Microsoft Paint Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Microsoft Paint for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is Paint.NET, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Microsoft Paint and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Microsoft Paint are Krita, Pinta, MyPaint and Photoscape.

filter to find the best alternatives

Microsoft Paint 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 Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Open Source, Linux and Digital Painting. 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 Microsoft Paint.
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Alternatives list

  1. Paint.NET icon
     1652 likes
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    Free Windows image editor with support for layers, plugins, and special effects. Offers intuitive interface, works offline, ad-free, and portable, consuming fewer resources.

    165 Paint.NET alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • .NET Framework
     
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    3
    80
    Comments about Paint.NET as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    frozengamer687
    Positive
    0

    This one is nice, but i think it should have iOS support and be a little cheaper.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ThomasJPitts
    Positive
    1

    The amount of support, plugins and alternative options make it far better than Paint.

    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Easy to use, basic, photo editing software.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    Paint.NET icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Paint.NET is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • Paint.NET is the most popular Windows alternative to Microsoft Paint.

    • Paint.NET is the most popular free alternative to Microsoft Paint.

    • Paint.NET is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft Paint is also Free and Proprietary
  2. Krita icon
     1411 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.

    142 Krita alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Steam
    • F-Droid
     
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    8
    49
    Comments about Krita as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Top Positive Comment
    vincentasmargis
    1

    I was looking for a program that could convert a .JPG file into .ico,and Krita did just that.

    Top Negative Comment
    vertigo
    4

    Krita is probably a great program for those that need the extra functionality, but those looking for an alternative to the extremely basic MS Paint don't need that, and it will be far more complicated to use. Even more importantly, though, is that even on my high-end system, it takes minimum several seconds to start, and sometimes around half a minute or longer, and that's just too long for doing basic tasks that would be done in Paint.

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    too complicated and bloated

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 8 comments
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    Krita icon
    • Most users think Krita is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

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

    • Krita is the most popular Open Source alternative to Microsoft Paint.

    • Krita is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
    • Krita is Customizable and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Paint is not according to our users
  3. Pinta icon
     276 likes
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    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...

    99 Pinta alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Mono
    • Snapcraft
     
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    5
    29
    Comments about Pinta as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    2

    Simple interface with powerful tools

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

    This app uses similar features like MS Paint, but there’s one thing that’s missing. The Grid Lines. Needs an Update.

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

    Similar options like mspaint. If you come from windows, install and work.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    Pinta icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Pinta is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • Pinta is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
    • Pinta is Privacy focusedMicrosoft Paint is not according to our users
  4. MyPaint icon
     387 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.

    126 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    1
    34
    Comments about MyPaint as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Guest
    Negative
    6

    There is no selection tool, which is what i need.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    MyPaint icon
    • Most users think MyPaint is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
  5. Photoscape icon
     262 likes
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    PhotoScape is a fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos.

    194 Photoscape alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
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    1
    Comments about Photoscape as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    you cannot actually create or draw pictures with this app

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    Photoscape icon
    • Photoscape is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
  6. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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

    • Pay once or Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
     
    • Clip Studio Paint is the most popular Android alternative to Microsoft Paint.

    • Clip Studio Paint is Paid and ProprietaryMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
    • Clip Studio Paint is CustomizableMicrosoft Paint is not according to our users
  7. MediBang Paint icon
     117 likes
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    MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.

    75 MediBang Paint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Steam
     
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    3
    24
    Comments about MediBang Paint as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    While a lot more complicated than Paint, it has everything you need to create a Paint image; line tools, shape tools, airbrush, pixel brush, bucket tool (that can fill without white spaces by expanding!) Not to mention more advanced tools and layer options, for more complicated drawings and even professional artists’ needs.

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

    It is a great program I have been using it for years and it's very easy to use

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

    Microsoft Paint is far smaller than MediBang Paint. While MediBang Paint can do anything Microsoft Paint can do, it can do much more than Microsoft paint. So, using it as an alternative is rather unwieldy.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    MediBang Paint icon
    • Almost everyone thinks MediBang Paint is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
  8. FireAlpaca icon
     89 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!

    123 FireAlpaca alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9. PaintTool SAI icon
     140 likes
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    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.

    91 PaintTool SAI alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    1
    6
    Comments about PaintTool SAI as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    This program does just about everything you could want in a paint program, apart from text and blur, etc. effects, and is very easy to use while not loosing any abilities to make it so.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    PaintTool SAI icon
    • Almost everyone thinks PaintTool SAI is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • PaintTool SAI is Paid and ProprietaryMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
    • PaintTool SAI is CustomizableMicrosoft Paint is not according to our users
  10. ibis Paint X icon
     41 likes
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    ibis Paint is an easy yet powerful drawing app made with tools for sketching manga right at your fingertips.

    56 ibis Paint X alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
     
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    19
  11. LazPaint icon
     45 likes
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    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.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
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    1
    11
    Comments about LazPaint as an Alternative to Microsoft Paint
    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    Really lightweight and fast, has a lot of additional features but is neat, making it powerful but not complicated (looking at you, Gimp).

    It would count closer to a Paint.NET replacement in my opinion. Though if you have this why would you ever want a normal MS Paint clone?

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Microsoft Paint Icon
    LazPaint icon
    • Almost everyone thinks LazPaint is a great Microsoft Paint alternative.

    • LazPaint is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Paint is Free and Proprietary
  12. Adobe Elements icon
     83 likes
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    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.

    148 Adobe Elements alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
     
12 of 69 Microsoft Paint alternatives