Pyxel Edit
Pixel art editor focused on tilesets, levels and animation
- #4 of 8 in best pixel art and sprite editors
- Free plan, paid upgrades
- Free to use
- WindowsmacOS
Ranked 4 of 8 in best pixel art and sprite editors
Tile-first editor with linked tile instances, tileset import and frame animation. It runs on Windows and macOS only and is narrower than Aseprite outside tilesets.
Best for Tilesets, levels and tile-based art on Windows or Mac
About Pyxel Edit
Pyxel Edit is built around tiles: drawing in one tile updates every copy of it, and tile instances can be rotated and flipped while still referencing the same tile data. It also imports existing tileset images or mock-ups and identifies the unique tiles automatically, which suits developers who work from tilesets.
For animation, Pyxel Edit offers frame-by-frame drawing with onion skinning, and it exports sprite sheets and animated GIFs. Its tilemap export covers XML, JSON and plain text. Its focus on tilesets makes it narrower than general sprite editors, so it fits best when your work is mostly tile-based.
Key features
- Linked tile instances
- Tileset import
- Frame animation with onion skinning
- Sprite sheet and GIF export
- Free version available
Strengths
- Tile instances update everywhere they appear
- Imports tilesets and finds unique tiles
- Exports tilemaps to XML, JSON or text
Limits
- Tile focus makes single-sprite work less central
- Runs on Windows and macOS only
Where Pyxel Edit ranks
How Pyxel Edit compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Main focus | Runs in a browser | Frame-by-frame animation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#2 Pixelorama | 90.0 | Free and open source | WindowsLinuxmacOSWeb | Pixel art and sprite animation | Yes | Yes |
#3 LibreSprite | 85.0 | Free and open source | LinuxmacOSWindowsAndroid | Sprites and animation | No | Yes |
| #4Pyxel Edit | 84.0 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WindowsmacOS | Tilesets, levels and animation | No | Yes |
#5 Piskel | 82.5 | Free and open source | Web | Sprites, animations and pixel art | Yes | Yes |
| #6Tiled | 80.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinux | Tile maps and levels | No | No |
The full comparison table for best pixel art and sprite editors has all 8 products.
Alternatives to Pyxel Edit
All 7 alternatives
Questions about Pyxel Edit
- Is Pyxel Edit free?
- Pyxel Edit can be used without paying: Free version and beta offered on the vendor site. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is Pyxel Edit open source?
- No. Pyxel Edit is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
- Which platforms does Pyxel Edit support?
- Pyxel Edit is available on: Windows, macOS.
- What is Pyxel Edit best for?
- Tilesets, levels and tile-based art on Windows or Mac. In our ranking of pixel art and sprite editors it is number 4 of 8 with a score of 84.0.
- What are the best alternatives to Pyxel Edit?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Aseprite, Pixelorama, LibreSprite, Piskel.
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