Free PaintTool SAI Alternatives for Mac

PaintTool SAI is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best free Mac alternative is Krita, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to PaintTool SAI and 17 are free and available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Mac alternatives to PaintTool SAI are MediBang Paint, FireAlpaca, MyPaint and Affinity.

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Alternatives list

  1. Krita icon

    Krita

     1433 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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android Tablet
    • KDE Plasma
    • Epic Games Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Steam
    • AppImage
    Main Window
     
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    13
    Krita vs PaintTool SAI Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    6

    Very advanced program that is absolutely free, only downside is that it's not as lightweight as SAI

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    0

    Both Krita's brush system and UI are very different from SAI, notably the color blending system which make it impossible to recreate the watercolor effect in SAI, it is more similar to Autodesk Sketchbook.

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

    It has many capabilities, and I've seen people's work using this. It's amazing to work in and is good in animation features.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    • Krita is Free and Open SourcePaintTool SAI is Paid and Proprietary
    • Krita is Lightweight and Privacy focusedPaintTool SAI is not according to our users
  2. MediBang Paint icon

    MediBang Paint

     119 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
     
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    14
    MediBang Paint vs PaintTool SAI Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    5

    Its very convenient and it works on every device

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

    the app is filled with a bunch of tools and not enough explaniton

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

    I love the dark UI and how organized it is

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 14 comments
    • MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryPaintTool SAI is Paid and Proprietary
    • MediBang Paint is LightweightPaintTool SAI is not according to our users
  4. FireAlpaca icon

    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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    FireAlpaca screenshot 1
     
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    9
    FireAlpaca vs PaintTool SAI Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    5

    Firealpaca is much easier to use! It's simpler to find your way around and it's completely free for mac and windows! It's also great because it has regular updates so you know it's always gonna get better. You can animate on it and use masks, references and palettes.

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

    Overall very similar brush/color sampling system, especially with color blending.

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

    FireAlpaca is good. Can be easier to draw with pentablet

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 9 comments
    • FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryPaintTool SAI is Paid and Proprietary
  5. MyPaint icon

    MyPaint

     392 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.

    130 MyPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    MyPaint screenshot 1
     
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    1
    MyPaint vs PaintTool SAI Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    3

    There aren't as many functions as PaintTool SAI

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • MyPaint is Free and Open SourcePaintTool SAI is Paid and Proprietary
    • MyPaint is LightweightPaintTool SAI is not according to our users
  6. Affinity icon

    Affinity

     66 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.

    70 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Affinity screenshot 1
     
  7. Pixelitor icon

    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

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Pixelitor screenshot 1
     
  9. Gimp Paint Studio icon

    Gimp Paint Studio

     30 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • GIMP
    Gimp Paint Studio screenshot 1
     
  10. HiPaint icon

    HiPaint

     5 likes

    HiPaint is a professional integrated drawing and coloring software specially designed for digital drawing creators. The intuitive and simple interface allows for easy and intelligent operation even for a newbie with a medium- or small-sized screen of a mobile device.

    33 HiPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    HiPaint screenshot 1
     
  11. Tayasui Sketches icon

    Tayasui Sketches

     26 likes

    Sketches is a perfect mix of beauty, simplicity and power, a truly unique combination you won't find anywhere else.

    78 Tayasui Sketches alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Tayasui Sketches screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Tayasui Sketches vs PaintTool SAI Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Tayasui Sketches is a great app for painting and drawing, but it doesn't have the animation features I was looking for.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Tayasui Sketches is Freemium and ProprietaryPaintTool SAI is Paid and Proprietary
  12. Seashore icon

    Seashore

     69 likes

    Seashore is an open source image editor for Mac OS. It features gradients, textures and anti-aliasing for both text and brush strokes. It supports multiple layers and alpha channel editing. It is based around the GIMPs technology and uses the same native file format.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Seashore screenshot 1
     
  13. InfiniPaint icon

    InfiniPaint

     3 likes

    InfiniPaint is a collaborative, infinite space, infinite zoom, canvas note-taking/drawing app. Unlike many other infinite canvas apps, although there is a specific zoom-in level limit, there is no zoom-out limit (at least up until the point your computer runs out of memory).

    49 InfiniPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Online
    InfiniPaint screenshot 1
     
  14. Livebrush icon

    Livebrush

     23 likes

    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...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Adobe AIR
    Livebrush screenshot 1
     
12 of 17 PaintTool SAI alternatives