Pixelorama
FreePixel art and sprite animation — the free answer to Aseprite
An open-source pixel art editor with a frame-by-frame animation timeline, onion skinning, layers and layer groups, palette management, a tilemap mode, and sprite sheet import and export. Built with the Godot engine, it runs on all three desktop platforms and in the browser.
Why we picked it
The de facto standard in pixel art is Aseprite — excellent, but paid (its source is open, while the licence does not permit free distribution of compiled builds). For someone starting a game or just experimenting, that is a barrier.
Pixelorama is the most complete free alternative. 10,104 stars, MIT, built with the Godot engine, so it runs on all three desktop platforms and in a browser — the web build meaning you can try it without installing anything.
Essentially everything pixel art and sprite animation require is here:
- Pixel-precise drawing tools: pencil, eraser, bucket, selection, line and shape tools, all aliasing-free so edges stay crisp.
- An animation timeline for frame-by-frame work with per-frame durations and live playback.
- Onion skinning showing adjacent frames semi-transparently, essential for walk cycles.
- Layers and layer groups to separate a character's body, equipment and effects.
- Palette management. Pixel art depends heavily on constrained palettes; it imports common palette formats, extracts palettes from images, and can restrict drawing to palette colors.
- Tilemap mode with grid snapping and tile reuse for map work.
- Sprite sheet import and export, turning animation frames into a sheet for a game engine and slicing sheets back into frames.
- 3D layers and shaders among the more advanced features, useful for references and effects.
To be clear about:
- It still trails Aseprite. Aseprite is more refined in feel, shortcut efficiency, scripting and several advanced features, being a commercially polished product. Pixelorama is "sufficient and free", not "better". If pixel art is your livelihood, Aseprite's modest price is worth paying.
- It is not a general drawing program. Illustration and painting belong in Krita; every design decision here assumes each pixel must be exact.
- The web build is slightly limited; install the desktop version for heavy use.
- It iterates fairly quickly (currently v1.2), so the interface occasionally shifts.
Who it suits: indie game developers making assets, anyone learning pixel art, and anyone who needs small icons and sprite animations.