Krita
Krita is a professional free and open source painting program designed for concept artists, illustrators, matte and texture artists, and the VFX industry to create digital art from scratch.
Procreate
Procreate is a powerful digital illustration app for iPad that provides professional-grade creative tools like custom brushes, advanced layering systems, and high-resolution canvases for artists and designers.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Krita | Procreate |
|---|---|---|
| Website | krita.org | procreate.com |
| Pricing Model | Free | One_time |
| Starting Price | Free | $??/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✘ No product demo | ✘ No product demo |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2005 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Deventer, Netherlands | Hobart, Australia |
Overview
Krita
Krita is a professional-grade digital painting application that gives you a complete set of tools for illustration, concept art, and texture mapping. Whether you are a professional illustrator or a hobbyist, you can access a highly customizable interface and advanced brush engines without any subscription fees. You can manage complex projects using a non-destructive layer system and a wide variety of masks and blending modes.
The software solves the problem of expensive entry barriers to digital art by providing industry-standard features for free. You can create frame-by-frame animations, touch up photos with advanced filters, and work with CMYK or HDR color spaces. It is ideal for individual creators and small studios looking for a versatile, community-driven alternative to proprietary design suites.
Procreate
Procreate is a complete art studio designed specifically for the iPad and Apple Pencil. You can create high-resolution digital paintings, complex illustrations, and expressive animations using a vast library of handcrafted brushes and an intuitive layering system. The interface stays out of your way, letting you focus entirely on your artwork while providing advanced features like color harmony tools, perspective guides, and a powerful brush engine.
Whether you are a professional concept artist, a freelance illustrator, or a hobbyist, you can take your entire workflow on the go. You can record your creative process with time-lapse exports or use the 3D painting tools to texture models directly. It solves the problem of needing a bulky desktop setup by offering desktop-class performance in a portable, touch-first experience that feels natural and responsive.
Overview
Krita Features
- Brush Engines Customize over nine unique brush engines to mimic real-world media or create entirely new digital textures for your artwork.
- Vector & Text Tools Create complex shapes and typography on dedicated vector layers so you can scale your designs without losing any quality.
- Animation Tools Bring your drawings to life with frame-by-frame raster animation and onion skinning to see previous frames while you work.
- Wrap-around Mode Create seamless textures and patterns instantly by letting your image wrap around the edges of the canvas while you paint.
- Resource Manager Import brush and texture packs from other artists or share your own custom toolsets to expand your creative library.
- Drawing Assistants Use magnetic vanishing points and perspective grids to help you nail difficult technical drawings and architectural layouts every time.
Procreate Features
- Brush Studio. Design your own custom brushes or choose from hundreds of built-in options to achieve the exact texture and stroke you want.
- Valkyrie Engine. Experience lightning-fast performance with a 64-bit painting engine that keeps your strokes smooth and responsive at 120fps.
- Advanced Layering. Organize your artwork with a sophisticated layer system that includes blend modes, masks, and groups for non-destructive editing.
- Animation Assist. Create frame-by-frame animations and motion graphics easily with onion skinning and instant playback directly on your iPad.
- 3D Model Painting. Import 3D models and paint directly onto their surfaces with full lighting and material control for immersive design.
- Time-lapse Recording. Record every stroke of your creative journey automatically and export high-quality videos to share your process with others.
Pricing Comparison
Krita Pricing
- Full professional feature set
- No subscription required
- All brush engines included
- Animation tools included
- Commercial use allowed
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Automatic software updates
- Easy installation on Steam/Windows
- Direct support for developers
- Cloud save synchronization
Procreate Pricing
- One-time purchase
- Full brush library
- Advanced layering system
- Animation Assist tools
- 3D painting capabilities
- Free lifetime updates
- Designed for iPhone
- Portable painting engine
- High-resolution canvases
- Full layer support
- Time-lapse recording
- One-time purchase
Pros & Cons
Krita
Pros
- Completely free with no recurring subscription fees
- Highly customizable interface to suit your workflow
- Excellent brush stabilization for smooth line art
- Supports professional color spaces like CMYK and HDR
Cons
- Performance can lag on very large canvases
- Steep learning curve for the advanced brush engines
- Text tool is less intuitive than competitors
- Occasional stability issues on certain hardware setups
Procreate
Pros
- One-time purchase with no recurring subscription fees
- Extremely responsive interface with zero lag
- Massive library of high-quality community brushes
- Intuitive gestures speed up your creative workflow
- Regular free updates that add significant features
Cons
- Exclusive to iPad and iOS devices only
- Limited text and vector manipulation tools
- Layer limits depend on iPad hardware specs
- No cloud-based file syncing between devices