The Best Krita AlternativesTop Digital Painting Tools and other similar apps like Krita

Krita is described as 'A free, open-source painting program for professional artists offering customizable UI, 9 brush engines, layer support, and color management' and is a leading digital painting tool in the photos & graphics category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Krita for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, iPad, Android and iPhone apps. The best Krita alternative is GIMP, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Krita are Adobe Photoshop, Paint.NET, SketchBook and MyPaint.

filter to find the best alternatives

Krita alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Photo Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, iPad, iPad + Free, Mac, Android, Open Source and Windows + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Krita.
More about Krita
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Krita alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4738 likes

    GIMP delivers powerful functionalities for photo retouching, image composition, and format conversion. As a versatile tool, it serves as both a simple paint program and a high-end retouching suite, and offers batch processing for mass image tasks in an accessible open-source platform.

    190 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    yes
     
    |
    14
    GIMP vs Krita Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    2

    Lots of people use GIMP for photo editing, and it's not the best alternative to Krita for digital drawing/painting but you can definitely use GIMP for drawing and painting and not only to edit photos.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    13

    Krita is for digital illustrations. GIMP is for photo editing.

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

    Different intended purpose: GIMP for general image editing, Krita for digital painting and animation.

    3 of 14 comments
    • GIMP is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
  2. Adobe Photoshop icon

    Adobe Photoshop

     2423 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.

    226 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
     
    |
    3
    Adobe Photoshop vs Krita Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    5

    Photoshop is more focused on image editing and photo manipulation. Krita is for digital drawing.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    RemovedUser
    Positive
    2

    Photoshop has many great drawing tools and a frame-by-frame animation tool like krita

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    shaundre no
    Positive
    0

    Photoshop is a great photo manipulation tool and it has some of the better digital l drawing/painting tools but its animation tools are... lacking, unintuitive and easily becomes very laggy/slow. krita has a massive one up on photoshop in the animation department. even with the features that krita has over photoshop its hard to use and super laggy even at the lightest use of filter layers however. I will stick to krita cause screw adobe.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Adobe Photoshop is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  4. Paint.NET icon

    Paint.NET

     1653 likes

    Free Windows image editor with support for layers, plugins, and special effects. Offers intuitive interface, works offline, ad-free, and portable, consuming fewer resources.

    166 Paint.NET alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
    Paint.NET screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    Paint.NET vs Krita Comments
    lian00
    Positive
    1

    It’s an image editing software. Not a digital painting software as Krita.

    RemovedUser
    Positive
    0

    If you are fine with using proprietary software this program is just right!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    wajeeh
    Positive
    -5

    The best FREE image editor nowaday.

    • Paint.NET is Free and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
    • Paint.NET is MinimalisticKrita is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. SketchBook icon

    SketchBook

     155 likes

    Sketchbook drawing software features an artist-friendly, gesture-based user interface that is so fast and intuitive even new users can be productive within minutes.

    79 SketchBook alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Android (1)
     
    |
    1
    SketchBook vs Krita Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    6

    Plethora of brushes with premium look and feel which makes it intuitive and easy to use.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • SketchBook is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  7. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     388 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.

    127 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    MyPaint vs Krita Comments
    Thelle Christensen
    Positive
    2

    Both programmes aims for simplicity/usability

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
  8. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     59 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.

    67 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  10. Affinity Photo icon

    Affinity Photo

     552 likes

    Real-time image editing software supporting extensive colour spaces, unlimited layers, non-destructive edits, and a streamlined workspace for complex tasks on Windows, Mac, and iPad.

    100 Affinity Photo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
    Affinity Photo screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Affinity Photo vs Krita Comments
    lian00
    Negative
    0

    Affinity Photo has some tools for digital painting but as it’s not the main goal of the sofware (more photo editing), interface and selection tools are not suited for digital artists.

    • Affinity Photo is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  11. Photopea icon

    Photopea

     337 likes

    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.

    112 Photopea alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Photopea screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Photopea vs Krita Comments
    shaundre no
    Positive
    1

    photopea is a great alternative to photoshop but not at all for krita.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Photopea is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  12. MediBang Paint icon

    MediBang Paint

     117 likes

    MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.

    77 MediBang Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Steam
    Great for anime or comics
     
    |
    2
    MediBang Paint vs Krita Comments
    lian00
    Positive
    1

    Default brushes in MediBang cannot be compared to Krita’s engine. MediBang may be a nice tool for manga creation but it cannot compete relative to digital painting with Krita.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Everything looks the same.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  13. Procreate icon

    Procreate

     165 likes

    Procreate is a versatile, award-winning app for creative digital drawing and painting on iOS. It delivers a robust, professional toolset with hundreds of configurable brushes, a powerful layering system, vector graphic tools, and comprehensive design capabilities, ensuring desktop-level flexibility and power.

    64 Procreate alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Procreate screenshot 1
     
    |
    6
    Procreate vs Krita Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    1

    Probably the best drawing app if you're using an iPad!

    Top Negative Comment
    IronoClippy
    1

    Only works on Apple Devices, and it's paid, and closed-source

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Unlike the most popular choices, Procreate is a drawing program like Krita, not a photo editing program that you can draw with.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 6 comments
    • Procreate is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  14. Clip Studio Paint icon

    Clip Studio Paint

     134 likes

    Professional software for comic and manga creation, optimized with panel layouts, perspective rulers, sketching, inking, toning, vector support, and 3D model import, suitable for artists seeking advanced drawing and coloring tools.

    102 Clip Studio Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    Customizable workspace
     
    |
    3
    Clip Studio Paint vs Krita Comments
    Anipe
    Positive
    1

    Very fluent and good to work with, waaaaayy better than krita!

    RemovedUser
    Positive
    1

    Though paid and closed source it is still a good alternative to Krita

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

    They focus on the same basic functionality: digital drawing.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Clip Studio Paint is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  15. PaintTool SAI icon

    PaintTool SAI

     140 likes

    PaintTool SAI is high quality and lightweight painting software, fully digitizer support, amazing anti-aliased paintings, provide easy and stable operation, this software make digital art more enjoyable and comfortable.

    92 PaintTool SAI alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    PaintTool SAI screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    PaintTool SAI vs Krita Comments
    lian00
    Positive
    0

    Very light software, very well build and quite cool to use. But it’s kinda limited if you need some professional software as it won’t manage color profile and even .tiff format.

    Paul
    Positive
    -1

    One of the best painting tools for Windows!

    • PaintTool SAI is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
12 of 143 Krita alternatives