Paint.NET AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Digital Painting Tools for Mac

Paint.NET is not available for Mac but there are some alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best free Mac Digital Painting Tool alternative is Pinta, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Paint.NET and ten of them are free and Digital Painting Tools available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Mac Digital Painting Tool alternatives to Paint.NET are Krita, GIMP, MyPaint and LazPaint.

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Paint.NET 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 Linux, Mac, Android, Online, Android Tablet, Windows and iPhone. 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 Paint.NET.

More about Paint.NET

Paint.NET alternatives page was last updated Mar 25, 2026

Pinta
280 likes
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...
100 Pinta alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
International
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Flathub
Mono
Snapcraft
Is Pinta a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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22comments
Pinta vs Paint.NET Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
Oct 4, 2015
12
This functions in almost identical ways to Paint.NET, more so than any other program listed on here.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
Guest
Feb 15, 2019
6
It gives you a good taste of Paint.NET, but it's so broken and painful to work with that it just isn't worth using; e.g. the text function doesn't work.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Guest
Negative commentMar 25, 2026
0
no settings menu (!), won't snap in place on windows, couldn't change language, buttons have a clunky mac-styled shape and they're too small. won't use.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 22 comments
Pinta is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
Pinta is Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
Krita
1450 likes
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.
145 Krita alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
Netherlands
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android Tablet
KDE Plasma
Epic Games Store
PortableApps.com
F-Droid
Steam
AppImage
+6
Is Krita a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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16comments
Krita vs Paint.NET Comments

Top Positive Comment
Generic_Sweetener
Jul 28, 2020
5
There isn't anything else exactly like paint.net, but Krita comes the closest in terms of features and ease of use. It's relatively intuitive, has various customization options, and is sufficient for basic photo editing and more advanced image manipulation and drawing.
Top Negative Comment
Guest
Jan 22, 2017
16
Very good, but not focused to photo editing.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
beng tang
Positive commentSep 16, 2023
0
As an alternative to Paint.NET for Linux, Krita is not exactly the same, but it has most of the same functionality and it can resize (Image > Scale Image to New Size) images using a variety of resampling filters including Lanczos3, which makes it better than GIMP for resizing photos.
3 of 16 comments
Krita is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
Krita is Customizable and Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
GIMP
4774 likes
Free open-source suite offering advanced photo retouching, image composition, original artwork creation, batch processing, plugin support, custom scripting, mass image format conversion, and integration with free publishing tools for comprehensive editing solutions.
190 GIMP alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Flatpak
AmigaOS
AppImage
+5
Is GIMP a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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41comments
GIMP vs Paint.NET Comments

Top Positive Comment
Guest
May 21, 2019
1
free, open-source, cross-platform
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Top Negative Comment
zlelmefs
Dec 13, 2021
7
The #1 perk of paint.net is how lightweight and fast it is, it's intended as a competitor to Paint. GIMP is the complete opposite- it's a big, slow monster designed to compete with photoshop.
Guest
Negative commentFeb 1, 2026
0
It's slow and has a lot of stuff you have to learn while paint.net is easy to use and lightweight.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 41 comments
GIMP is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
GIMP is Customizable and Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
MyPaint
394 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.
131 MyPaint alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
Switzerland
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
PortableApps.com
+2
Is MyPaint a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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2comments
MyPaint vs Paint.NET Comments

superluminar
Negative commentOct 29, 2017
6
MyPaint is a digital painting/drawing program, Paint.NET is a simple image editor.
Guest
Negative commentMay 3, 2017
2
MyPaint looks a lot like Photoshop. Paint.NET is so popular because of the simplicity. Photoshop is a beautiful program with a lot of options. Paint.NET is a simple "paint" program that allows you to go as you like, but keep it simple at the beginning. MyPaint is like a Photoshop lite.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
MyPaint is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
LazPaint
46 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.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
Flathub
Flatpak
+2
Is LazPaint a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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6comments
LazPaint vs Paint.NET Comments

Top Positive Comment
sourloti
Oct 31, 2022
3
Is able to open and edit .pdn files! Especially handy if you're on Linux and aren't able/don't want to use paint.net.
beng tang
Positive commentSep 5, 2024
0
LazPaint comes close to Paint.NET in terms of ease of use and features. Unlike GIMP, LazPaint has good resampling / resizing algorithms including Lanczos. Unlike Krita, it's selection tool does not select outside the image and it can print images. Amongst the Linux image editors I have tried, it is so far the best alternative to Paint.NET.
Guest
Positive commentMar 28, 2024
0
Lightweight and available in Debian 11
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 6 comments
LazPaint is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
FireAlpaca
90 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
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Is FireAlpaca a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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1comment
FireAlpaca vs Paint.NET Comments

Ola Johansson
Positive commentOct 2, 2023
0
I just need a super simple tool to use as a web developer to crop and resave and stuff like that. I have always used Paint.net on Windows but this seems pretty good for Mac.
FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryPaint.NET is also Free and Proprietary
Pixelitor
27 likes
Open source image editor with non-destructive editing, 110+ filters, adjustment and text layers, support for smart objects and adjustment layers, cross-platform compatibility, and layer-based editing for flexible image composition.
114 Pixelitor alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
Hungary
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+4
Is Pixelitor a good alternative to Paint.NET?

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1comment
Pixelitor vs Paint.NET Comments

nlacaria
Positive commentMay 9, 2023
0
not a similar GUI, but similar speed and basic functionality. closest "base" program to Paint.Net on Linux. Paint.Net is much more expandable with extensions. But Pixelitor is much more accurate in things like cropping than Pinta
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Pixelitor is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
Pixen
18 likes
Pixen is a pixel art editor designed for working with low-resolution raster art, such as those 8-bit sprites found in old-school video games. With innovative features like a color palette system, patterns, and high-zoom support, Pixen packs all the tools pixel artists need in an...
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
iPad
+4
Is Pixen a good alternative to Paint.NET?
AliveColors
3 likes
AliveColors is comprehensive graphics and photo editing software for Windows and Mac. It comes in Free, Home, and Pro versions, with differing levels of functionality.
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
Russia
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+3
Is AliveColors a good alternative to Paint.NET?
HEAVYPAINT
7 likes
A simple yet secretly powerful painting app! Focus on pure colors and shapes with a streamlined interface. Ideal for plein air painting, color notes, sketches and studies.
33 HEAVYPAINT alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
+1
Is HEAVYPAINT a good alternative to Paint.NET?

10 of 10 Paint.NET alternatives

Paint.NET AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Digital Painting Tools for Mac

Alternatives list

Pinta

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Pinta vs Paint.NET Comments

Krita

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Krita vs Paint.NET Comments

GIMP

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GIMP vs Paint.NET Comments

MyPaint

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MyPaint vs Paint.NET Comments

LazPaint

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LazPaint vs Paint.NET Comments

FireAlpaca

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FireAlpaca vs Paint.NET Comments

Pixelitor

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Pixelitor vs Paint.NET Comments

Pixen

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AliveColors

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HEAVYPAINT

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