Krita Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Krita for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is GIMP, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Krita and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Krita are Adobe Photoshop, SketchBook, MyPaint and Affinity.

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Krita alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools, but if you're looking for Image Editors or Photo Editors you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, Free, Android, iPad, Mac, Linux and Open Source. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Krita.

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Get a badge for your siteKrita alternatives page was last updated Sep 6, 2026

GIMP
4838 likes
Free open-source suite offering advanced photo retouching, image composition, original artwork creation, batch processing, plugin support, custom scripting, mass image format conversion, and integration with free publishing tools for comprehensive editing solutions.
212 GIMP alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Flatpak
AmigaOS
AppImage
United States
+5
Good alternative?Is GIMP a good alternative to Krita?

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14comments
GIMP vs Krita Comments
Top Positive Comment by Paul · Apr 8, 2020
Lots of people use GIMP for photo editing, and it's not the best alternative to Krita for digital drawing/painting but you can definitely use GIMP for drawing and painting and not only to edit photos.
Top Negative Comment by cel · Apr 27, 2023
Different intended purpose: GIMP for general image editing, Krita for digital painting and animation.
Negative comment by Guest · Aug 4, 2022
Krita is primarily a painting/art software while Gimp is typically for photo editing and retouching.
3 of 14 comments
GIMP is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
GIMP is an Image Editor Krita is a Digital Painting Tool
Adobe Photoshop
2458 likes
Comprehensive raster graphics editor offering advanced photo and image editing features. Supports multiple layers, masks, alpha compositing, various color models, and has limited vector graphics, 3D, and video capabilities. Extensible via plug-ins.
249 Adobe Photoshop alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Image Editor
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Google Chrome
Wine
ReactOS
United States
+9
Good alternative?Is Adobe Photoshop a good alternative to Krita?

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3comments
Adobe Photoshop vs Krita Comments
Negative comment by Guest · Mar 25, 2019
Photoshop is more focused on image editing and photo manipulation. Krita is for digital drawing.
Positive comment by RemovedUser · Jun 15, 2019
Photoshop has many great drawing tools and a frame-by-frame animation tool like krita
Positive comment by shaundre no · Feb 16, 2023
Photoshop is a great photo manipulation tool and it has some of the better digital l drawing/painting tools but its animation tools are... lacking, unintuitive and easily becomes very laggy/slow. krita has a massive one up on photoshop in the animation department. even with the features that krita has over photoshop its hard to use and super laggy even at the lightest use of filter layers however. I will stick to krita cause screw adobe.
3 of 3 comments
Adobe Photoshop is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
Adobe Photoshop is an Image Editor Krita is a Digital Painting Tool
SketchBook
158 likes
Sketchbook drawing software features an artist-friendly, gesture-based user interface that is so fast and intuitive even new users can be productive within minutes.
83 SketchBook alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
United States
+9
Good alternative?Is SketchBook a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
SketchBook vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Mar 21, 2017
Plethora of brushes with premium look and feel which makes it intuitive and easy to use.
1 of 1 comments
SketchBook is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
Ad
Fotor
Comprehensive online editor offering filters, frames, text, stickers, collage creation, graphic design, templates for social media, batch editing, photo retouching, mobile and desktop access, regular updates, and direct sharing t...

https://www.fotor.com
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MyPaint
397 likes
MyPaint is a fast, distraction-free, and easy painting tool for digital artists. It supports graphics tablets made by Wacom, and many similar devices.
137 MyPaint alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
Switzerland
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
PortableApps.com
Switzerland
+2
Good alternative?Is MyPaint a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
MyPaint vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by Thelle Christensen · Jan 24, 2017
Both programmes aims for simplicity/usability
1 of 1 comments
MyPaint is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
Affinity
91 likes
Unified design solution merging advanced photo, vector, and layout tools for seamless workflow, non-destructive editing, RAW support, batch processing, AI enhancements, GPU acceleration, file compatibility, cloud asset integration, and tailored workspace options.
97 Affinity alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Image Editor
Vector Graphic
Origin
Australia
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Australia
+9
Good alternative?Is Affinity a good alternative to Krita?
MediBang Paint
120 likes
MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.
83 MediBang Paint alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
Japan
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Steam
Japan
+4
Good alternative?Is MediBang Paint a good alternative to Krita?

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2comments
MediBang Paint vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by lian00 · Nov 28, 2021
Default brushes in MediBang cannot be compared to Krita’s engine. MediBang may be a nice tool for manga creation but it cannot compete relative to digital painting with Krita.
Positive comment by Guest · May 30, 2020
Everything looks the same.
2 of 2 comments
MediBang Paint is Freemium and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
Clip Studio Paint
139 likes
Professional software for comic and manga creation, optimized with panel layouts, perspective rulers, sketching, inking, toning, vector support, and 3D model import, suitable for artists seeking advanced drawing and coloring tools.
109 Clip Studio Paint alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
Japan
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
Android Tablet
iPad
Samsung Galaxy Store
Japan
+9
Good alternative?Is Clip Studio Paint a good alternative to Krita?

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3comments
Clip Studio Paint vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by Anipe · May 20, 2022
Very fluent and good to work with, waaaaayy better than krita!
Positive comment by RemovedUser · Aug 29, 2023
Though paid and closed source it is still a good alternative to Krita
Positive comment by Guest · Mar 25, 2019
They focus on the same basic functionality: digital drawing.
3 of 3 comments
Clip Studio Paint is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
FireAlpaca
90 likes
FireAlpaca is the image editor that can be used readily and easily. We made it possible to provide the completely free download, in order for our products to be experienced by more users from all over the world. It is available for both Mac and Windows users!
130 FireAlpaca alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Good alternative?Is FireAlpaca a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
FireAlpaca vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Jan 18, 2016
Because it's easier to use
1 of 1 comments
FireAlpaca is Free and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
Corel Painter
70 likes
Corel Painter offers realistic traditional media simulation with features like customizable brushes, extensive format support, layering, blending tools, and more, tailored for professional artists working in drawing, painting, and printmaking.
84 Corel Painter alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
Canada
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Canada
+3
Good alternative?Is Corel Painter a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
Corel Painter vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by lian00 · Nov 28, 2021
It’s considered as the reference of all digital painting programs with very complete tools to mimic traditional media. But think a moment?: if you need traditional media rendering, why use a program?? The downside of Corel Painter is it’s price and pricing politics. And it is heavy and slow. Krita is free and has a quite good brush engine (Krita 5 will be more traditional painting oriented).
1 of 1 comments
Corel Painter is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source
DrawPile
46 likes
Drawpile is a drawing program that lets you share the canvas with other users in real time.
25 DrawPile alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
Finland
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
F-Droid
Flathub
Finland
EU
Good alternative?Is DrawPile a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
DrawPile vs Krita Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Sep 3, 2026
Similar format to Krita but online. Perfect for when at school.
1 of 1 comments
DrawPile is Free and Open SourceKrita is also Free and Open Source
ItsPaint
9 likes
MS Paint for the Mac. Native, free and open source: blank canvas at any size, drop one image onto another, crop, and mark up screenshots.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Digital Painting
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Homebrew
United States
Good alternative?Is ItsPaint a good alternative to Krita?
Artrage
69 likes
A simple but lovely natural media painting and sketching program. Art oriented, but capable of loading/saving photoshop files.
67 Artrage alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Digital Painting
Image Editor
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
United Kingdom
Good alternative?Is Artrage a good alternative to Krita?

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1comment
Artrage vs Krita Comments
Negative comment by Guest · Jan 8, 2019
Limited brushes, limited functionality
1 of 1 comments
Artrage is Paid and ProprietaryKrita is Free and Open Source

12 of 49 Krita alternatives

Krita Alternatives for Mac

Alternatives list

GIMP

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Adobe Photoshop

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SketchBook

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MyPaint

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Affinity

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MediBang Paint

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Clip Studio Paint

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FireAlpaca

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Corel Painter

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DrawPile

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ItsPaint

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Artrage

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