Best CLIP STUDIO PAINT Alternatives in 2025

Looking for alternatives to CLIP STUDIO PAINT? In this comparison, we take a closer look at CLIP STUDIO PAINT alongside similar software solutions including CLIP STUDIO PAINT, CLIP STUDIO, Corel Painter Essentials, Krita, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, TwistedBrush Pro Studio, Sketch Drawer, Adobe Photoshop CS5, FireAlpaca, DrawPad Grafik-Editor and PhotoFiltre Studio.

Our detailed comparison table highlights key features, pricing, and performance of these leading solutions, empowering you to make an informed decision. Whether you're seeking robust functionality, user-friendly design, or cost-effective alternatives, explore how CLIP STUDIO PAINT, CLIP STUDIO, Corel Painter Essentials, Krita, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, TwistedBrush Pro Studio, Sketch Drawer, Adobe Photoshop CS5, FireAlpaca, DrawPad Grafik-Editor and PhotoFiltre Studio stack up to find the perfect software for your goals.

	Pricing & License	Supported Platforms	Key Features & Capabilities
CLIP STUDIO PAINT	Paid software, one-time purchase $219 (PRO), additional lower priced versions, no free version but free trial available.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems, and also has an iPad app version.	Advanced digital painting software specialized for comic and manga creation; features include 3D models, customizable tools, panel creation tools, layer masks, strong brush settings, vector layers support, frequent updates.
CLIP STUDIO	Free trial for 30 days, monthly subscription options, and one-time purchase licenses available.	Supports multiple devices, both Windows and Mac operating systems.	Graphics software with extensive digital painting and illustration tools; supports animation tools; customizable workspace; supports multiple common file formats including PNG, PSD, GIF, PDF; 3D modeling capabilities; versatile artwork creation.
Corel Painter Essentials	Paid software with free trial available, pricing not specified.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.	Digital art software featuring realistic brushes including oil brush, AI-assisted brushstrokes, auto-painting feature; supports layers and masks; suitable for beginners to experienced artists; some performance issues on lower-end hardware.
Krita	Free and open source software, no cost.	Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.	Free digital painting software with extensive brush engines; supports layers, masks; customizable workspace; supports many file formats including PSD; large active community; advanced features for complex artworks; available in multiple languages.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	More affordable price $79.99 USD, perpetual license.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems; also has a mobile app version for iOS devices.	Powerful photo editing software with layer-based editing, advanced color correction and editing options; supports RAW image editing; includes batch processing and multimedia tools; suitable for all skill levels including beginners and advanced users.
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	Free trial available, one-time purchase option and subscription-based model.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.	Digital painting and drawing tool with a large selection of brushes (~9000+), blending modes, layer support; customizable interface; supports animations; occasional stability issues reported.
Sketch Drawer	Paid software $39.99 with free trial version.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.	Software focused on converting photos to pencil sketches with various sketch effects and customization options; user-friendly interface; supports export in multiple image formats like JPEG, BMP, PNG.
Adobe Photoshop CS5	Paid software, requires valid license, usually high cost, subscription-based pricing model available for newer versions.	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.	Professional photo editing software offering advanced image manipulation tools such as Content-Aware Fill, camera raw editing, layer management; supports animations basics; integration with other Adobe products; steep learning curve; subscription-based model available for later versions.
FireAlpaca	Free and lightweight software with optional paid upgrade for additional features.	Supports Windows and macOS.	Lightweight digital painting software free to use with easy-to-use features like layer masks, customizable shortcuts and brushes, quick workflow enhancements like snap feature; suitable for beginners with a simple interface.
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	Paid version with additional functionality; also offers a free version.	Supports macOS and Windows operating systems.	Graphic design editor providing basic image editing such as blur, crop, emboss effects along with support for layers and pressure-sensitive pens; suitable for scalable vector graphics work but limited advanced editing capabilities.
PhotoFiltre Studio	Affordable pricing with a 30-day free trial version.	Supports Windows and Mac operating systems.	Photo editing software offering a selection of standard photo editing tools including color adjustments, cropping, filters, layer support; optimized performance on modest hardware requirements; occasional bugs reported.

Pricing & License

CLIP STUDIO PAINT	Paid software, one-time purchase $219 (PRO), additional lower priced versions, no free version but free trial available.
CLIP STUDIO	Free trial for 30 days, monthly subscription options, and one-time purchase licenses available.
Corel Painter Essentials	Paid software with free trial available, pricing not specified.
Krita	Free and open source software, no cost.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	More affordable price $79.99 USD, perpetual license.
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	Free trial available, one-time purchase option and subscription-based model.
Sketch Drawer	Paid software $39.99 with free trial version.
Adobe Photoshop CS5	Paid software, requires valid license, usually high cost, subscription-based pricing model available for newer versions.
FireAlpaca	Free and lightweight software with optional paid upgrade for additional features.
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	Paid version with additional functionality; also offers a free version.
PhotoFiltre Studio	Affordable pricing with a 30-day free trial version.

