Best Pixel Art Editors in 2026
Pixel art tools can help you create sprites, build tilemaps and animate frame by frame. As you compare these editors, look at animation timelines and onion skinning, along with tilemap tools and sprite-sheet export. Indexed color tools may matter for your palette workflow, while export formats and supported platforms help you check how an editor fits your setup. Free plan and paid-from details offer a quick way to compare access and cost. The ranking opens with Pixelorama, PixelWall and Pix2D, then Pro Motion NG and Manabit; Hexcalibur, LibreSprite and Pixel Studio are also among the first entries.
68 pixel art editors ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Pixelorama Top pick · 9.3 Free plan · Free
#2 PixelWall Runner-up · 9.1 Free plan · Free
#3 Manabit Also great · 9.1 Free plan · $5.99/mo- Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial$5.99/mofirst paid tier About ManabitVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial$10/mofirst paid tier About Pro Motion NGVisit site - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free trial LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial$19.99/mofirst paid tier About AsepriteVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 5 /mo
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 9.99 /mo
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan macOSiOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- No
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan LinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan iOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Animation timeline
- Yes
- Indexed color tools
- Yes
- Sprite-sheet export
- Yes
- Onion skinning
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree trial
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which pixel art editor is ranked first on ThatPainter?
Pixelorama is ranked #1 of 68 with a score of 9.3. PixelWall is second and Manabit third.
How many of these have a free plan?
22 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Manabit has the lowest first paid tier we found: $5.99/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: platforms (desktop, iPad, Android), a free version or trial, the price of a licence and how complete its documentation is. Paid placements never change a rank.