Krita Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Krita for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is GIMP, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Krita and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Krita are Adobe Photoshop, SketchBook, MyPaint and Affinity Photo.

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, Open Source, iPad + Free, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Krita.
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Alternatives list

  1. GIMP icon

    GIMP

     4728 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.

    191 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    yes
     
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    97
    Comments about GIMP as an Alternative to Krita
    Comment summary: Krita is widely recognized for digital painting and illustrations, whereas GIMP is mainly utilized for photo editing. Users frequently emphasize that these applications serve distinct purposes, with Krita excelling in drawing and art, and GIMP focusing on image manipulation and photo retouching. Although some indicate GIMP can be used for drawing, it is generally not considered a direct competitor to Krita for digital art creation.
    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
    Krita Icon
    GIMP icon

    • Most users think GIMP is a great Krita alternative.

    • GIMP is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Krita.

    • GIMP is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Krita.

    • GIMP is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
  2. Adobe Photoshop icon

    Adobe Photoshop

     2419 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

    • Pay once or Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Wine
    • ReactOS
    • Google Chrome
    Adobe Photoshop screenshot 1
     
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    34
    Comments about Adobe Photoshop as an Alternative to Krita
    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.
    Krita Icon
    Adobe Photoshop icon

    • Most users think Adobe Photoshop is a great Krita alternative.

    • Adobe Photoshop is the most popular Web-based, Android, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Krita.

    • Adobe Photoshop is the most popular commercial alternative to Krita.

    • Adobe Photoshop is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  4. 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 (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Android (1)
     
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    1
    55
    Comments about SketchBook as an Alternative to Krita
    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.
    Krita Icon
    SketchBook icon

    • Most users think SketchBook is a great Krita alternative.

    • SketchBook is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Adobe Photoshop icon
    Adobe Photoshop

    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. Exten...

    https://www.adobe.com
    Learn More
  6. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     387 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.

    128 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1
     
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    1
    31
    Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Krita
    Thelle Christensen
    Positive
    2

    Both programmes aims for simplicity/usability

    Krita Icon
    MyPaint icon

    • Almost everyone thinks MyPaint is a great Krita alternative.

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
  7. 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.

    101 Affinity Photo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
    Affinity Photo screenshot 1
     
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    1
    30
    Comments about Affinity Photo as an Alternative to Krita
    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.

    Krita Icon
    Affinity Photo icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Affinity Photo is a great Krita alternative.

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

    Affinity

     55 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.

    68 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  10. 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 (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Steam
    Great for anime or comics
     
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    39
    Comments about MediBang Paint as an Alternative to Krita
    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.
    Krita Icon
    MediBang Paint icon

    • Almost everyone thinks MediBang Paint is a great Krita alternative.

    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  11. Clip Studio Paint icon

    Clip Studio Paint

     132 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.

    103 Clip Studio Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once or Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    Customizable workspace
     
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    17
    Comments about Clip Studio Paint as an Alternative to Krita
    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.
    Krita Icon
    Clip Studio Paint icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Clip Studio Paint is a great Krita alternative.

    • Clip Studio Paint is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  12. FireAlpaca icon

    FireAlpaca

     89 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!

    124 FireAlpaca alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    FireAlpaca screenshot 1
     
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    1
    15
    Comments about FireAlpaca as an Alternative to Krita
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Because it's easier to use

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Krita Icon
    FireAlpaca icon

    • Almost everyone thinks FireAlpaca is a great Krita alternative.

    • FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  13. Corel Painter icon

    Corel Painter

     70 likes

    Corel Painter offers realistic traditional media simulation with features like customizable brushes, extensive format support, layering, blending tools, and more, tailored for professional artists working in drawing, painting, and printmaking.

    81 Corel Painter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once or Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Painter on Mac OS X
     
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    1
    12
    Comments about Corel Painter as an Alternative to Krita
    lian00
    Positive
    0

    It’s considered as the reference of all digital painting programs with very complete tools to mimic traditional media. But think a moment?: if you need traditional media rendering, why use a program?? The downside of Corel Painter is it’s price and pricing politics. And it is heavy and slow. Krita is free and has a quite good brush engine (Krita 5 will be more traditional painting oriented).

    Krita Icon
    Corel Painter icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Corel Painter is a great Krita alternative.

    • Corel Painter is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
  15. LazPaint icon

    LazPaint

     45 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.

    43 LazPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Main UI
     
12 of 43 Krita alternatives