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Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to Procreate

Compare 2 open-source Procreate alternatives including PixiEditor and Krita

If you're looking for the best open-source alternative to Procreate, PixiEditor is a strong place to start. If it doesn't quite fit your needs, there are plenty of other great options worth exploring, including Krita. We've ranked the top alternatives to help you compare your options and find the right fit.

#1 PixiEditor

PixiEditor

Universal open-source 2D editor for pixel art, painting, vector graphics, and animation.

PixiEditor is a universal open-source 2D editor built for artists, game developers, and designers. It combines pixel art, digital painting, vector graphics, and animation capabilities in a single intuitive interface.

Version 2.0 introduces three integrated toolsets — Pixel Art, Painting, and Vector — that can all be used on the same canvas. You can mix raster and vector elements freely, then export to PNG, JPG, SVG, GIF, MP4, and more.

The built-in timeline and animation system supports frame-by-frame animation and node-based shader animation. Under the hood, a powerful node graph renders every layer, effect, and connection, enabling procedural art and deep customization.

PixiEditor is written in C# with the AvaloniaUI framework, making it cross-platform for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is actively developed with a strong community and available free as open source.

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#2 Krita

Krita

Free, open source digital painting and illustration application that is a popular alternative to Photoshop and Procreate.

Krita is a professional, free, and open source painting program built by artists, for artists. It is the leading open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop for digital painting, comic creation, and concept art, and is widely recommended as a Procreate replacement on desktop.

Krita ships with a customizable brush engine, brush stabilizers for smooth lines, vector and raster layers, wrap-around mode for seamless textures, animation tools, and full support for pressure-sensitive tablets from Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen, and others. A growing ecosystem of free brush packs, plugins, and Python scripting makes it highly extensible.

It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and the source code is released under GPL-3.0. Krita is funded by donations, brush pack sales, and a paid Steam version that helps finance development.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any open source alternatives to Procreate?

Yes, there are 2 open source alternatives to Procreate. Popular options include PixiEditor, Krita. These alternatives are free to use and many offer self-hosting options.

What is the best free alternative to Procreate?

The best free alternative to Procreate depends on your specific needs. PixiEditor is a popular choice. All alternatives listed here are open source and free to use.

Can I self-host an alternative to Procreate?

Some alternatives may offer self-hosting options. Check each tool's documentation for deployment details.

Why should I switch from Procreate to an open source alternative?

Open source alternatives to Procreate offer several advantages: no vendor lock-in, complete data ownership, no subscription fees, the ability to self-host for privacy and security, and active community support. You can also customize the software to fit your specific needs.

Procreate

Procreate

A popular digital painting and illustration app for iPad, known for its intuitive interface and powerful brush engine.

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