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
Art Set 4
by Lofopi
Art Set 4 is an iPad painting app focused on hyper-realistic traditional media, with free core tools and a one-time Pro upgrade.
- Price
- Free; Unlock All $12.99 one-time
- Runs on
- iPadOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.6 on the App Store (29K ratings)
Key differences
Only Krita has
- Mac
Only Art Set 4 has
- iPad
- Apple Pencil: Deeply integrated
Feature comparison
| Feature | Krita |
Art Set 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Free and open source | Free; Unlock All $12.99 one-time |
| Free version | Yes, everything is free | Yes, core realistic tools |
| Subscription | None | None |
| Ad-free | Yes | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Yes | Not advertised |
| iPad | No | Yes |
| iPhone | No | No, iPad only |
| Mac | Yes | No, iPad only |
| Android and Chromebook | Tablets and Chromebooks; Android is in beta | Not advertised |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 100+ presets on several brush engines | Core tools free; 200 advanced brushes in Pro |
| Brush customization | Multiple brush engines, deep customization | Size, opacity, flow, grain, loading, dynamics |
| Brush import | Resource bundles and Photoshop .abr | Not advertised |
| Apple Pencil | No (no iPad version); pen tablets supported | Deeply integrated |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Comic page templates | Not advertised |
| Screentones | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Text and lettering | Text tool | Not advertised |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Limited by memory | Not advertised |
| Blend modes | Dozens | Pro |
| Masks | Transparency, filter and transform masks | Layer masks and alpha lock (Pro) |
| Adjustments and filters | Non-destructive filter layers and masks | Hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, blur (Pro) |
| Selection tools | Rectangle, ellipse, polygon, freehand, contiguous, similar color, Bezier, magnetic | Quick masking for local adjustments |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify transform | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Clone brush | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Mirror tools and multibrush | Pro |
| Perspective guides | Perspective and vanishing point assistants | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | Assistants and shape tools | Shape primitives (Pro) |
| Gradients | Gradient tool | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Metallic colors |
| Seamless patterns | Wrap-around mode | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame | Not advertised |
| 3D painting | Not advertised | Raised 3D paint texture, not 3D models |
| Timelapse | Recorder | Yes |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Export |
| Export formats | KRA, PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, EXR and more | PSD and images |
| CMYK and print | CMYK, LAB and HDR color | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | Not on the App Store | 4.6 / 5 (29K ratings) |
| Last updated | Not on the App Store | November 16, 2023 |
| Languages | Not on the App Store | 1 |
Price
Krita is free with every tool included, while Art Set 4 is free to download with paid upgrades.
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.
Art Set 4 is free to download with its core realistic tools. A single $12.99 Unlock All purchase adds 200 advanced brushes, layer features, symmetry and adjustments, with no subscription.
Platforms
Krita and Art Set 4 do not share a platform. Only Krita runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and Chromebook. Only Art Set 4 runs on iPad.
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.
Art Set 4: On the App Store, Art Set 4 is available for iPad and Apple Vision Pro only, not iPhone or Mac, and the app was last updated in November 2023.
Brushes
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.
Art Set 4 is all about realistic traditional media: oil paint, fluid watercolor that flows as you paint, oil pastel, pencil, marker, wax crayon and 3D paint you can etch back into. The canvas tracks where paint is wet or dry, and Pro adds 200 more brushes.
Comics and manga
Krita includes comic page templates and a Comics Project Management Tools plugin for organizing multi-page projects.
Art Set 4 is a traditional-media painting app and does not advertise comic page or screentone tools.
Layers and editing
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.
Art Set 4: Pro unlocks layer masks, blend modes, alpha lock and transforms, plus localized adjustments for hue, saturation, brightness, contrast and blur through quick masking.
Drawing tools and extras
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.
Art Set 4: Drawing aids are simple: flood fill, symmetry and shape primitives in Pro, Slow Draw for smooth lines, and textured papers and canvases. It records a timelapse and exports layered PSD files.
Which should you choose?
Choose Krita if
- You paint on a Windows, Mac or Linux computer with a pen tablet
- You want a completely free, open-source program
- You want deep customization with many brush engines
- You need CMYK, LAB or HDR color management
Choose Art Set 4 if
- You want hyper-realistic oils, watercolors and pastels
- You want watercolor that flows and paint that stays wet on the canvas
- You want 3D paint you can etch back into
- You paint on Apple Vision Pro as well as iPad
Frequently asked questions
Is Krita better than Art Set 4?
Neither is better for everyone. Krita is the better pick if you paint on a Windows, Mac or Linux computer with a pen tablet, or you want a completely free, open-source program. Art Set 4 suits you better if you want hyper-realistic oils, watercolors and pastels, or you want watercolor that flows and paint that stays wet on the canvas.
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.
Is Art Set 4 free?
Yes, Art Set 4 is free to download with its core realistic tools. A one-time $12.99 Unlock All purchase adds 200 advanced brushes and the professional features, with no subscription.
Do Krita and Art Set 4 work on Android?
Krita runs on Android tablets and Chromebooks, though the Android version is still in beta. Art Set 4 does not list an Android version.
Do Krita or Art Set 4 use generative AI?
Krita does not advertise any built-in generative AI features. Art Set 4 does not advertise any 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. Krita and Art Set 4 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 Krita and Art Set 4.