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Best Digital Painting Software in 2026
Digital painting software offers different combinations of brushes, color controls, and tools for building an image in layers. Compared on brush customization, color management, and layer support, the entries also detail pressure sensitivity and stroke stabilization, which can matter to your drawing process. Supported platforms help you check device compatibility. Drawpile, ibisPaint, and Krita are among the software shown. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide further points to consider alongside those capabilities. Compare the listed features with the way you draw and the devices you want to use, rather than assuming every workspace will suit the same habits.
- 46 apps
- Research read 23 Sept 2026
- How the order is worked out
- 1
Drawpile
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5Drawpile combines collaborative drawing with offline use, animation, and extensive layer tools. iPhone and iPad users can use its browser version, while hosting a session themselves calls for care.
- 2
Adobe Fresco
Free plan iPhoneWindowsAdobe Fresco combines drawing and painting tools with animation, unlimited layers, and cloud syncing. Its free plan has 5 GB of storage, while paid access is listed with Photoshop on iPad and 100 GB.
- 3
Concepts
Free plan AndroidiPhoneWindowsChoose Concepts if you want illustration or presentation design tools with templates and a brand kit across desktop and mobile platforms.
- 4
FireAlpaca
by FireAlpacaFree plan LinuxMacWindowsFireAlpaca combines a free painting tool with a range of drawing functions and regularly distributed brushes.
- 5
HEAVYPAINT
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3HEAVYPAINT combines specialized painting tools with web, mobile, and desktop availability.
- 6
- 7
Artstudio Pro
Free plan iPhoneMacArtstudio Pro combines painting and photo editing with detailed layers, brushes, file support, and Apple-oriented integrations.
- 8
Artweaver
Free plan MacWindows - 9
- 10
Light Brush
Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+2Choose Light Brush if you want a free painting app with brush customization, layered editing, masks, and broad platform availability.
- 11
MediBang Paint
by MediBang PaintFree plan WindowsMaciPhone+1MediBang Paint combines illustration and comic-making tools with support for four platforms and several export formats.
- 12
Art Set 4
Free plan iPhoneArt Set 4 combines traditional-media-style tools with layers, masks and export options.
- 13
GrafX2
Free plan LinuxWindowsGrafX2 combines a focused 256-color paint workflow with layers, animation, and a wide set of drawing effects.
- 14
InkForge
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsInkForge combines drawing, frame-by-frame animation, and optional AI modes in a free desktop app. Check the listed operating-system requirements and development status for the build you plan to use.
- 15
Infinite Painter
Free plan AndroidiPhoneInfinite Painter offers a free entry point and a seven-day trial, with more advanced tools in Pro. It is designed for mobile use, and the available canvas size and layers depend on the device.
- 16
KolourPaint
Free plan LinuxMacKolourPaint covers everyday raster drawing and basic edits with a range of documented tools and effects. macOS users should note that the listed installers are testing builds.
- 17
Limner
Free plan iPhoneMacWindowsChoose Limner if you want painting, illustration, and animation tools with support for comics and manga projects.
- 18
MyPaint
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsMyPaint offers a free painting and sketching tool with customizable brushes and support for major desktop platforms.
- 19
Pixia
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+1Pixia combines drawing tools, image adjustments, and PSD conversion in a free graphics tool.
- 20
Sketchbook
Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+1Sketchbook offers drawing tools, layers, and stylus support across mobile and desktop platforms. Its PSD compatibility preserves much of a document, but several export changes are worth noting.
- 21
Milton
Free plan LinuxWindowsMilton offers an infinite canvas, automatic saving, and persistent undo and redo at no cost. Its listed platforms are Windows and Linux.
- 22
Tux Paint
Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1Tux Paint offers child-focused drawing tools, picturebook saving, and classroom controls across four listed platforms.
- 23
Microsoft Paint
by Microsoft PaintFree plan WindowsPaint covers drawing, image adjustments, layers, and several AI tools in a free Windows app. Check the device and account requirements before relying on its AI features.
- 24
Tayasui Sketches
Free plan AndroidiPhoneMacChoose Tayasui Sketches if you want a paper-like drawing app with a broad brush set and optional Pro tools such as unlimited layers and layered PSD export.
- 25
Paintbrush
Free plan MacPaintbrush covers basic image tasks on macOS, including cropping, text, doodling, and handling several common formats. Its stated scope is simple image work, rather than high-end editing.
#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price