Best Free Digital Painting Software in 2026

The ranking

1. 1
   

   Krita

   A free GPL-3.0 desktop painter with a brush engine and painting assistants on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its interface is dense for beginners, and it has no iPad or Android app.

   Best for Free open-source digital painting

   WindowsmacOSLinux·Free and open source·Open source

   91.5of 100

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2. 2
   

   Affinity

   A free illustration app with vector and pixel tools in one document, on Windows and macOS. It is built for design and layout as much as painting, and an iPad version is still in development.

   Best for Illustration in a free desktop app

   WindowsmacOS·Free

   84.5of 100

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3. 3
   

   Sketchbook

   A brush-focused drawing app with a clean interface, sold as a one-time desktop purchase and free to download on mobile. It has fewer natural-media options than ArtRage or Corel Painter, so it suits sketching more than full painting work.

   Best for Sketching and illustration on a budget

   WindowsmacOSAndroidiOS·Free plan, paid upgrades

   78.5of 100

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4. 4
   

   Concepts

   Sketching app with infinite layers, object libraries and SVG and DXF export, and a free basic sketchbook. It runs on iOS, and its Windows, Android and ChromeOS versions are still catching up in features.

   Best for Concept sketches that move into design tools

   iOSWindowsAndroidChromeOS·Free plan, paid upgrades

   77.5of 100

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