PaintTool SAI
Lightweight Windows painting software with pen digitizer support
- #10 of 10 in best digital painting software
- Paid
- Windows
Ranked 10 of 10 in best digital painting software
Lightweight Windows painter with pen digitizer support and a 31-day trial, after which file save stops. Its requirements list only Windows, so Procreate and Krita suit cross-platform work better.
Best for Light Windows painting with a pen tablet
About PaintTool SAI
PaintTool SAI is a painting program for Windows from SYSTEMAX Software Development. The vendor describes it as high quality and lightweight, with full digitizer support and an interface that is easy to learn. The minimum requirements list Windows XP through Windows 11 on a 32-bit PC with a Pentium-class processor.
The vendor offers a 31-day trial with full functions, after which the file open and save commands stop working. The requirements list only Windows, so artists on macOS, iPad or Android need another program, such as Krita or Clip Studio Paint, which are in this list.
Key features
- Pen digitizer support
- Lightweight design
- 31-day trial
- Windows only
- English and Japanese site
Strengths
- Lightweight with full pen digitizer support
- Interface described as easy to learn
Limits
- Windows only
- File open and save stop after the 31-day trial
Where PaintTool SAI ranks
How PaintTool SAI compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
#6 ArtRage | 82.0 | One-time purchase | WindowsmacOS |
#7 Rebelle | 79.5 | Paid | macOSWindows |
#8 Sketchbook | 78.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WindowsmacOSAndroidiOS |
#9 Concepts | 77.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | iOSWindowsAndroidChromeOS |
| #10PaintTool SAI | 76.0 | Paid | Windows |
The full comparison table for best digital painting software has all 10 products.
Alternatives to PaintTool SAI
All 9 alternatives
ProcreateIs a one-time purchase.
KritaHas a free option; is open source; also runs on macOS, Linux.
Clip Studio PaintIs a one-time purchase; also runs on macOS, iOS, Android.- Corel PainterAlso runs on macOS.
AffinityHas a free option; also runs on macOS.- ArtRageIs a one-time purchase; also runs on macOS.
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Questions about PaintTool SAI
- Is PaintTool SAI free?
- PaintTool SAI is a paid product (paid). 31-day trial, then file open and save are disabled.
- Is PaintTool SAI open source?
- No. PaintTool SAI is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
- Which platforms does PaintTool SAI support?
- PaintTool SAI is available on: Windows.
- What is PaintTool SAI best for?
- Light Windows painting with a pen tablet. In our ranking of digital painting software it is number 10 of 10 with a score of 76.0.
- What are the best alternatives to PaintTool SAI?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Procreate, Krita, Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter.
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