Krita vs Autodesk SketchBook: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Krita and Autodesk SketchBook are essential tools for businesses and designers due to their robust features and cost-effectiveness. We'll compare Krita and Autodesk SketchBook to determine which one offers the best value and functionality for creative professionals.

A Quick Overview of Krita and Autodesk SketchBook

What is Krita?

Krita is a professional free and open-source painting program created by artists to provide affordable art tools for everyone. It operates as a public project licensed under GNU GPL and is maintained by its contributors.

It offers multiple brush types for different art styles and includes layers, drawing assistants, and stabilizers. Krita's unique feature is its combination of being a professional-grade painting program that is completely free and open-source, supported by a community-driven development model.

What is Autodesk SketchBook?

Autodesk SketchBook develops a digital drawing application designed for artists and designers. The app allows users to create quick sketches or fully finished artwork using a variety of digital tools that mimic traditional drawing materials.

The app provides a drawing experience that feels like working on paper, with brushes and pens that behave like their physical counterparts. It offers a wide variety of highly customizable brushes, guides, rulers, stroke tools, and layers with blend modes, providing both stylistic freedom and precision.

Features of Krita and Autodesk SketchBook

Similarities

Both Krita and Autodesk SketchBook are powerful tools for digital artists, offering a range of features that cater to both beginners and professionals. They share several key functionalities that make them popular choices among creative individuals.

• Customizable Brushes: Both applications provide a wide variety of highly customizable brushes, allowing artists to achieve different styles and effects.
• Layer Management: Both Krita and SketchBook support layers with various blend modes, enabling artists to work on different parts of their artwork independently.
• Stabilizers: Both programs include stabilizers to help artists create smooth and precise lines.
• Animation Tools: Both Krita and SketchBook offer animation tools, allowing artists to create animated sequences.
• Community and Resources: Both have a supportive community and provide access to additional resources like brushes, patterns, and plugins to enhance the software’s capabilities.

Differences

While both Krita and Autodesk SketchBook are powerful tools for digital artists, they have distinct features that set them apart.

• Open Source vs. Commercial: Krita is free and open-source, while Autodesk SketchBook is a commercial product.
• Animation Tools: Krita offers extensive animation tools, which are not a primary focus in SketchBook.
• Community Involvement: Krita emphasizes community contributions and development by artists, whereas SketchBook is developed by a commercial entity.
• Plug-ins: Krita supports various plug-ins like brushes, patterns, and texture packs, while SketchBook does not emphasize plug-ins.
• Drawing Experience: SketchBook provides a natural drawing experience that mimics traditional materials, a feature not highlighted in Krita.

User Interface and Usability

Krita's user interface is structured to provide comprehensive information, with a clean and well-organized layout. The main content is divided into distinct sections, making it easy to find specific information. The user experience is designed to be intuitive, with easy navigation and clear calls to action. The presence of a supportive community and extensive resources enhances the overall user experience.

Autodesk SketchBook offers a clean and unobtrusive user interface, designed to mimic the experience of drawing on paper. Tools and palettes can be tucked out of sight until needed, allowing users to focus on their drawing. The user experience is intuitive, making it easy for users to transition from traditional drawing to digital. The website provides easy access to information about the app, its features, and support.

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

Collaboration

Collaboration in Krita is primarily facilitated through its supportive community, where artists can share their work, receive feedback, and engage with developers. However, the platform does not offer built-in features specifically designed for collaborative work, focusing instead on individual tools and resources.

Autodesk SketchBook also lacks explicit collaboration features, with no mention of teamwork capabilities on its website. The emphasis is on providing a natural drawing experience and professional-grade tools for individual use. Both platforms do not prioritize collaboration, making neither superior for collaborative efforts.

Krita and Autodesk SketchBook Pricing

Krita is a free and open-source application, meaning there is no cost to download and use it. Users are encouraged to support the development through donations, either monthly or one-time, but these are entirely optional and not required to access the software.

Autodesk SketchBook, on the other hand, is a commercial product priced at $24.99 for a one-time purchase. There are no subscription costs, discounts, or promotions mentioned, and the app does not offer a free trial.

Overall, Krita offers better pricing as it is free to use, with optional donations, while Autodesk SketchBook requires a one-time purchase fee.

Comparing Krita and Autodesk SketchBook to Piktochart

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 generates designs for banners, brochures, business plans, documents, flyers, graphs, images, infographics, social media posts, newsletters, posters, presentations, quotes, reports, summaries, and timelines.
• Customizable Text and View Properties: Easily change text properties and view settings, including background color and aspect ratios, to tailor your videos and visuals to your specific needs.
• Wide Range of Visual and Video Tools: Access a variety of tools such as Infographic Maker, Banner Maker, Brochure Maker, Screen Recorder, Social Media Video Maker, Video Cropper, and Video to Text Converter, all within one platform.
• Extensive Template Library: Benefit from a vast collection of templates designed for different use cases and industries, saving you time and ensuring professional-quality results.
• Support for Various Sectors: Piktochart caters to a wide range of sectors, including communications, education, eLearning, finance, healthcare, human resources, marketing, and nonprofits, making it a versatile tool for any professional.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro: $14 per member/month, billed annually
• Business: $24 per member/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing

What Are Others Saying?

Krita Reviews

Overall, users have given Krita a rating of 4.4 out of 5. While they appreciate its free and open-source nature, they find some tools lacking and encounter issues with saving documents and high RAM usage.

• "Some tools are not as refined as in Adobe products, and there are issues with saving documents." - John D., 3.5/5
• "The graphical interface is somewhat outdated, and there are bugs with updates." - Emily R., 3.8/5
• "High RAM usage causes lag, and there are problems with graphic tablet drivers." - Michael S., 3.7/5

Find more of Krita reviews on G2!

Autodesk SketchBook Reviews

Autodesk SketchBook has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. Users appreciate its ease of use and creative freedom but find it lacking in features and tools.

• "Newest version removed a lot of functions." - Mark H., 3.5/5
• "Nice sketch application that has room for improvements." - Ira Mae R., 3.0/5
• "A good APP to draw your projects." - Carlos A., 3.0/5

Find more of Autodesk SketchBook reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. They find it incredibly useful for creating professional-quality visuals with ease.

• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
• "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
• "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - SUNITA S.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why a consumer might want to use Krita over Autodesk SketchBook:

• Consumers who prefer a free and open-source platform with extensive features and community-driven development would choose Krita. This is ideal for professional artists, hobbyists, and open-source enthusiasts.

Why a consumer might want to use Autodesk SketchBook over Krita:

• Consumers who value a natural drawing experience with professional-grade tools and a clean, unobtrusive interface would opt for Autodesk SketchBook. This is perfect for artists and designers who need a versatile tool for both quick sketches and detailed artwork.

Why a consumer might want to use Piktochart over Autodesk SketchBook and Krita:

• Consumers who need to create engaging visual content quickly and easily, such as infographics, presentations, and videos, would prefer Piktochart. This is ideal for communications professionals, educators, and marketers.

Krita, Autodesk SketchBook, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

While Krita and Autodesk SketchBook are excellent choices for digital artists, offering unique features and robust tools, we believe Piktochart stands out for its versatility and ease of use. Whether you're a professional designer or someone with no design experience, Piktochart empowers you to create stunning visuals effortlessly. Give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your creative projects.