Best Microsoft Paint Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from photo editing software ranked against Microsoft Paint on the same published basis.
- 1Microsoft Paint vs ImageMagick
- 2Microsoft Paint vs Cutout.Pro
- 3Microsoft Paint vs darktable
- 4Microsoft Paint vs Photopea
- 5Microsoft Paint vs PhotoDirector
- 6Microsoft Paint vs RawTherapee
- 7Microsoft Paint vs VSCO
- 8Microsoft Paint vs BeFunky
- 9Microsoft Paint vs Adobe Lightroom
- 10Microsoft Paint vs Pixlr
- 11Microsoft Paint vs Hasselblad Phocus
- 12Microsoft Paint vs Capture One
- 13Microsoft Paint vs Showfoto
- 14Microsoft Paint vs PhotoPad
- 15Microsoft Paint vs Adobe Photoshop
- 16Microsoft Paint vs Adobe Creative Cloud
- 17Microsoft Paint vs PaintFE
- 18Microsoft Paint vs IrfanView
- 19Microsoft Paint vs PhotoKit Background Remover
- 20Microsoft Paint vs GIMP
Microsoft Paint alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ImageMagick | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | Cutout.Pro | 7.4 | Free plan | $4.99/mo | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | darktable | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Photopea | 7.3 | Free plan | $37.50/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | PhotoDirector | 7.3 | Free plan | — | Mac, Windows |
| 6 | RawTherapee | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | VSCO | 7.1 | Free plan | $2.50/mo | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | BeFunky | 7.1 | Free plan | $6.99/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 9 | Adobe Lightroom | 7.0 | No | — | — |
| 10 | Pixlr | 7.0 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 11 | Hasselblad Phocus | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Capture One | 6.9 | No | — | iOS |
| 13 | Showfoto | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | PhotoPad | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 15 | Adobe Photoshop | 6.8 | No | — | — |
| 16 | Adobe Creative Cloud | 6.8 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 17 | PaintFE | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 18 | IrfanView | 6.8 | Free plan | $18/mo | Windows |
| 19 | PhotoKit Background Remover | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API |
| 20 | GIMP | 6.7 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
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Questions about Microsoft Paint alternatives
What is the best alternative to Microsoft Paint?
ImageMagick, number 1 in photo editing software with a score of 8.2 out of 10. The others here: Cutout.Pro, darktable, Photopea and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Paint?
ImageMagick is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 14 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.