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
iArtbook
by Alexander Kondrashov
iArtbook is a painting and animation app for iPad, iPhone and Mac with unlimited layers, wet brushes and a lesson mode for learning by copying.
- Price
- Free; Pro $12.99 one-time ($7.99 iPhone only)
- Runs on
- iPadOS, iOS, macOS
- Rating
- ★ 3.8 on the App Store (12K ratings)
Key differences
Only iArtbook has
- iPad
- iPhone: Yes, same app
- Apple Pencil: Pressure, tilt, azimuth
Feature comparison
| Feature | Krita |
iArtbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Free and open source | Free; Pro $12.99 one-time ($7.99 iPhone only) |
| Free version | Yes, everything is free | Yes |
| Subscription | None | None |
| Ad-free | Yes | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Yes | Not advertised |
| iPad | No | Yes |
| iPhone | No | Yes, same app |
| Mac | Yes | Yes, Apple silicon Macs |
| Android and Chromebook | Tablets and Chromebooks; Android is in beta | Not advertised |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 100+ presets on several brush engines | Pro brushes plus 1,000+ textures |
| Brush customization | Multiple brush engines, deep customization | 50+ settings per brush |
| Brush import | Resource bundles and Photoshop .abr | Import and export brushes |
| Apple Pencil | No (no iPad version); pen tablets supported | Pressure, tilt, azimuth |
| 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 | Unlimited |
| Blend modes | Dozens | Yes |
| Masks | Transparency, filter and transform masks | Masks |
| Adjustments and filters | Non-destructive filter layers and masks | Not advertised |
| Selection tools | Rectangle, ellipse, polygon, freehand, contiguous, similar color, Bezier, magnetic | Selection tool |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify transform | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Clone brush | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Mirror tools and multibrush | Not advertised |
| Perspective guides | Perspective and vanishing point assistants | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | Assistants and shape tools | Not advertised |
| Gradients | Gradient tool | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Wrap-around mode | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame | Unlimited frames, multiple animation layers |
| 3D painting | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Recorder | On by default |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Not advertised |
| Export formats | KRA, PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, EXR and more | PNG, MP4, HEVC, GIF, APNG |
| CMYK and print | CMYK, LAB and HDR color | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | Not on the App Store | 3.8 / 5 (12K ratings) |
| Last updated | Not on the App Store | January 7, 2026 |
| Languages | Not on the App Store | 39 |
Price
Krita is free with every tool included, while iArtbook 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.
iArtbook is free to download, and Pro is a one-time upgrade: $12.99 on iPad, or $7.99 for iPhone only, with no subscription.
Platforms
Both run on Mac. Only Krita runs on Windows, Linux, Android and Chromebook. Only iArtbook runs on iPad and iPhone.
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.
iArtbook is one app for iPhone and iPad that also runs on Apple silicon Macs.
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.
iArtbook brushes can be dry, glossy or wet, with three kinds of wet paint, more than 50 settings per brush, and a library of over 1,000 textures to build your own. Calligraphy smoothing keeps lines clean even when you draw with a finger.
Comics and manga
Krita includes comic page templates and a Comics Project Management Tools plugin for organizing multi-page projects.
iArtbook does not advertise comic panel or screentone tools; its extras are animation and a lesson mode for copying artwork.
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.
iArtbook: Layers are unlimited, with blend modes, masks and lossless transforms. Two color pickers, a color mixer and palette import and export round out the color tools.
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.
iArtbook does frame-by-frame animation with unlimited frames and multiple animation layers, exporting to MP4, HEVC, GIF and APNG. Its lesson mode lets you copy any painting or sketch side by side to learn, and timelapse recording is on by default.
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 iArtbook if
- You want to learn by copying artwork in a side-by-side lesson mode
- You want wet, glossy brushes with several smudge styles
- You want unlimited layers
- You want to build your own brushes from over 1,000 textures
Frequently asked questions
Is Krita better than iArtbook?
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. iArtbook suits you better if you want to learn by copying artwork in a side-by-side lesson mode, or you want wet, glossy brushes with several smudge styles.
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 iArtbook free?
Yes, iArtbook is free to download. Pro is a one-time upgrade, $12.99 on iPad or $7.99 for iPhone only, with no subscription.
Which works on iPhone, Krita or iArtbook?
Krita is not available on iPhone. iArtbook runs on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do Krita and iArtbook work on Android?
Krita runs on Android tablets and Chromebooks, though the Android version is still in beta. iArtbook does not list an Android version.
Do Krita or iArtbook use generative AI?
Krita does not advertise any built-in generative AI features. iArtbook 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 iArtbook 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 iArtbook.