Corel Painter and ArtRage are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering realistic painting experiences and comprehensive design capabilities. We'll compare these two to determine the best fit for your needs, focusing on their unique features and benefits.

A Quick Overview of Corel Painter and ArtRage

What is Corel Painter?

clickup screenshot

Corel offers professional graphics software designed to meet the needs of designers working under tight deadlines. Their product range includes tools for vector illustration, photo editing, video editing, and office productivity.

Corel Painter provides a vast library of brushes and excels in blending digital mediums. Its ability to handle blending digital mediums exceptionally well sets it apart from competitors, making it particularly attractive to artists who value realistic painting experiences in a digital format.

What is ArtRage?

clickup screenshot

Ambient Design, the company behind ArtRage, is a New Zealand-based software development company specializing in creative tools for artists. They focus on creating natural tools with intuitive interfaces that allow artists from both traditional and digital backgrounds to paint without needing to learn digital tricks to achieve realistic results.

ArtRage offers realistic painting tools that mimic traditional art materials like oils, watercolors, and pencils. Its ability to provide a full range of familiar tools that look and work like real traditional art tools, combined with its intuitive interface, sets it apart from competitors.

Features of Corel Painter and ArtRage

Similarities

Corel Painter and ArtRage share several key features that make them both excellent choices for digital artists. Both platforms are designed to provide a realistic painting experience, offering a variety of tools that mimic traditional art techniques.

  • Realistic Painting Tools: Both software packages offer a wide range of brushes and tools that replicate traditional mediums like oils, watercolors, and pencils.
  • Intuitive Interfaces: They both feature user-friendly interfaces that allow artists to create without needing to master complex digital techniques.
  • Cross-Platform Availability: Both Corel Painter and ArtRage are available on multiple platforms, including desktop and mobile devices, ensuring accessibility for a broad audience.
  • Free Trials: Each company offers free trials of their software, allowing users to explore the features before committing to a purchase.
  • Community and Support: Both companies provide extensive support resources, including FAQs, forums, and educational materials to help users maximize their software's potential.

Differences

While both Corel Painter and ArtRage offer robust tools for digital artists, they cater to different needs and preferences. Here are the key differences between the two:

  • Brush Library: Corel Painter boasts an extensive library of brushes, offering more variety compared to ArtRage.
  • Blending Capabilities: Corel Painter excels in blending digital mediums, providing a more seamless experience for artists who focus on digital blending techniques.
  • Canvas Texturing: ArtRage offers unique canvas texturing that reacts to different tools, giving a more tactile feel to digital art.
  • Natural Media Simulation: ArtRage mimics traditional media like thick oils and delicate watercolors more closely than Corel Painter.
  • Plug-ins: Corel Painter supports a range of plug-ins to extend its functionality, whereas ArtRage does not emphasize plug-in support.

User Interface and Usability

Corel Painter's user interface is clean and well-organized, featuring a top navigation bar for easy access to different sections. The user experience is designed to be intuitive, with clear navigation and easy access to information about products, free trials, and special offers. The usability is further emphasized by the promotional offer, making it financially attractive to new users.

ArtRage's user interface is similarly clean and organized, with a top navigation bar that categorizes the main sections. The user experience is intuitive, with easy navigation through the main menu and clear, concise information about each product. The integration of social media adds a community aspect, allowing users to see real-time interactions and posts related to ArtRage.

Neither company has a clear advantage in user interface and usability.

Collaboration

Corel Painter does not emphasize collaboration features, focusing instead on its extensive brush library and blending capabilities. The software lacks built-in tools for teamwork, making it less suitable for collaborative projects. Users may need to rely on external platforms for sharing and feedback, which can be cumbersome.

ArtRage similarly does not highlight collaboration tools within its software. While it offers realistic painting tools and an intuitive interface, it does not provide specific features to facilitate teamwork. Users might find it challenging to collaborate directly within the platform, necessitating the use of additional tools for effective collaboration.

