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Home/Categories/Design & Creative/MyPaint
icon of MyPaint

MyPaint

Open source alternative to Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint

  • 3K stars
  • GPL-2.0
  • Active recently
  • Last commit 38 days ago

Last verified Oct 15, 2026

Build digital paintings with a distraction-free desktop app built for graphics tablets, expressive brushes, and an infinite canvas.

Visit websiteGitHub3K stars
image of MyPaint
TL;DR

MyPaint is a desktop painting app built for freehand drawing with graphics tablets and a distraction-light canvas. It replaces paid digital painting apps for artists who want a local, focused sketching workflow. GPL-2.0 licensed.

Read the full breakdownHide the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ
who it's for

Who MyPaint is for#

Illustrators sketching with tablets

Use MyPaint for freehand sketches, concept work, and painting practice with a pressure-sensitive tablet.

Skip if:

You need professional photo retouching or complex print production workflows.

Linux artists avoiding paid suites

Use MyPaint when you want a native-feeling open painting app on Linux without a subscription.

Skip if:

Your clients require Photoshop, Procreate, or Clip Studio project compatibility.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Many creative tools bundle painting, photo editing, vector design, cloud libraries, and asset management into one paid suite. Artists who mainly want a fast drawing surface can end up fighting the interface instead of sketching.

Digital painting also depends on tablet feel, brush behavior, and low-friction canvas movement. A focused local app can be better than a broad commercial suite when the job is drawing rather than production design management.

how MyPaint solves it

How it solves it#

Tablet-first painting workflow

MyPaint is designed for Wacom-style graphics tablets, which makes pressure-sensitive drawing and brush control central to the experience.

Distraction-light canvas

The app emphasizes drawing and painting rather than dense editing panels, helping artists stay focused during sketching sessions.

Brush-focused creative tooling

MyPaint includes painting-oriented brush behavior rather than treating brushes as a small part of a larger photo editor.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

  • Focused alternative to large suitesMyPaint is useful when artists need a drawing app, not a subscription design suite with many unrelated tools.
  • Local creative workflowArtwork stays on the artist's machine, which fits private sketching, offline practice, and Linux-based creative setups.

Trade-offs

  • -Not a full image production suiteMyPaint is strongest for drawing and painting. Teams needing advanced photo editing, layout, or design handoff tools should pair it with another app.
tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages
CC++Python
frequently asked

FAQ#

Is MyPaint a Photoshop replacement?

MyPaint replaces Photoshop only for drawing and painting workflows. It is not meant to cover the full photo editing and production design surface.

Does MyPaint work with drawing tablets?

Yes. MyPaint is designed around graphics-tablet painting and drawing workflows.

Who is MyPaint best for?

MyPaint is best for artists who want a focused local sketching and painting app, especially on Linux.

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