Ranked 2 of 6 in best digital painting software
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
About Krita
Krita is a painting-focused program with brush engines, painting assistants and layer tools for illustrators and concept artists. Its code is built on the KDE and Qt frameworks, which gives it a desktop interface shared with other KDE software. The download page offers installers for Windows and macOS, an AppImage and a Flatpak for Linux.
Krita's interface is dense for beginners. Because it is free and open source under GPL-3.0, there is no subscription. Users who want a painting app on iPad or Android should choose Procreate or Clip Studio Paint, since Krita is available on desktop systems only.
Key features
- Brush engine
- Painting assistants
- Layer and mask tools
- Windows, macOS and Linux
- GPL-3.0 license
Strengths
- Free and open source under GPL-3.0
- Painting tools for illustration and concept art
Limits
- Dense interface for beginners
- No iPad or Android app
Where Krita ranks
| List | Rank | Score | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Digital painting software | 2 of 6 | 91.5 | Free open-source digital painting |
Alternatives to Krita
All 5 alternatives
Questions about Krita
- Is Krita free?
- Krita can be used without paying: Free and open source under GPL-3.0. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is Krita open source?
- Yes. Krita publishes its source code under the GPL-3.0 license.
- Which platforms does Krita support?
- Krita is available on: Windows, macOS, Linux.
- What is Krita best for?
- Free open-source digital painting. In our ranking of digital painting software it is number 2 of 6 with a score of 91.5.
- What are the best alternatives to Krita?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, Affinity, ArtRage.