Open Source PaintTool SAI Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to PaintTool SAI for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Windows alternative is Krita. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to PaintTool SAI and 11 are open source and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Windows alternatives to PaintTool SAI are MyPaint, Our Paint, Pixelitor and Milton.

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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. 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
     
    |
    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
  4. Our Paint icon

    Our Paint

     9 likes

    Our Paint is a featureless but programmable painting program.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • itch.io
    Our Paint screenshot 1
     
  5. 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.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Pixelitor screenshot 1
     
  6. Milton icon

    Milton

     16 likes

    Milton is an open source application that features an infinite canvas. It feels raster-based but internally it works with vectors. It lets you export your work at any resolution.

    26 Milton alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Milton screenshot 1
     
  7. 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
     
  9. C

    ChibiPaint

     4 likes

    ChibiPaint is an open source oekaki applet, a software that allows people to draw and paint online and share the result with other art enthusiasts.

    • Filter, Tablet Pressure, Multiple Layers, Rotating Canvas, High-Quality Brushes...
    • Open Source.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ChibiPaint SS1
     
  10. Npainter icon

    Npainter

     5 likes

    NPainter is a free fast and simple painting software created from scratch. the most important goal is provide a powerful and lightweight tool for beginner and amateur art artists as well semi-professional artists.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • itch.io
    Npainter screenshot 1
     
  11. 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
     
  12. Vara icon

    Vara

     1 like

    Drawing and digital painting application with pressure-sensitive brushes. It belongs to the group of applications like Krita and MyPaint, but with a limited number of features. The main focus is on simplicity.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Vara screenshot 1
     
  13. QAquarelle icon

    QAquarelle

     12 likes

    Qaquarelle is a very young opensource Qt4-based painting application that is supposed to provide a native way of painting with emulated traditional instruments, including watercolor simulation, full support for tablets and OpenGL-based processing in GPU.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    QAquarelle screenshot 1
     
11 of 11 PaintTool SAI alternatives