3 Best Krita Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 10 min read
Krita is a popular tool for digital artists and illustrators. While it offers a free tier (Completely free), its paid plans start at Free. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 3 best Krita alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 3
- Free alternatives: 2 (GIMP, Photopea)
- Open-source options: GIMP
- Best overall: Adobe Creative Cloud
- Best free: GIMP
Why Look for Krita Alternatives?
People commonly look for Krita alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Krita has a free tier, its paid plans starting at Free can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Not for photo editing and resource heavy are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Krita overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krita | ✓ Completely free | Free | ⭐ 4.2 | ✓ Yes | Digital artists and illustrators |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | ✗ No | $22.99/mo (single app) | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Professional designers and creatives |
| GIMP | ✓ Completely free | Free | ⭐ 3.9 | ✓ Yes | Users wanting free professional image editing |
| Photopea | ✓ Free with ads | $5/mo (ad-free) | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Users wanting free Photoshop-like editing |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Adobe Creative Cloud
The industry-standard suite of creative applications.
Adobe Creative Cloud is the industry-standard suite of creative applications including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more. While unmatched in professional capabilities, Adobe's subscription model and high pricing have driven many users to seek alternatives.
Pros
- ✓ Industry standard
- ✓ Most powerful tools
- ✓ Comprehensive suite
- ✓ Extensive tutorials
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive
- ✗ Subscription-only
- ✗ Resource heavy
- ✗ Difficult cancellation
GIMP
Free, open-source image editor for photo retouching and manipulation.
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source raster graphics editor used for image retouching, free-form drawing, and converting between different image formats. While it has a steeper learning curve than commercial alternatives, GIMP offers professional-grade features at no cost.
Pros
- ✓ Completely free
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Very powerful
- ✓ Cross-platform
Cons
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Dated interface
- ✗ Not intuitive
- ✗ Performance issues
Photopea
Free online photo editor that works like Photoshop.
Photopea is a free, browser-based image editor that's remarkably similar to Adobe Photoshop. It supports PSD, XCF, Sketch, XD, and CDR formats, making it a powerful alternative for photo editing and graphic design without any installation or subscription.
Pros
- ✓ Free to use
- ✓ Browser-based
- ✓ Photoshop-compatible
- ✓ No installation
Cons
- ✗ Ads on free
- ✗ No offline
- ✗ Less powerful than Photoshop
- ✗ Limited AI features
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
Adobe Creative Cloud — Professional designers and creatives
Best Free Alternative:
GIMP — Completely free
Best Open-Source Alternative:
GIMP — Users wanting free professional image editing
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Krita?
The best free alternative to Krita is GIMP, which offers Completely free.
Is there an open-source alternative to Krita?
Yes! GIMP is open-source alternative to Krita that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Krita?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: GIMP, Photopea. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $5/mo.
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