Processing Alternatives

Processing is described as 'Open source programming environment and library built to handle images, animation, and interactivity. It is used by students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists for learning to code, prototyping, and producing full applications' and is a popular app in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Processing for Mac, Windows, Linux and Web-based. The best Processing alternative is OpenFrameworks, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Processing are Cinder, Processing.js, Vuo and Vvvv.

  • FreeOpen Source
  • ...

Processing is an open source programming environment and library built to handle images, animation, and interactivity. It...

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Processing alternatives page was last updated May 3, 2025
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  1. OpenFrameworks icon
     26 likes
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    openFrameworks is an open source C++ toolkit designed to assist the creative process by providing a simple and intuitive framework for experimentation. The toolkit is designed to work as a general purpose glue, and wraps together several commonly used libraries, including:

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    OpenFrameworks Features

    1.  C++

    OpenFrameworks VS Processing

     
    • Most users think OpenFrameworks is a great Processing alternative.

    • OpenFrameworks is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Processing.

    • OpenFrameworks is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Processing.

    • OpenFrameworks is Free and Open SourceProcessing is also Free and Open Source
  2. Cinder icon
     16 likes
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    CINDER PROVIDES A POWERFUL, INTUITIVE TOOLBOX for programming graphics, audio, video, networking, image processing and computational geometry. Cinder is cross-platform, and in general the exact same code works under Mac OS X, Windows and a growing list of other platforms — most...

    16 Cinder alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    Cinder VS Processing

     
    Comments about Cinder as an Alternative to Processing
    Guest
    Positive Dec 11, 2016
    -1

    does what it does best uniquely and beautifully, and yet it is entirely different from processing

    Processing Icon
    Cinder icon
    • Cinder is Free and Open SourceProcessing is also Free and Open Source
  3. Processing.js icon
     22 likes
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    Processing.js is an open programming language, port of the Processing Visualization Language, for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions for the web without using Flash or Java applets. Processing.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Online
    Discontinued

    The github repository is archived and no more maintained.The code will still be available in read-only mode, no releases will be pulled from any of the places it was distributed through, but the last version is, and will forever be, v1.6.6.

    Processing.js Features

    1.  Visual Programming

    Processing.js VS Processing

     
    • Processing.js is the most popular Web-based alternative to Processing.

    • Processing.js is Free and Open SourceProcessing is also Free and Open Source
  4. Vuo icon
     11 likes
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    Vuo lets media creators make interactive animations, exhibits, performances, and professional-grade media projects by connecting up simple building blocks. Media creators can use these blocks to manipulate audio input, images, layers, videos, and 2D + 3D graphics, as well as...

    25 Vuo alternatives

    License model

    • Free PersonalOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Top Vuo Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Node Based
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Support for Layers
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Support for 4K
    8.  Colour Grading
    9.  Support for scripting
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Support for MIDI
    12.  Portable

    Vuo VS Processing

     
  5. Vvvv icon
     14 likes
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    vvvv is a graphical programming environment for easy prototyping and development. It is designed to facilitate the handling of large media environments with physical interfaces, real-time motion graphics, audio and video that can interact with many users simultaneously.

    23 Vvvv alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Vvvv Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Visual Programming
    3.  DirectX Video Acceleration
    4.  3D Renderer

    Vvvv VS Processing

     
  6. Nodebox icon
     23 likes
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    NodeBox is a new software application for creating generative art using procedural graphics and a new way to approach graphic design.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • BE flagBelgium
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Coding Required
    4.  Node Based

    Nodebox VS Processing

     
  7. OpenRNDR icon
     1 like
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    In short, OPENRNDR is a tool to create tools. It is an open source framework for creative coding, written in Kotlin for the Java VM that simplifies writing real-time interactive software. It fully embraces its existing infrastructure of (open source) libraries, editors...

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    OpenRNDR Features

    1.  Coding
    2.  Visual Programming
    3.  Interactive Visualization

    OpenRNDR VS Processing

     
  8. Cables icon
     1 like
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    Cables is a tool for creating beautiful interactive content. An easy to navigate, node-based interface provides users with basic operators such as mathematical functions, shapes and materials that can be connected with virtual cables to create practically any imaginable scene.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux

    Cables Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Interactive Visualization
    3.  Visual Programming

    Cables VS Processing

     
  9. Context Free icon
     10 likes
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    Context Free is a program that generates images from written instructions called a grammar. The program follows the instructions in a few seconds to create images that can contain millions of shapes.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Context Free Features

    1.  Procedurally generated

    Context Free VS Processing

     
  10. Fugio icon
     6 likes
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    Fugio is a free, open source, visual programming system for making digital art and creative projects using a wide range of technologies, for Windows, OS X, and Linux (including Raspberry Pi).

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Fugio Features

    1.  Support for MIDI
    2.  Visual Programming
    3.  Arduino
    4.  OPENGL
    5.  Virtual Reality

    Fugio VS Processing

     
  11. Shoebot icon
     4 likes
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    Shoebot is a pure Python graphics robot: It takes a Python script as input, which describes a drawing process, and outputs a graphic in a common open standard format (SVG, PDF, PostScript, or PNG). It has a simple text editor GUI, and scripts can describe their own GUIs for...

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Shoebot VS Processing

     
  12. Patternodes icon
     2 likes
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    Patternodes is a tool for creating graphical vector patterns, animations or illustrations. This is done using a node-based interface where you define a sequence of connected nodes that describe the design, each representing graphical elements, changes or repetitions.

    7 Patternodes alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • SE flagSweden
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Patternodes Features

    1.  Node Based
    2.  Parametric
    3.  Procedurally generated

    Patternodes VS Processing

     
12 of 18 Processing alternatives