Side by side
Dottie vs Lightcube
Both stand on pixel art software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Paid Mac
Dottie combines pixel drawing, animation, tilemap, vector, palette, and scripting tools in one Mac application. Its paid Mac-only model and system requirement are important considerations before purchase.
Visit Dottie Free trial Windows
Lightcube provides drawing, layering, tile-map, animation, palette, and export tools in one Windows editor. The demo lets you use the editor but not save, while the full version requires a one-time purchase.
Visit LightcubeThe facts
| Dottie | Lightcube | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Mac | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Dottie: €999, paid once | Lightcube Pixel Art Editor: $14.99, paid once |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | gingerbeardman.com | lightcube.art |
| On pixel art software | #64 of 70 | #60 of 70 |
Dottie: what it does well
- Timeline includes frame durations and tags
- Exports sprite sheets, GIF, and APNG
- 17 dither levels and pixel-perfect mode
- Supports SVG vector layers
- Plugins run in a sandbox
What to know first
- Paid app with no free plan
- Requires macOS Monterey 12.4 or later
- Standalone iPad version is still in development
Lightcube: what it does well
- Tile map editor provides a live fit preview
- Frame animation includes optional onion skinning
- Supports 2D, 2.5D, and isometric styles
- Exports sprites to Godot
- Opens Photoshop PSD files
What to know first
- Windows only
- Demo cannot save files to disk
- Paid plan costs $14.99, paid once
- Animation video export is GIF or MPEG-4
Alternatives to Dottie Alternatives to Lightcube The whole list