Supported Platforms

CLIP STUDIO PAINT	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems, and also has an iPad app version.
CLIP STUDIO	Supports multiple devices, both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Corel Painter Essentials	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Krita	Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems; also has a mobile app version for iOS devices.
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Sketch Drawer	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Adobe Photoshop CS5	Supports both Windows and Mac operating systems.
FireAlpaca	Supports Windows and macOS.
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	Supports macOS and Windows operating systems.
PhotoFiltre Studio	Supports Windows and Mac operating systems.

Key Features & Capabilities

CLIP STUDIO PAINT	Advanced digital painting software specialized for comic and manga creation; features include 3D models, customizable tools, panel creation tools, layer masks, strong brush settings, vector layers support, frequent updates.
CLIP STUDIO	Graphics software with extensive digital painting and illustration tools; supports animation tools; customizable workspace; supports multiple common file formats including PNG, PSD, GIF, PDF; 3D modeling capabilities; versatile artwork creation.
Corel Painter Essentials	Digital art software featuring realistic brushes including oil brush, AI-assisted brushstrokes, auto-painting feature; supports layers and masks; suitable for beginners to experienced artists; some performance issues on lower-end hardware.
Krita	Free digital painting software with extensive brush engines; supports layers, masks; customizable workspace; supports many file formats including PSD; large active community; advanced features for complex artworks; available in multiple languages.
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	Powerful photo editing software with layer-based editing, advanced color correction and editing options; supports RAW image editing; includes batch processing and multimedia tools; suitable for all skill levels including beginners and advanced users.
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	Digital painting and drawing tool with a large selection of brushes (~9000+), blending modes, layer support; customizable interface; supports animations; occasional stability issues reported.
Sketch Drawer	Software focused on converting photos to pencil sketches with various sketch effects and customization options; user-friendly interface; supports export in multiple image formats like JPEG, BMP, PNG.
Adobe Photoshop CS5	Professional photo editing software offering advanced image manipulation tools such as Content-Aware Fill, camera raw editing, layer management; supports animations basics; integration with other Adobe products; steep learning curve; subscription-based model available for later versions.
FireAlpaca	Lightweight digital painting software free to use with easy-to-use features like layer masks, customizable shortcuts and brushes, quick workflow enhancements like snap feature; suitable for beginners with a simple interface.
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	Graphic design editor providing basic image editing such as blur, crop, emboss effects along with support for layers and pressure-sensitive pens; suitable for scalable vector graphics work but limited advanced editing capabilities.
PhotoFiltre Studio	Photo editing software offering a selection of standard photo editing tools including color adjustments, cropping, filters, layer support; optimized performance on modest hardware requirements; occasional bugs reported.

Choosing the right software isn’t just about features. Size, license type, user ratings, and popularity also matter.

This quick comparison shows how CLIP STUDIO PAINT stacks up against CLIP STUDIO PAINT, CLIP STUDIO, Corel Painter Essentials, Krita, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, TwistedBrush Pro Studio, Sketch Drawer, Adobe Photoshop CS5, FireAlpaca, DrawPad Grafik-Editor and PhotoFiltre Studio in these key areas—helping you find the best alternative for your needs.

	Size	License
CLIP STUDIO PAINT		Shareware
CLIP STUDIO	437.1MB	Shareware
Corel Painter Essentials	1.4MB	Commercial
Krita	126.1MB	Shareware
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	2.6MB	Commercial
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	33.3MB	Shareware
Sketch Drawer	22.7MB	Shareware
Adobe Photoshop CS5		Commercial
FireAlpaca		Shareware
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	6.6MB	Shareware
PhotoFiltre Studio		Freeware

Size

CLIP STUDIO PAINT
CLIP STUDIO	437.1MB
Corel Painter Essentials	1.4MB
Krita	126.1MB
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	2.6MB
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	33.3MB
Sketch Drawer	22.7MB
Adobe Photoshop CS5
FireAlpaca
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	6.6MB
PhotoFiltre Studio

License

CLIP STUDIO PAINT	Shareware
CLIP STUDIO	Shareware
Corel Painter Essentials	Commercial
Krita	Shareware
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo	Commercial
TwistedBrush Pro Studio	Shareware
Sketch Drawer	Shareware
Adobe Photoshop CS5	Commercial
FireAlpaca	Shareware
DrawPad Grafik-Editor	Shareware
PhotoFiltre Studio	Freeware

Rating

CLIP STUDIO PAINT
CLIP STUDIO
Corel Painter Essentials
Krita
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo
TwistedBrush Pro Studio
Sketch Drawer
Adobe Photoshop CS5
FireAlpaca
DrawPad Grafik-Editor
PhotoFiltre Studio

Popularity

CLIP STUDIO PAINT
CLIP STUDIO
Corel Painter Essentials
Krita
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo
TwistedBrush Pro Studio
Sketch Drawer
Adobe Photoshop CS5
FireAlpaca
DrawPad Grafik-Editor
PhotoFiltre Studio