{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "aseprite",
            "name": "Aseprite",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.aseprite.org/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/aseprite",
            "tagline": "Paid animated sprite editor and pixel art tool for desktop",
            "summary": "Aseprite is a paid pixel art and sprite animation editor made by Igara Studio, sold for Windows, macOS and Linux. It works with layers, frames and tags, and it exports sprite sheets and animated GIFs. The source code is public, but it is licensed under an end-user license agreement.",
            "developer": "Igara Studio",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "linux"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Paid license with a trial version; price set on the vendor site",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Mature layer, frame and tag animation tools",
                "Exports sprite sheets and animated GIFs",
                "Art made with it can be sold"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Paid; the end-user license, not an open license, governs redistribution"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Aseprite is built around layers, frames and tags, with onion skinning and a real-time animation preview. It supports RGBA, indexed and grayscale color modes, and it exports sprite sheets, animated GIF files and image sequences. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and a Steam release is available.\n\nAseprite is paid software with a trial version. Its source code is on GitHub and can be compiled for personal use, but the license is an end-user agreement rather than an open source license, and compiled copies cannot be redistributed. The vendor's FAQ states that art made with Aseprite can be sold, so the restriction applies to the software rather than to the work."
        },
        {
            "slug": "pixelorama",
            "name": "Pixelorama",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://orama-interactive.itch.io/pixelorama",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/pixelorama",
            "tagline": "Free open source pixel art editor built with Godot, with a web version",
            "summary": "Pixelorama is a free, MIT-licensed pixel art editor made by Orama Interactive and built with the Godot engine. It covers pixel art and sprite animation, and it runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and in a web browser.",
            "developer": "Orama Interactive",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "linux",
                "macos",
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "open-source",
            "price_note": "Free and MIT licensed; the web version runs in the browser",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": true,
            "license": "MIT",
            "source": "https://github.com/Orama-Interactive/Pixelorama",
            "strengths": [
                "MIT licensed and free to use",
                "Web version runs without installing",
                "Windows, Linux, macOS and Flathub builds"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Feature set needs checking against the current release notes"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Pixelorama is a pixel art and sprite animation program from Orama Interactive. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license, and the README is updated for Godot 4.7.2, so the project follows the current Godot line.\n\nBuilds are published for Windows, Linux and macOS, as a web version hosted on GitHub Pages, and as a Flatpak on Flathub for Linux. Because it runs in a browser, it works for quick sketches on a machine without a desktop install. It is a community project, so its feature set should be checked against the current release notes before you rely on a specific tool."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Pixelorama runs on Web.",
        "Pixelorama is open source; Aseprite is not.",
        "Pixelorama has a free plan or free version; Aseprite does not.",
        "Aseprite: paid. Pixelorama: free and open source."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "pixel-art-and-sprite-editors",
            "name": "Pixel art and sprite editors",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/pixel-art-and-sprite-editors",
            "of": 8,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "aseprite",
                    "rank": 1,
                    "score": 92.5,
                    "verdict": "The most complete sprite and animation tool here, with layers, tags, onion skinning and sprite sheet export. It is paid and under an end-user license, so it is not open source.",
                    "best_for": "Animated sprites and pixel art for paid desktop use",
                    "spec": {
                        "focus": "Sprites and frame animation",
                        "web": false,
                        "animation": true
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "pixelorama",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 90,
                    "verdict": "Free MIT-licensed editor built with Godot, with a web version and sprite animation. It has fewer sprite tools than Aseprite, which is the main trade-off for a free option.",
                    "best_for": "Free pixel art and animation in a browser or on desktop",
                    "spec": {
                        "focus": "Pixel art and sprite animation",
                        "web": true,
                        "animation": true
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "aseprite",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/aseprite-vs-pixelorama",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/aseprite-vs-pixelorama.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}