Krita review

Krita is the alternative to pick if you used Photoshop mainly to paint rather than to edit photos. It is free and open source under the GNU GPL, and its own site promises no trials and no subscriptions. The brush system is its core: more than 100 preloaded brushes, over 9 brush engines such as Color Smudge, Shape and Particle, and three stabilizer modes for steadier lines. Wrap-around mode lets you paint tiling textures without manual offsetting, and a resource manager imports brush and texture bundles from other artists. Vector and text tools cover comic panels and word bubbles, and an animation workspace turns Krita into a 2D animation tool with audio import. Development is active, with Krita 5.3.4 and 6.0.4 released in September 2026. The catch for this comparison is focus: Krita is a painting program first, so photographers who need RAW development or one-click retouching are better served by Pixelmator Pro, Luminar or Affinity.

Who it is for

digital painters and illustrators

Price

Free and open source.

Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• Over 100 preloaded brushes and more than 9 brush engines
• 3 brush stabilizer modes, including a Dynamic Brush tool
• Wrap-around mode for tiling textures and patterns
• Vector and text tools for comic panels and word bubbles
• 2D animation workspace with audio import

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: No trials and no subscriptions
• Strength: Over 30 dockers and customizable workspaces and shortcuts
• Strength: Licensed under the GNU GPL and developed in the open
• Weakness: Built for painting rather than photo retouching
• Weakness: Photographers will miss RAW-focused tools found in Pixelmator Pro or Luminar
• Weakness: Feature depth across 9 brush engines takes time to learn

Key facts

• Price: Free
• License: GNU GPL
• Brushes: Over 100 preloaded
• Animation: Built-in 2D animation workspace

Where it ranks

Krita is No. 5 in our Best Photoshop Alternatives verdict.