# Alternatives to Paint.NET Approachable free Windows editor. Paint.NET ranks #9 of 10 in Image editing, with an Alt Score of 48. It is proprietary, free and available on Windows. 10 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/paintnet/ Category: Image editing ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Windows users who need more editing power than MS Paint but don't want the cost or complexity of Photoshop — hobbyists, students, and casual photo editors. - **What you get**: A free (donationware) raster image and photo editor with a layered editing system, unlimited undo, a wide set of tools and special-effects filters, and support for third-party plugins. It's actively maintained with a large community producing tutorials and plugins that extend its stock functionality. - **How it works**: Open or import a photo, build up edits across multiple layers, apply tools, adjustments, and effects/filters to those layers, then flatten and export or save the result. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11) - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-11) - **Starts at**: ? - **Platforms**: Windows - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Photopea](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photopea.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Web | | 2 | [Photoshop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photoshop.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web | | 3 | [GIMP](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gimp.md) | 74 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 4 | [Krita](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/krita.md) | 70 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | | 5 | [Pixelmator Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pixelmator-pro.md) | 70 | Proprietary | macOS | | 6 | [Affinity Photo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/affinity-photo.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS | | 7 | [Luminar Neo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/luminar-neo.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 8 | [Polarr](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/polarr.md) | 51 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android, Windows | | 9 | [PhotoScape X](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/photoscape-x.md) | 40 | Proprietary | macOS | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Image editing checklist | Paint.NET | Photopea | Photoshop | GIMP | Krita | Pixelmator Pro | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Subscription | Free | Free | One-time | | Starts at | ? | $5/month | $22.99/month | ? | ? | $49.99 | | License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | | Platforms | Windows | Web | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | macOS | | Layers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Non-destructive editing | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | RAW support | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | | CMYK support | ? | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | ? | | PSD compatibility (open / save) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Content-aware / AI fill | No | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | | Vector tools included | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Batch processing | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Plugins ecosystem | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | | Runs in browser | No | Yes | Partial | No | ? | No | | GPU acceleration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Scripting / macros | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ## Sources Sources for Paint.NET. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Platforms**: Windows — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 21H2 or newer) or Windows Server 2022” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Later on, features such as adjustment layers, text layers, and HDR will also be added (to name a few).” - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “You may not modify, adapt, rent, lease, loan, sell, or create derivative works based upon the Software or any part thereof.” - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “The 'Classic' release is downloaded from this website and is provided free-of-charge.” - **Layers**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Usually only found on expensive or complicated professional software, layers form the basis for a rich image composition experience.” - **Non-destructive editing**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “The commands in the Adjustments Menu modify the colorization of pixels.” - **RAW support**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Filetype add support for new types of files so they can be loaded and saved with Paint.NET.” - **PSD compatibility (open / save)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “This plugin allows Paint.NET to load and save Photoshop .PSD files.” - **Content-aware / AI fill**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “This tool is used to copy regions of pixels from one location to another.” - **Vector tools included**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Paint.NET includes simple tools for drawing shapes, including an easy-to-use curve tool for drawing splines or Bezier curves.” - **Plugins ecosystem**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Many plugins are available. Examples of plugins include support for new type of file formats, drop shadows, coloring tools and photographic adjustments.” - **Runs in browser**: No — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 21H2 or newer) or Windows Server 2022” - **GPU acceleration**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Every feature has been thoroughly optimized to take advantage of the latest multicore CPUs, GPUs, and NVMe SSDs.” - **Scripting / macros**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-11) - Note: free beer") development environment for writing Paint.NET effect plugins in C#." - Quote: “CodeLab is a free (as in ” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/