Clip Studio Paint
by CELSYS
Clip Studio Paint is a subscription illustration, comic and animation app for iPad, with desktop and Android versions.
- Price
- Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month
- Runs on
- iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.7 on the App Store (14K ratings)
Krita
by the Krita Foundation
Krita is a free and open-source painting program for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android tablets and Chromebooks, made by artists and volunteers.
- Price
- Free and open source
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, ChromeOS
- Get it
- Not on the App Store; download from its website
Key differences
Only Clip Studio Paint has
- iPad
- Apple Pencil: Supported
Only Krita has
- No account needed
Feature comparison
| Feature | Clip Studio Paint |
Krita |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month | Free and open source |
| Free version | 30-day free trial; saving and exporting need a plan | Yes, everything is free |
| Subscription | Required to save and export | None |
| Ad-free | Not advertised | Yes |
| No account needed | Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan | Yes |
| iPad | Yes | No |
| iPhone | Separate app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone | No |
| Mac | Yes, desktop version | Yes |
| Android and Chromebook | Yes | Tablets and Chromebooks; Android is in beta |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | Built-in set plus thousands of community brushes | 100+ presets on several brush engines |
| Brush customization | Brush shape, texture, paper quality and more | Multiple brush engines, deep customization |
| Brush import | Clip Studio Assets community brushes | Resource bundles and Photoshop .abr |
| Apple Pencil | Supported | No (no iPad version); pen tablets supported |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Panel frames; multi-page projects with EX | Comic page templates |
| Screentones | Yes | Not advertised |
| Text and lettering | Text and speech balloons | Text tool |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Not advertised | Limited by memory |
| Blend modes | Yes | Dozens |
| Masks | Masks and clipping across multiple layers | Transparency, filter and transform masks |
| Adjustments and filters | Non-destructive color adjustment layers, gradient maps, filters | Non-destructive filter layers and masks |
| Selection tools | Lasso, magnetic lasso and more | Rectangle, ellipse, polygon, freehand, contiguous, similar color, Bezier, magnetic |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify, mesh transform, puppet warp | Liquify transform |
| Clone tool | Not advertised | Clone brush |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Symmetry ruler | Mirror tools and multibrush |
| Perspective guides | Perspective rulers and 3D shapes | Perspective and vanishing point assistants |
| Shape correction | Figure tools and rulers | Assistants and shape tools |
| Gradients | Gradient tool and gradient maps | Gradient tool |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Wrap-around mode |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame; unlimited frames with EX | Frame-by-frame |
| 3D painting | 3D figures for reference, not painting | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Yes | Recorder |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Import and export |
| Export formats | PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more | KRA, PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, EXR and more |
| CMYK and print | CMYK export for print | CMYK, LAB and HDR color |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 (14K ratings) | Not on the App Store |
| Last updated | September 8, 2026 | Not on the App Store |
| Languages | 10 | Not on the App Store |
Price
Krita is free with every tool included, while Clip Studio Paint needs a subscription for full use.
Clip Studio Paint on iPad is a subscription. There is a 30-day free trial, after which you need a plan to save and export: PRO starts at $4.89 a month and EX, which adds multi-page comics and unlimited animation frames, at $9.69 a month on the US App Store. Plans are priced by how many devices you use.
Krita is completely free and open source under the GNU GPL, with no ads, subscription or paid tier. Development is funded by donations, and you can also buy it on some app stores to support the project.
Platforms
Both run on Mac, Windows, Android and Chromebook. Only Clip Studio Paint runs on iPad and iPhone. Only Krita runs on Linux.
Clip Studio Paint runs on iPad, with a separate app for iPhone, desktop versions for Mac and Windows, and versions for Android and Chromebook. Buying a plan requires a Clip Studio account.
Krita runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, plus Android tablets and Chromebooks, where the Android version is still in beta. It is not available for iPad or iPhone.
Brushes
Clip Studio Paint ships with brushes that mimic real art materials and lets you adjust brush shape, texture and paper quality in detail. Its Clip Studio Assets community offers thousands of artist-made brushes and materials.
Krita ships with more than 100 brush presets built on several brush engines, from pixel and color smudge to bristle and particle engines. It imports Photoshop .abr brushes and resource bundles.
Comics and manga
Clip Studio Paint is the most complete comic tool here: panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines and screentones, with multi-page projects for print, web comics and webtoons in the EX plan.
Krita includes comic page templates and a Comics Project Management Tools plugin for organizing multi-page projects.
Layers and editing
Clip Studio Paint: Layers support masks and clipping across multiple layers, non-destructive color adjustment layers and gradient maps. Liquify, mesh transformation and puppet warp let you fix proportions after you draw, and Color Match pulls colors from a reference image.
Krita: Its layer system is one of the deepest anywhere: paint, vector, filter and fill layers, transparency and filter masks, dozens of blend modes, and color management with CMYK, LAB and HDR support.
Drawing tools and extras
Clip Studio Paint has posable 3D figures and 3D shapes for reference and perspective, perspective and symmetry rulers, Shading Assist for lighting, and frame-by-frame animation, with unlimited frames in EX.
Krita: Drawing assistants cover perspective, vanishing points and ellipses, and mirror tools, multibrush symmetry and wrap-around mode make patterns easy. Krita also has frame-by-frame animation, a text tool and a recorder for timelapses.
Which should you choose?
Choose Clip Studio Paint if
- You want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference
- You want a huge community library of brushes and materials
- You need speech balloons and lettering
Choose Krita if
- You want a completely free, open-source program
- You want deep customization with many brush engines
- You want wrap-around mode for seamless patterns
Frequently asked questions
Is Clip Studio Paint better than Krita?
Neither is better for everyone. Clip Studio Paint is the better pick if you want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference, or you want a huge community library of brushes and materials. Krita suits you better if you want a completely free, open-source program, or you want deep customization with many brush engines.
Is Clip Studio Paint free?
Not fully. Clip Studio Paint has a 30-day free trial on iPad, but saving and exporting need a paid plan afterwards. Plans start at $4.89 a month for PRO and $9.69 a month for EX on the US App Store.
Is Krita free?
Yes. Krita is completely free and open source, with no ads, subscription or locked features. You can donate or buy it on some stores to support development.
Which works on iPhone, Clip Studio Paint or Krita?
Clip Studio Paint has a separate iPhone app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone. Krita is not available on iPhone.
Do Clip Studio Paint and Krita work on Android?
Clip Studio Paint has an Android version. Krita runs on Android tablets and Chromebooks, though the Android version is still in beta.
Do Clip Studio Paint or Krita use generative AI?
Clip Studio Paint does not advertise any generative AI features. Krita does not advertise any built-in generative AI features.
Sources
Facts checked on October 2, 2026. Prices are from the US App Store, and features from each app's listing and official site. Apps change often, so check the App Store for current prices and features. Clip Studio Paint and Krita are trademarks of their respective owners. App icons come from each app's App Store listing and belong to their owners. Krita logo by Wolthera van Hövell tot Westerflier and Timothée Giet for KDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Paintrix Studio is not affiliated with the makers of Clip Studio Paint and Krita.