Alternatives to FireAlpaca

A free, lightweight digital painting program for Windows and Mac with new brushes each week. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as FireAlpaca.

  • Krita

    A free digital painting program built for illustrators, with over a hundred brushes ready to use.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Krita is free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux, with over 100 brushes, stabilisers and comic tools, though large canvases need plenty of RAM.

  • MediBang Paint

    A free painting and comic creation app for desktop, tablet and phone.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    MediBang Paint is also free, adds iOS and Android versions, and is aimed at comic and manga creation, though its website now focuses on the separate Paletta app.

  • Clip Studio Paint

    A commercial drawing and painting app for illustration, comics and animation across desktop and mobile.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    Clip Studio Paint is paid after the trial but adds comic and animation tools and runs on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.

  • PaintTool SAI

    Lightweight Windows painting program with pressure-sensitive tablet support and anti-aliased brush strokes.

    PaidProprietaryWindows

    PaintTool SAI is a paid, lightweight Windows painter known for smooth anti-aliased line art, with no macOS version and no high-DPI support.

  • MyPaint

    A distraction-free painting app for graphics tablets, with an infinite canvas and deeply configurable brushes.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinux

    MyPaint is free and open source for Windows and Linux, with an infinite canvas and highly configurable brushes, but its last stable release was in 2020 and there is no macOS build.

  • Artweaver

    A digital painting program for Windows with realistic brushes, layers and basic image editing tools.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindows

    Artweaver has a free Windows edition with realistic brushes, layers and plugins, while some features require the paid Plus edition, and there is no Mac version.

  • Paintstorm Studio

    A paid digital painting program with deeply customizable brushes for Windows, macOS, Linux and iPad.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxiOS

    Paintstorm Studio is paid after the trial but offers detailed brush customization, perspective rulers and builds for Windows, macOS, Linux and iPad.

  • Sketchbook

    Drawing and painting app for sketching and illustration on macOS, Windows, Android and iOS.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    Sketchbook is freemium with an uncluttered canvas and runs on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, though the desktop and mobile versions are separate products.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.

  • Corel Painter

    A digital painting program from Corel that simulates natural media brushes for illustration and photo painting.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS

  • ArtRage

    A natural-media painting program with realistic paint blending and textures for desktop, tablet and phone.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

  • Kleki

    A free painting tool that runs in the web browser for quick sketches and drawings.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • ibisPaint

    A mobile drawing and painting app for illustration, manga and animation, with an online gallery.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroidiOS

  • Procreate

    A digital painting and illustration app for iPad, sold as a one-time purchase.

    PaidProprietaryiOS

  • Rebelle

    Painting software for Windows and Mac that simulates real color mixing, wet diffusion and drying.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS