GIMP vs Krita
Both are free photo & graphics tools. Here is how they actually differ.
GIMP and Krita at a glance
| Feature | GIMP | Krita |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | The GIMP Team | Krita Foundation |
| Licence | Open Source | Open Source |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile | No | No |
| Source code | Public | Public |
GIMP: what it's good at
GIMP is a full-featured raster image editor covering photo retouching, compositing, masking, layers, channels and scriptable batch processing. For the majority of image editing tasks it is a capable Photoshop substitute at no cost.
- Layers, masks, channels and paths
- Extensive selection and retouching tools
- Scriptable batch processing
- Large third-party plugin ecosystem
Krita: what it's good at
Krita is purpose-built for digital painting rather than photo editing, with an outstanding brush engine, excellent drawing-tablet support, and features aimed at comic and concept artists including frame-by-frame animation.
- Exceptional customisable brush engine
- Excellent graphics tablet support
- Frame-by-frame animation tools
- Comic panel and perspective assistants
Which should you choose?
Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.
Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux. Both are open source, so neither locks you in.
We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is GIMP better than Krita?
Neither is universally better. GIMP the best-known free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, while Krita digital painting software built for illustrators and concept artists. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.
Are both really free?
GIMP is open source and Krita is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.
Can I install both?
Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.