Free Corel Painter Alternatives

The best free alternative to Corel Painter is GIMP, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Corel Painter and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Corel Painter are Krita, Photopea, Vectornator and MyPaint.

Corel Painter alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools but may also be Image Editors or Photo Editors. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Corel Painter.

This page was last updated

Corel Painter

Paid • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool

Mac
Windows

Corel Painter is a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and...

Learn more about Corel Painter

GIMP
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Flatpak
AmigaOS
200 alternatives to GIMP
GIMP is a free program for such photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Essentially it's the closest thing to Photoshop you can get for free.
Suggest and vote on features
GIMP Features
1. Support for LayersGIMP supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
2. DRM FreeNo Digital rights management (DRM), i.e. no copy protection.
3. Ad-freeGIMP doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
4. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsGIMP can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
5. PortableGIMP can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
6. Dark ModeGIMP supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
7. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in GIMP.
8. No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in GIMP without registration.
9. Non Destructive EditingGIMP allows you to make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
Customizable
Photo effects
High-resolution images
Open PSD files
Color to Alpha
Retouch photos
Image Processing
Built-in Color picker
Select by Color
Image Masking
GIMP vs Corel Painter opinions
Some users think GIMP is a great alternative to Corel Painter, some don't.
lian00
Gimp is not a painting program. Poor brushes and terrible interface.
Positive comment•
1

luistp
Gimp is a photo retouching program, not a drawing or painter one.
Negative comment•
0

Guest
Blending capabilities not as good. Also not as much brush selections
Negative comment•
4

Guest
GIMP is an analog to Photoshop and Corel Photopaint, not to Corel Painter
Negative comment•
2
Krita
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
Windows S
Android Tablet
PortableApps.com
Steam
Epic Games Store
144 alternatives to Krita
Krita is a professional Free and open source (FOSS) painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone within concept art, texture and matte painters, illustrations and comics.
Suggest and vote on features
Krita Features
1. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in Krita, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
2. LightweightKrita consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Non Destructive EditingKrita allows you to make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
4. Drawing Tablet SupportKrita supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
5. Support for LayersKrita supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
6. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in Krita.
7. Color PickerKrita allows you to select and copy a color property from an image, object, or shape.
8. Support for CMYK ModeKrita allows you to work using the color scheme for printing, combining the primary pigments (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key).
9. Dark ModeKrita supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
Digital Drawing
Blending brushes
Drawing 2D
Advanced brush settings
Digital-painting focused
Color blending
Sketching
Texture painting
Customizable
Adjustment Layers
Krita vs Corel Painter opinions
Almost everyone thinks Krita is a great alternative to Corel Painter.
StrothotteMichael
It is versatile, supports also Linux, has a fantastic developer team which is in close contact to the community and often feature requests are implemented within short time.
Positive comment•
1

lian00
Free, CYMK management, lighter. The previous comment is very strange as Corel Painter is not a photo editing app (and is very poor for this kind of manipulation).
Positive comment•
0

Guest
It's specifically designed for painting and cartoons rather than a general purpose photo editing app.
Positive comment•
2
Photopea
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Photo Editor
Online
105 alternatives to Photopea
Online photo editor, which can work with PSD, XCF and Sketch files (Photoshop, Gimp and Sketch App). Convert between PSD, XCF, JPG, PNG and many other formats.
Suggest and vote on features
Photopea Features
1. Support for LayersPhotopea supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Web-Based
Open PSD files
Vectorize raster images
Sketch to PSD
Photoshop-like
Import from Sketch
Text tool
Realtime magic wand tool
Free API
Browser-based
Vectornator
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Vector Graphic App
Digital Painting Tool
UI Design Tool
Mac
iPhone
iPad
32 alternatives to Vectornator
The vector graphics design software that allows you to create sophisticated graphics, amazing layouts and illustrations - all in just one super powerful tool.
Suggest and vote on features
Vectornator Features
1. Works OfflineVectornator can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
2. Ad-freeVectornator doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. Support for LayersVectornator supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Vector strokes
Artboards
Vector painting
Real time rendering
Intuitive Interface
Vectorize raster images
UX Design
Auto-trace
Vectorgraphic support
Export to PDF
Vectornator vs Corel Painter opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
It’s not a painting tool.
Negative comment•
0
MyPaint
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
PortableApps.com
127 alternatives to MyPaint
MyPaint is a fast painting program with an emphasis on full-screen use. It lets you focus on the art instead of the program. You work on your canvas with minimum distractions, bringing up the interface only when you need it.
Suggest and vote on features
MyPaint Features
1. Support for LayersMyPaint supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
2. Distraction-freeMyPaint has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
3. Drawing Tablet SupportMyPaint supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
4. PortableMyPaint can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in MyPaint.
6. Ad-freeMyPaint doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Sketching
Infinite canvas
Fullscreen support
Color blending
MyPaint vs Corel Painter opinions
Almost everyone thinks MyPaint is a great alternative to Corel Painter.
StrothotteMichael
It's Open Source at first, second it is so easy to get things done, even for beginners, third thing is it is not only for Windows and Mac it is also for Linux.
Positive comment•
1

Guest
Diverse paint simulations and brushes.
Positive comment•
0
Glimpse Image Editor
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Image Editor
Photo Editor
Windows
Linux
176 alternatives to Glimpse Image Editor
Glimpse is an open source image editor based on the GNU Image Manipulation Program. The goal is to experiment with new ideas and expand the use of free software.
Suggest and vote on features
Glimpse Image Editor Features
1. Support for LayersGlimpse Image Editor supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Customizable
Retouch photos
Discontinued
The Glimpse editor has been discontinuedSource: https://glimpse-editor.org/posts/a-project-on-hiatus/
Tayasui Sketches
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Mac
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
69 alternatives to Tayasui Sketches
Sketches is a perfect mix of beauty, simplicity and power, a truly unique combination you won't find anywhere else.
Suggest and vote on features
Tayasui Sketches Features
1. Distraction-freeTayasui Sketches has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
2. Drawing Tablet SupportTayasui Sketches supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
3. Support for LayersTayasui Sketches supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
4. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in Tayasui Sketches.
Apple Pencil support
Automatic brightness dimming
Open PSD files
Support for styluses
Color blending
Sketching
Gimp Paint Studio
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
GIMP
79 alternatives to Gimp Paint Studio
GPS (aka Gimp Paint Studio) is a collection of brushes, patterns, color gradients, accompanying tool presets and dynamics. Tool presets are a simply saved tool options, highly useful feature of the GIMP.
Suggest and vote on features
Gimp Paint Studio Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsGimp Paint Studio can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Categories
Discontinued
The project seems to be no longer developed. Last version, 2.0, released in August 2013, can be still downloaded from GitHub.
Artweaver
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Image Editor
Windows
107 alternatives to Artweaver
Artweaver is a simple Freeware program for creative painting, i.e. Artweaver offers you all artistic effects which you need for your work.
Suggest and vote on features
Artweaver Features
1. PortableArtweaver can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
German
Artweaver vs Corel Painter opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
very painterly brushes, very much like Corel Painter
Positive comment•
0
Livebrush
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool
Mac
Windows
Adobe AIR
64 alternatives to Livebrush
Livebrush is a drawing application. It employs an easy-to-use brush tool that reacts to your gestures through the use of velocity and other motion controls. By combining simple motion controls with customizable brush styles, Livebrush offers a fun and unique way to create...
Suggest and vote on features
Livebrush Features
Support for Dance Pad
Textures
Discontinued
The program is no longer updated. Last version, released in October 2014, can be still downloaded from the Facebook page.