • GIMP is Customizable and Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
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  6. Adobe Photoshop icon

    Adobe Photoshop

     2441 likes

    Comprehensive raster graphics editor offering advanced photo and image editing features. Supports multiple layers, masks, alpha compositing, various color models, and has limited vector graphics, 3D, and video capabilities. Extensible via plug-ins.

    242 Adobe Photoshop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Wine
    • ReactOS
    Adobe Photoshop screenshot 1
     
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    9
    Adobe Photoshop vs Paint.NET Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    HaricharanSrinivasan
    5

    The absolute best in photo correction and manipulation. Slick interface. Fast. Loads of tools for mobile and Web design. Content-aware editing. Video editing. 3D design capability. Synced Libraries. Integrated stock library. Complementary mobile apps.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    35

    Very pricy advanced application compared to free paint.net

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    zlelmefs
    Negative
    1

    It's slow. It's not free. It's made by one of the worst software companies on the planet.

    3 of 9 comments
    • Adobe Photoshop is Paid and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  8. Pixelmator icon

    Pixelmator

     421 likes

    Image editing software for macOS and iOS, offering nondestructive, GPU-powered editing with machine learning features, RAW support, custom brushes, and seamless macOS integration for touch-ups, painting, and creative compositions.

    155 Pixelmator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Pixelmator screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Pixelmator vs Paint.NET Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    2

    Fast, easy to use, not overloaded with useless features

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    oddityoverseer13
    Positive
    0

    It's cheap, and it has all the capabilities of Paint.NET (plus some), and it's even more user-friendly.

    • Pixelmator is Paid and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • Pixelmator is CustomizablePaint.NET is not according to our users
  9. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     84 likes

    Unified design solution merging advanced photo, vector, and layout tools for seamless workflow, non-destructive editing, RAW support, batch processing, AI enhancements, GPU acceleration, file compatibility, cloud asset integration, and tailored workspace options.

    89 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  10. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     396 likes

    MyPaint is a fast, distraction-free, and easy painting tool for digital artists. It supports graphics tablets made by Wacom, and many similar devices.

    134 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1
     
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    2
    MyPaint vs Paint.NET Comments
    superluminar
    Negative
    6

    MyPaint is a digital painting/drawing program, Paint.NET is a simple image editor.

    Guest
    Negative
    2

    MyPaint looks a lot like Photoshop. Paint.NET is so popular because of the simplicity. Photoshop is a beautiful program with a lot of options. Paint.NET is a simple "paint" program that allows you to go as you like, but keep it simple at the beginning. MyPaint is like a Photoshop lite.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  11. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     47 likes

    Raster & vector graphic editor with many tools and filters, written in Lazarus. Portable, 32bit & 64bit versions, ORA format & 16384x16384 image support. In app 3D import & rendering.

    45 LazPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Main UI
     
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    6
    LazPaint vs Paint.NET Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    sourloti
    3

    Is able to open and edit .pdn files! Especially handy if you're on Linux and aren't able/don't want to use paint.net.

    beng tang
    Positive
    0

    LazPaint comes close to Paint.NET in terms of ease of use and features. Unlike GIMP, LazPaint has good resampling / resizing algorithms including Lanczos. Unlike Krita, it's selection tool does not select outside the image and it can print images. Amongst the Linux image editors I have tried, it is so far the best alternative to Paint.NET.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Lightweight and available in Debian 11

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 6 comments
    • LazPaint is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  13. FireAlpaca icon

    FireAlpaca

     90 likes

    FireAlpaca is the image editor that can be used readily and easily. We made it possible to provide the completely free download, in order for our products to be experienced by more users from all over the world. It is available for both Mac and Windows users!

    127 FireAlpaca alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    FireAlpaca screenshot 1
     
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    1
    FireAlpaca vs Paint.NET Comments
    Ola Johansson
    Positive
    0

    I just need a super simple tool to use as a web developer to crop and resave and stuff like that. I have always used Paint.net on Windows but this seems pretty good for Mac.

    • FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryPaint.NET is also Free and Proprietary
  14. PhotoGIMP icon

    PhotoGIMP

     28 likes

    Open-source patch modifies the layout, shortcuts, and workspace of the image editor to resemble Adobe's design, providing custom splash screens, icon, and menus for ease of use, while retaining original features and supporting Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    PhotoGIMP screenshot 1
     
  15. Adobe Elements icon

    Adobe Elements

     84 likes

    Comprehensive photo editing tool with AI-powered automation and easy step-by-step guidance. It includes unique creation tools, layer support, facial recognition, and organizes your photos seamlessly. Available as a one-time purchase, no subscription required, with cloud sync for flexibility.

    158 Adobe Elements alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Adobe Elements screenshot 1
     
12 of 45 Paint.NET alternatives