Paint.NET AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Image Editors

The best Image Editor alternative to Paint.NET is Pinta, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Paint.NET and loads of them are Image Editors so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Image Editor alternatives to Paint.NET are GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, Pixelmator and Photopea.

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Paint.NET alternatives are mainly Image Editors, but if you're looking for Photo Editors or Digital Painting Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Android, Mac, iPad, Online, iPhone and Android Tablet. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Paint.NET.
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Alternatives list

  1. Pinta icon
     277 likes

    Pinta is a image editing, drawing and painting application with a simple yet powerful interface. Pinta has a wide range of drawing tools, including: freehand, rectangles, circles and lines. It also has over 35 effects to apply to your images, and also has the ability to create...

    99 Pinta alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Mono
    • Snapcraft
     
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    21
    134
    Comments about Pinta as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    12

    This functions in almost identical ways to Paint.NET, more so than any other program listed on here.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    6

    It gives you a good taste of Paint.NET, but it's so broken and painful to work with that it just isn't worth using; e.g. the text function doesn't work.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    harrisben
    Positive
    0

    Much more functionality and cleaner UI.

    3 of 21 comments
    Pinta icon
    Pinta icon
    • Most users think Pinta is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • Pinta is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • Pinta is Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
  2. GIMP icon
     4729 likes

    GIMP delivers powerful functionalities for photo retouching, image composition, and format conversion. As a versatile tool, it serves as both a simple paint program and a high-end retouching suite, and offers batch processing for mass image tasks in an accessible open-source platform.

    190 GIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
     
    |
    40
    257
    Comments about GIMP as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    free, open-source, cross-platform

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    zlelmefs
    7

    The #1 perk of paint.net is how lightweight and fast it is, it's intended as a competitor to Paint. GIMP is the complete opposite- it's a big, slow monster designed to compete with photoshop.

    beng tang
    Negative
    1

    GIMP has many good features but it has removed the option to use lanczos algorithm for resizing images. The alternatives it provides for this purpose produce blurer images and are not as good. As resizing an image is a pretty basic requirement for a raster image editing software package, I'm afraid this is a serious limitation.

    3 of 40 comments
    GIMP icon
    GIMP icon
    • Some users think GIMP is a great Paint.NET alternative, some don't.

    • GIMP is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • GIMP is Customizable and Privacy focusedPaint.NET is not according to our users
  3. Adobe Photoshop icon
     2420 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.

    225 Adobe Photoshop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Wine
    • ReactOS
    • Google Chrome
     
    |
    9
    110
    Comments about Adobe Photoshop as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Top Positive Comment
    HaricharanSrinivasan
    4

    The absolute best in photo correction and manipulation. Slick interface. Fast. Loads of tools for mobile and Web design. Content-aware editing. Video editing. 3D design capability. Synced Libraries. Integrated stock library. Complementary mobile apps.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    34

    Very pricy advanced application compared to free paint.net

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    zlelmefs
    Negative
    0

    It's slow. It's not free. It's made by one of the worst software companies on the planet.

    3 of 9 comments
    Adobe Photoshop icon
    Adobe Photoshop icon
    • Most users think Adobe Photoshop is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • Adobe Photoshop is Paid and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  4. Pixelmator icon
     421 likes

    Image editing software for macOS and iOS, offering nondestructive, GPU-powered editing with machine learning features, RAW support, custom brushes, and seamless macOS integration for touch-ups, painting, and creative compositions.

    155 Pixelmator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
     
    |
    2
    72
    Comments about Pixelmator as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Guest
    Positive
    2

    Fast, easy to use, not overloaded with useless features

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    oddityoverseer13
    Positive
    0

    It's cheap, and it has all the capabilities of Paint.NET (plus some), and it's even more user-friendly.

    Pixelmator icon
    Pixelmator icon
    • Most users think Pixelmator is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • Pixelmator is Paid and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
    • Pixelmator is CustomizablePaint.NET is not according to our users
  5. Photopea icon
     336 likes

    Browser-based image editing supports PSD, XCF, Sketch formats, advanced layers, vector tools, RAW photo support, and exports in 40+ formats. Fully client-side with AI background removal, content-aware tools, and privacy as files never leave your device.

    112 Photopea alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     
    |
    1
    21
    Comments about Photopea as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It can cover something up and add shapes to block off anything annoying.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Photopea icon
    Photopea icon
    • Most users think Photopea is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • Photopea is Freemium and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  6. Affinity icon
     55 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.

    68 Affinity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
  7. Affinity Photo icon
     552 likes

    Real-time image editing software supporting extensive colour spaces, unlimited layers, non-destructive edits, and a streamlined workspace for complex tasks on Windows, Mac, and iPad.

    101 Affinity Photo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
     
  8. Sly icon
     51 likes

    Sly is a user-friendly, offline image editor requiring no expertise; adjust brightness, contrast, apply effects, and export in JPEG or PNG formats with control over metadata.

    36 Sly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Online
     
  9. Pixlr icon
     389 likes

    Web-based editor with AI image generation, quick fixes, overlays, intricate lighting and texture adjustments, customizable templates, advanced filters, support for layers, high-res export, and ad-free premium features for accessible image and design editing.

    227 Pixlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
     
    |
    5
    45
    Comments about Pixlr as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    19

    Pixlr is more a fun tool adding overlays and colours and basic fixes. Paint.NET is a full photo manipulation tool

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Like the others said, Paint.NET is made for photo manipulation while Pixlr on the other hand, is great for Windows but it''s android version is just for adding filters.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Paint.NET is awesome to edit pictures (cut, copy, resize, write). Pixlr on the other hand is mainly effective in applying effects to pictures (blur, colorize, liquify,heal)

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    Pixlr icon
    Pixlr icon
    • Most users think Pixlr is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • Pixlr is Freemium and ProprietaryPaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  10. LazPaint icon
     45 likes

    Raster & vector graphic editor with many tools and filters, written in Lazarus. Portable, 32bit & 64bit versions, ORA format & 16384x16384 image support. In app 3D import & rendering.

    43 LazPaint alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
    |
    6
    15
    Comments about LazPaint as an Alternative to Paint.NET
    Top Positive Comment
    sourloti
    3

    Is able to open and edit .pdn files! Especially handy if you're on Linux and aren't able/don't want to use paint.net.

    beng tang
    Positive
    0

    LazPaint comes close to Paint.NET in terms of ease of use and features. Unlike GIMP, LazPaint has good resampling / resizing algorithms including Lanczos. Unlike Krita, it's selection tool does not select outside the image and it can print images. Amongst the Linux image editors I have tried, it is so far the best alternative to Paint.NET.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Lightweight and available in Debian 11

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 6 comments
    LazPaint icon
    LazPaint icon
    • Most users think LazPaint is a great Paint.NET alternative.

    • LazPaint is Free and Open SourcePaint.NET is Free and Proprietary
  11. Photoscape icon
     262 likes

    PhotoScape is a fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos.

    195 Photoscape alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
    |
    7
  12. PixiEditor icon
     18 likes

    PixiEditor is a free and open-source universal 2D editor. Create clean pixel-perfect sprites, paint with raster tools, or design crisp vector graphics — all on one canvas. Animate frame-by-frame or use the powerful Node Graph to build fully non-destructive visuals and custom...

    37 PixiEditor alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Steam
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
12 of 106 Paint.NET alternatives