Best Pixel Art Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Pixelc is ranked #1 of 69 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Pixelorama and PixelPen. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Pixelorama. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Pixilart at $4.99/mo.
From individual sprites to animated sequences and tilemaps, pixel art tools support different parts of an art workflow. Compared on animation timelines and onion skinning, they also differ in indexed color tools, tilemap tools and sprite-sheet export. Export formats and supported platforms can help you check compatibility; free plans and paid-from pricing offer cost context. Pixelc, Pixelorama and LibreSprite are among the options, alongside Pixel Studio and Pro Motion NG. Consider what you plan to create, whether you work frame by frame, and how you need to export your finished assets.
69 pixel art software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
8 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 | PixelcWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | PixeloramaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 3 | PixelPenWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | LibreSpriteWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | Pixel StudioWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | PixelWallWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 7 | Pro Motion NGWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $10/mo | 6.6 | |
| 8 | PixilartWeb · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $4.99/mo | 6.5 | |
| 9 | ManabitWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | $5.99/mo | 5.8 |
| 10 | Pix2DWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 11 | PixSplatWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 12 | RespriteWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 13 | TesserraWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 14 | void◆spriteWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 15 | FizzyWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | PicotapWeb · Mac · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | Pix8Web · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 18 | ZIDEWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | BespritedWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | cspriteWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | dotpictAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | HexcaliburWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | Myrling Sprite EditorWeb · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 24 | PiskelWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 25 | PixelsmithWeb · Windows | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which pixel art software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Pixelc is ranked #1 of 69 with a score of 6.7. Pixelorama is second and PixelPen third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Pixilart has the lowest first paid tier we found: $4.99/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. Paid placements never change a rank.