The Best Free Clip Studio Paint AlternativesTop Digital Painting Tools & Image Editors like Clip Studio Paint

The best free alternative to Clip Studio Paint is Krita, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Clip Studio Paint and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Clip Studio Paint are MediBang Paint, Photopea, MyPaint and OpenToonz.

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Clip Studio Paint alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Photo Editors you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Clip Studio Paint.
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Essential digital tool for comic and manga artists, offering specialized tools for shortcuts like panel layouts, inking, vector support, and 3D model import.

More about Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint alternatives page was last updated Apr 27, 2025
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  1. Krita icon
     1364 likes
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    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.

    137 Krita alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Digital Drawing
    2.  Blending brushes
    3.  Keyframe Animation
    4.  Drawing 2D
    5.  Advanced brush settings
    6.  Drawing Tablet Support
    7.  Digital-painting focused
    8.  Sketching
    9.  Color blending
    10.  Support for Layers
    11.  Texture painting
    12.  Custom Brushes

    Krita VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    Comments about Krita as an Alternative to Clip Studio Paint
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Jun 4, 2018
    6

    a great software for poor artist but very powerfull to drew . i'm like it

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Dec 16, 2020
    0

    I have been using Krita for 4 years and just jumped to Photoshop . The features are very similar to Photoshop so It really made me feel right at home after I jumped from it. Best alternative to Photoshop.

    Guest
    Positive Oct 27, 2020
    0

    Completely free and very powerful

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    3 of 6 comments
    Clip Studio Paint Icon
    Krita icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Krita is a great Clip Studio Paint alternative.

    • Krita is the most popular Windows, Mac, Linux & Android Tablet alternative to Clip Studio Paint.

    • Krita is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Clip Studio Paint.

    • Krita is Free and Open SourceClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
    • Krita is LightweightClip Studio Paint is not according to our users
  2. MediBang Paint icon
     115 likes
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    MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.

    71 MediBang Paint alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Multi-choice brushes
    2.  Pressure Sensitivity
    3.  Digital-painting focused
    4.  Color blending
    5.  Pen Stabilization
    6.  Keyframe Animation
    7.  Support for Layers
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Drawing Tablet Support
    10.  Custom Brushes
    11.  Category Filters
    12.  Texture for brushes

    MediBang Paint VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    Comments about MediBang Paint as an Alternative to Clip Studio Paint
    Most Recent Comment
    Milla Palacio
    Positive Nov 16, 2019
    2

    Not only is it free, they do share a lot of common functionality. Of course, MediBang Paint isn't as feature-rich, but it's still good for anime- and manga-style art.

    SoftOlive
    Positive Aug 21, 2024
    0

    It's an amazing tool for art, just like Clip Studio Paint. VERY good for not just manga, anime, etc art styles, but other art styles.

    Guest
    Positive Jun 11, 2017
    4

    It has all the things that I needed that Clip Studio Paint also had! LOVE IT!??

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    3 of 4 comments
    Clip Studio Paint Icon
    MediBang Paint icon
    • Almost everyone thinks MediBang Paint is a great Clip Studio Paint alternative.

    • MediBang Paint is the most popular Android, iPhone & iPad alternative to Clip Studio Paint.

    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
    • MediBang Paint is LightweightClip Studio Paint is not according to our users
  3. Photopea icon
     312 likes
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    Browser-based image editing supports PSD, XCF, Sketch formats, advanced layers, vector tools, RAW photo support, and exports in 40+ formats. Fully client-side with AI background removal, content-aware tools, and privacy as files never leave your device.

    104 Photopea alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • CZ flagCzechia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)

    Top Photopea Features

    1.  Web-Based
    2.  Open PSD files
    3.  Support for Layers
    4.  Vectorize raster images
    5.  Photoshop-like
    6.  Sketch to PSD
    7.  RAW Photo Editors
    8.  Text tool
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Colorize Photo
    12.  No registration required

    Photopea VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    • Photopea is the most popular SaaS alternative to Clip Studio Paint.

    • Photopea is Freemium and ProprietaryClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
  4. MyPaint icon
     380 likes
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    MyPaint is a fast, distraction-free, and easy painting tool for digital artists. It supports graphics tablets made by Wacom, and many similar devices.

    121 MyPaint alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com

    Properties

    1.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Sketching
    2.  Support for Layers
    3.  Infinite canvas
    4.  Portable
    5.  Drawing Tablet Support
    6.  Fullscreen support
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Custom Brushes
    10.  Color blending

    MyPaint VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Clip Studio Paint
    Guest
    Negative Apr 2, 2018
    0

    not made for drawing manga

    Clip Studio Paint Icon
    MyPaint icon
    • Most users think MyPaint is a great Clip Studio Paint alternative.

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
  5. OpenToonz icon
     113 likes
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    OpenToonz is an animation program that is a free software version of Toonz, the animation software used by Studio Ghibli, amongst others.

    40 OpenToonz alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Pen Stabilization
    2.  Keyframe Animation
    3.  Stop Motion
    4.  Custom Brushes
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Support for scripting
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Drawing Tablet Support
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Automated Tweening

    OpenToonz VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    Comments about OpenToonz as an Alternative to Clip Studio Paint
    SoftOlive
    Negative Aug 21, 2024
    0

    Opentoonz is very confusing for use, and primarily focuses on animation rather than art. Clip Studio Paint and Opentoonz is almost completely incomparable to Clip Studio, aside from the fact that they both can make art.

    Clip Studio Paint Icon
    OpenToonz icon
    • OpenToonz is Free and Open SourceClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
    • OpenToonz is Privacy focusedClip Studio Paint is not according to our users
  6. Microsoft Paint icon
     176 likes
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    Windows-bundled image editor for basic painting and raster editing tasks, supporting bitmap, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and TIFF. Offers layer support, offline access, no registration, and dark mode. Lightweight and ad-free, ensuring minimal resource use.

    124 Microsoft Paint alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Minimalistic

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Remove Image Background
    4.  Support for Layers
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Text to Image Generation
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Bundled with Windows
    9.  AI-Powered
    10.  Pixel Art

    Microsoft Paint VS Clip Studio Paint

     
    Comments about Microsoft Paint as an Alternative to Clip Studio Paint
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Jul 12, 2018
    5

    Microsoft paint is a very basic tool without much functionality

    Guest
    Negative Sep 5, 2019
    4

    Well, it's like comparing a car and pair of Rollerblade. Both can take you where you want to go, but it will be harder to go too far using the latter. It's unfair to the Clip Studio Paint to even compare it to Microsoft Paint

    Guest
    Positive Jun 5, 2019
    0

    It's the best for shitposts excluding photoshopped stuff.

    Clip Studio Paint Icon
    Microsoft Paint icon
    • This alternative is disputed. Microsoft Paint is a legitimate Clip Studio Paint alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • Microsoft Paint is Free and ProprietaryClip Studio Paint is Paid and Proprietary
    • Microsoft Paint is LightweightClip Studio Paint is not according to our users
  7. FireAlpaca icon
     82 likes
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    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!

    121 FireAlpaca alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  User friendly

    Features

    1.  Support for Layers
    2.  Smooth lines
    3.  Digital Drawing
    4.  Blending brushes
    5.  Multi-choice brushes
    6.  Tablet support
    7.  Drawing Board

    FireAlpaca VS Clip Studio Paint

     
  8. ibis Paint X icon
     40 likes
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    ibis Paint is an easy yet powerful drawing app made with tools for sketching manga right at your fingertips.

    49 ibis Paint X alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad

    Top ibis Paint X Features

    1.  Color blending
    2.  Extract Drawing
    3.  Text tool
    4.  Pressure Sensitivity
    5.  Custom Brushes
    6.  Realtime magic wand tool
    7.  Support for Layers
    8.  Texture for brushes
    9.  Blur Filter
    10.  Brush Stabilizers
    11.  Pen Stabilization
    12.  Gradients

    ibis Paint X VS Clip Studio Paint

     
  9. Storyboarder icon
     34 likes
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    Storyboarder makes it easy to visualize a story as fast you can draw stick figures. Quickly draw to test if a story idea works. Create and show animatics to others. Express your story idea without making a movie.

    36 Storyboarder alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Storyboarder Features

    1.  Storyboard

    Storyboarder VS Clip Studio Paint

     
9 of 59 Clip Studio Paint alternatives