Neither Corel Painter nor ArtRage stands out as superior for collaboration.

Corel Painter and ArtRage Pricing

Corel Painter offers flexible pricing with both subscription and one-time purchase options. A 30-day subscription costs $19.99 per month, while a 365-day subscription is $139.00 per year. The one-time purchase is discounted to $249.00 for the full version and $149.00 for the upgrade version. Discounts and free trials are also available.

ArtRage provides straightforward pricing with no subscription options. ArtRage Vitae Desktop is priced at $80, ArtRage Vitae Mobile at $4.99, and ArtRage Lite at $29.90. There are no discounts or free trials mentioned on their website. Corel Painter offers more pricing flexibility and discounts, making it potentially more cost-effective for some users.

Comparing Corel Painter and ArtRage to Piktochart

clickup screenshot

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

  • AI-Powered Design Generator: Create stunning visuals quickly with the help of AI, which automates the design process and ensures your content looks professional.
  • Extensive Template Library: Access a wide variety of templates tailored for different use cases, saving you time and effort in creating infographics, presentations, and more.
  • Customizable Text and View Properties: Easily adjust text properties and view settings, including background colors and aspect ratios, to fit your specific needs.
  • Versatile Visual and Video Tools: Utilize tools like the Infographic Maker, Banner Maker, and Social Media Video Maker to create diverse types of content seamlessly.
  • Support for Multiple Sectors: Piktochart caters to various industries, including education, healthcare, marketing, and nonprofits, offering specialized features and discounted plans for students and educators.

Piktochart's Pricing

  • Free: $0 (Free forever)
  • Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
  • Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
  • Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Corel Painter Reviews

Overall, users have given Corel Painter a rating of 4.3 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use and rich features, frustrations include its expense and system instability.

  • "The software is quite expensive and sometimes crashes unexpectedly." - John D., 3.5/5
  • "Limited design options and occasional software instability are drawbacks." - Sarah K., 3.8/5
  • "It lacks advanced image editing tools, which can be frustrating." - Alex M., 3.9/5

Find more of Corel Painter reviews on G2!

ArtRage Reviews

ArtRage has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. Users appreciate its realistic tools but find issues with pixelation and the watercolor tool. Some also feel it lacks significant improvements over time.

  • "I've been using Artrage for years, producing a lot of artwork. Mostly I used it on desktop PC." - Mike M., 3.5/5
  • "Good Drawing experience." - Bruno A., 3.5/5
  • "Excellent very natural and realistic painting tool." - Lucija J., 3.5/5

Find more of ArtRage reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, professional templates, and versatility in creating various types of content.

  • "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
  • "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - Samuel J.
  • "Excellent, easy way to create infographics." - Rachel L.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Corel Painter:

  • Consumers who need advanced blending capabilities and a vast library of brushes will find Corel Painter ideal. This software is perfect for professional designers and digital painters who require a comprehensive set of features for creating detailed and realistic artwork.

Why Choose ArtRage:

  • ArtRage is the go-to choice for those who appreciate realistic tools and textures that mimic traditional art materials. It is particularly suitable for traditional artists, beginners, and hobbyists looking for an affordable and intuitive digital painting tool.

Why Choose Piktochart:

  • Piktochart is perfect for users who need an all-in-one tool for creating infographics, presentations, and videos without extensive design experience. Marketers, educators, and business professionals will benefit from its user-friendly interface and AI-powered design features.

Corel Painter, ArtRage, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a professional designer, a traditional artist, or someone looking to create stunning visuals without any design experience, there's a tool for you. Corel Painter and ArtRage offer fantastic features for digital painting, but if you're seeking an all-in-one solution for infographics, presentations, and videos, we recommend giving Piktochart a try. With its user-friendly interface and AI-powered design capabilities, Piktochart makes it easy to transform complex ideas into captivating visuals.