Best Free Pixel Art Software in 2025 (Aseprite Alternatives)

Art ToolsBeginner5 min read

Pixel art is the most popular art style for indie game developers. It's timeless, nostalgic, and arguably easier to learn than 3D modeling or hand-drawn illustration.

The industry standard tool is Aseprite, but it costs $20. While that's a fair price, many beginners want to start for free. Luckily, the open-source community has provided amazing alternatives.

Here is the best free pixel art software available in 2025.

1. LibreSprite (The Free Fork)

LibreSprite is literally an older version of Aseprite. Before Aseprite went commercial, its source code was open. LibreSprite forked that code and kept it free forever.

  • ▸Pros: It looks and feels almost exactly like Aseprite. It has the same animation timeline, onion skinning, and brush handling.
  • ▸Cons: It lacks the newest features Aseprite has added in the last few years (like tilemap support), but for character animation, it is perfect.

2. Piskel (Browser Based)

If you don't want to install anything, Piskel is the answer. It runs entirely in your web browser.

  • ▸Pros: accessibility. You can start drawing in seconds. It has a surprisingly robust live preview window to see your animations while you draw.
  • ▸Cons: It can be a bit laggy with large canvases, and as a browser tool, file management is slightly annoying.

3. Krita (The Powerhouse)

We usually list Krita as a digital painting tool, but it has excellent pixel art capabilities.

  • ▸Pros: It's a full professional art studio. You can use layers, vector tools, and advanced filters that simple pixel editors don't have.
  • ▸Cons: The UI is complex. You have to configure it specifically for pixel art (turning off anti-aliasing brushes), which can be intimidating for beginners.

4. Lospec Pixel Editor

From the creators of the famous Lospec palette list, this is a minimalist, modern, browser-based editor.

  • ▸Pros: incredibly clean interface. It focuses purely on picking colors and placing pixels. Great for static sprites or tiles.
  • ▸Cons: Limited animation features compared to LibreSprite.

Conclusion

If you can afford it, we still recommend buying Aseprite to support the developers. But if your budget is $0:

  • ▸Use LibreSprite if you want the "Aseprite experience" for free.
  • ▸Use Piskel if you want to make a quick animation on a Chromebook or without installing software.