Photoshop vs Krita

Price

Krita is free with every tool included, while Photoshop needs a subscription for full use.

Photoshop on iPad and iPhone is free to download with core editing tools. Premium tools such as the Remove Tool, Content Aware Fill, advanced blend modes and PSD export need a subscription, starting at $7.99 a month for Photoshop Mobile & Web on the US App Store.

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 Android, Mac and Windows. Only Photoshop runs on iPad and iPhone. Only Krita runs on Linux and Chromebook.

Photoshop: The same Photoshop app runs on iPad and iPhone. Adobe also has an Android version in beta, and desktop Photoshop for Mac and Windows is sold separately.

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

Photoshop on mobile is built for photo editing and compositing first. It has brushes for painting and retouching, but its painting tools are far more limited than those in dedicated painting apps.

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

Photoshop on mobile is built for photo editing and does not advertise comic panel or screentone tools.

Krita includes comic page templates and a Comics Project Management Tools plugin for organizing multi-page projects.

Layers and editing

Photoshop: Its strength is editing: layers, masks, adjustment layers, Tap Select and Object Select, the Spot Healing Brush, Content Aware Fill and native PSD files that open in desktop Photoshop.

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

Photoshop leans on Adobe Firefly for generative tools such as Generative Fill and Generate Image, which use generative credits. It does not advertise painting aids such as symmetry or perspective guides, or animation.

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.