Home > Reviews > Best free drawing software in 2022

Best free drawing software in 2022

The best free drawing software to release your inner artist
Last Updated on March 14, 2022
Best free drawing software

Whether you’re at home trying to get to grips with drawing, just want to mess around with coloring in, or looking to educate your child in the world of digital art, the best free drawing software is exactly what you need. Thankfully, gone are the days where you’re limited to the capabilities of the basic Microsoft Paint, thus enabling more comprehensive drawing, maybe even to the levels of professional digital artists.

Products at a Glance

Best overall
Krita
Best support
Paint.net

Paint.NET

Best kid friendly
Paint 3D

Paint 3D

MyPaint

MyPaint

Our Recommended

Best free drawing software in 2022

1
Best overall
Krita

Krita

PROS
  • Loads of features
  • Great for professionals
  • Can download on all operating systems
CONS
  • Learning curve
2
Best support
Paint.net

Paint.NET

PROS
  • Trusted for over 15 years
  • Solid amount of features
  • Online support and tutorials
CONS
  • Clumsy UI
3
Best kid friendly
Paint 3D

Paint 3D

PROS
  • Create 3D images easily
  • Simple UI
  • Fun to use
CONS
  • Not many features or tools
4
MyPaint

MyPaint

PROS
  • Scribbling scratchpad
  • Available on all operating systems
  • Additional brush packages
CONS
  • UI is hard to understand
5
Gimp

Gimp

PROS
  • Layer tool
  • Third party brush installation
  • Trusted for a number of years
CONS
  • Steep learning curve

Our Verdict

Best overall
Krita

Krita

All in all, you can see that free doesn’t necessarily mean lackluster when it comes to the best free drawing software. There’s also a decent amount of variety too, with some coming with a plethora of features that can be utilized by the more skilled artists as well as the more basic packages like Paint 3D that have the more standard tools coupled with fun features. If we were to pick the best though, we think that Krita stands out from the rest. It details features like a wide variety of brushes and effects that really make your pieces stand out while also not being ridiculously complicated to get your head around. If you are struggling though, the inclusion of  It is also available for both PC and Mac as well as those on Linux so no one is really missing out on getting creative. Paint.NET should also receive an honorary mention as it is incredibly easy to use and perfect for the basic user or child wanting to have a bit of a play drawing wonderful and wacky creations.