Krita and Photopea are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering professional-grade features without the hefty price tag. We'll compare Krita and Photopea to determine which one best meets the needs of creative professionals and businesses alike.

A Quick Overview of Krita and Photopea

What is Krita?

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

Krita offers multiple brush types for different art styles and includes layers, drawing assistants, and stabilizers. Its commitment to being free and open-source, along with extensive community involvement, sets it apart from many competitors.

What is Photopea?

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Photopea offers a free online photo editor that provides professional-grade tools for photo editing directly in the browser. It eliminates the need for downloads and installations, making it a convenient and accessible option for users.

Photopea runs fully locally on the user's device, ensuring files open instantly and never leave the user's device. It also supports a wide range of file formats, including full PSD support, and features advanced AI capabilities for tasks like background removal and content replacement.

Features of Krita and Photopea

Similarities

Both Krita and Photopea are powerful tools for creative professionals, offering a range of features that cater to artists and designers alike. Despite their different platforms, they share several key functionalities that make them versatile and effective.

  • Both support multiple brush types and layers, allowing for detailed and complex artwork.
  • They offer tools for different art styles, including stabilizers for smoother drawing experiences.
  • Animation tools are available in both, enabling users to bring their creations to life.
  • Each program supports a wide range of file formats, ensuring compatibility with various projects.
  • Both provide advanced features like vector graphics editing, enhancing their utility for diverse design needs.

Differences

While both Krita and Photopea offer robust tools for creative professionals, their feature sets cater to different needs. Here are the key differences:

  • Krita supports extensive brush engines and drawing aids, ideal for digital painting and illustration.
  • Photopea runs entirely in a web browser, eliminating the need for downloads or installations.
  • Krita includes animation tools, allowing artists to bring their creations to life.
  • Photopea offers advanced AI tools for background removal and content replacement.
  • Krita supports plugins to expand its functionality, while Photopea does not mention plugin support.

User Interface and Usability

Krita's user interface is feature-rich, offering multiple brush types, layers, and drawing aids. However, its complexity can be overwhelming for new users. The user experience is enhanced by a supportive community and extensive resources, but the learning curve remains steep. Overall usability is high for experienced artists, but beginners may struggle with its depth and complexity.

Photopea's interface is accessible directly from the browser, requiring no downloads. This convenience is a significant advantage, but the interface can feel cluttered. The user experience is streamlined by its local operation and advanced AI tools, yet it may lack the depth some professionals seek. Usability is strong for quick edits, but less so for intricate projects.

Neither company has a clear advantage in user interface and usability; it depends on the user's needs and experience level.

Collaboration

Collaboration in Krita is primarily facilitated through its supportive community, where artists can share their work and receive feedback. However, it lacks real-time collaboration tools, making teamwork more asynchronous. The ability to share artwork and get feedback supports teamwork, but the absence of simultaneous editing features can be a limitation for teams needing immediate collaborative capabilities.

Photopea, on the other hand, does not explicitly mention any features that facilitate direct collaboration. Its focus is on individual use, with no real-time collaboration tools or cloud-based sharing options. The local operation of Photopea may limit collaborative efforts, as it does not support multiple users working on the same project simultaneously.

Neither company offers a clear advantage for collaboration; it depends on the user's specific needs and workflow preferences.

Krita and Photopea Pricing

Krita is a free and open-source application, relying on donations for support. Users can contribute through monthly or one-time donations, but there are no mandatory costs associated with using the software. This makes Krita accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.

Photopea offers a free account with basic features and a Premium account for ad-free usage and additional benefits. The Premium account requires a one-time payment, though specific prices are not detailed. For larger needs, a self-hosted version costs between $500 and $2000 per month, paid annually.

Overall, Krita's donation-based model provides a more flexible and cost-effective option for users compared to Photopea's structured pricing tiers.

Comparing Krita and Photopea to Piktochart

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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, saving time and effort.
  • Wide range of visual tools: From infographics to social media videos, Piktochart offers tools for various visual content needs.
  • Customizable templates: Access a vast library of templates that can be easily customized to fit any project.
  • Support for multiple industries: Tailored solutions for communications, education, finance, healthcare, marketing, and more.
  • Discounted plans: Special pricing for students, teachers, education staff, and registered nonprofits, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Piktochart's Pricing

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

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 the user interface outdated and experience issues with saving documents.

  • "Some tools required by top professionals are not available or as refined as those in Adobe products." - John D., 3.5/5
  • "Frequent updates sometimes introduce new issues." - Emily R., 3.8/5
  • "The user interface is somewhat outdated." - Michael S., 3.9/5

Find more of Krita reviews on G2!

Photopea Reviews

Photopea has received an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5. Users appreciate its free services and ease of use but find it expensive and limited in features. Here are some reviews:

  • "The software is good but lacks some advanced features." - Tisagh C., 4.5/5
  • "Upload issues can be frustrating at times." - Elijah M., 4/5
  • "Limited usage without a premium account." - CA Dipika S., 4/5

Find more of Photopea reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They find it incredibly useful for creating professional presentations and graphics with ease. Here are some of their thoughts:

  • "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
  • "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
  • "Incredibly intuitive design app." - Katie S.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why a consumer might want to use Krita over Photopea:

  • Consumers who are digital artists or animators looking for specialized tools for digital painting and animation would prefer Krita. Its extensive brush engines, drawing aids, and open-source nature make it ideal for those seeking a robust, free painting program.

Why a consumer might want to use Photopea over Krita:

  • Consumers who need a versatile photo editor that works directly in the browser without any downloads would prefer Photopea. Its wide format support, professional tools, and AI features make it suitable for social media enthusiasts, students, and small business owners.

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

  • Consumers who need to create professional infographics, presentations, and reports quickly and easily would prefer Piktochart. Its user-friendly interface, AI-powered design generators, and specialized tools make it perfect for marketers, educators, and business professionals.

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

Whether you're a digital artist, a photo editing enthusiast, or a professional needing stunning visuals, Krita, Photopea, and Piktochart each offer unique strengths. While all three tools are excellent choices, we believe Piktochart stands out for its ease of use, AI-powered design capabilities, and versatility across various industries. Give Piktochart a try and see how effortlessly you can transform your ideas into captivating visuals.