Best Digital Painting Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Drawpile is ranked #1 of 46 as of 8 October 2026, ahead of ibisPaint and Krita. The best-ranked option with a free plan is ibisPaint. The lowest first paid tier on this page is HEAVYPAINT at $1.67/mo.
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 digital painting software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
11 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DrawpileWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | ibisPaintWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $2.33/mo | 6.7 | |
| 3 | KritaWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | SketchbookWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | FireAlpacaWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | InkForgeWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | MyPaintWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | ArtweaverWindows · Mac | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | Infinite PainterAndroid · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | KolourPaintMac · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Windows Media PlayerWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | HEAVYPAINTWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | $1.67/mo | 5.8 |
| 13 | MediBang PaintWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | ¥300/mo | 5.6 |
| 14 | ConceptsWindows · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 15 | Light BrushWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 16 | Tux PaintWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | Artstudio ProMac · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | Clip Studio PaintWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | Sable PaintWindows · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | SeePaintAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | Sumo PaintWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | Tayasui SketchesMac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | Adobe FrescoNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | Art Set 4iPhone | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | GrafX2Windows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Brush customization | Layer support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drawpile | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | ibisPaint | 6.7 | Free plan | $2.33/mo | Yes | 4.49 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Krita | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Sketchbook | 6.6 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | FireAlpaca | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | InkForge | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | MyPaint | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Artweaver | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Infinite Painter | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | KolourPaint | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Windows Media Player | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 12 | HEAVYPAINT | 5.8 | No | $1.67/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | MediBang Paint | 5.6 | No | ¥300/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | Concepts | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Light Brush | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Tux Paint | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | Artstudio Pro | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | Clip Studio Paint | 5.3 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 19 | Sable Paint | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | SeePaint | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | Sumo Paint | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Tayasui Sketches | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Adobe Fresco | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Art Set 4 | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | GrafX2 | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which digital painting software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Drawpile is ranked #1 of 46 with a score of 6.7. ibisPaint is second and Krita third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, HEAVYPAINT has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.67/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.