The best pixel art app gives you crisp pixel-perfect tools, layers, a good colour palette and animation, on the device you like to draw with. Choose by where you work: a desktop for game development, an iPad with a pencil, a phone for sketching or a browser for quick sprites. Ten apps follow in no particular order.
Pixel art looks simple, but making it well takes tools built for working one square at a time. General drawing apps blur edges and fight you on every line, while a dedicated pixel art app keeps everything sharp and makes animation and tiles easy.
The ten apps below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from game-developer favourites to free open source editors, browser tools and iPad apps. Each description comes from the app's own website or App Store listing, re-checked this week. If you play retro-style games for inspiration, my list of offline games like Minecraft for low end phones is a fun one, and my art prompts can spark new ideas.
Pixel art apps compared
In the free plan column, Yes means the app's own site or listing describes free use, a free edition or a free download, Trial only means a trial version before purchase and No means neither is stated on the pages we read.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aseprite | Sprite editor | Animated game sprites | Trial only |
| dotpict | Mobile pixel app | Drawing on a phone | Yes |
| LibreSprite | Open source editor | A free desktop editor | Yes |
| Piskel | Browser editor | Quick browser sprites | Yes |
| Pixaki | iPad pixel app | Drawing with an iPad and pencil | