Corel Painter review

Corel Painter is a long-established professional painting program for Windows and Mac. Its product page highlights Natural-Media emulation, broad customization of brushes, textures and other media, and both blank canvas painting and photo-art tools. New subscribers get 285 free brushes and a Creative Photo Bundle, and Corel offers 30-day and 365-day subscriptions alongside a full license, upgrades, and education and corporate licenses. A free trial is available. Two things hold it back on this list. The product page still names Painter 2023 as the current version, so updates look slower than Krita's or Procreate's, and the prices shown to us included VAT rather than US dollars, so we could not verify a USD price. Its depth of brush control is real, but most artists will find Rebelle, Krita or Procreate easier to start with.

Who it is for

professional painters who want deep brush customization

Price

30-day or 365-day subscription, or perpetual license (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Natural-Media emulation and digital art brushes
• Customization of brushes, textures and other media
• Blank canvas painting and photo-art tools
• 285 free brushes and a Creative Photo Bundle for new subscribers
• Education and corporate licenses

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Long-running pro painting tool with deep brush settings
• Strength: Choice of 30-day or 365-day subscription or a full license
• Strength: Free trial and education licenses
• Weakness: Product page still lists Painter 2023 as the current version
• Weakness: Prices shown from our location included VAT, not USD
• Weakness: Steeper learning curve than Procreate or ArtRage

Key facts

• Current version listed: Painter 2023
• Platforms: Windows, Mac
• Buying options: 30-day or 365-day subscription, full license, upgrade
• Bonus: 285 free brushes for new subscribers

Where it ranks

Corel Painter is No. 10 in our Best Digital Art Software verdict.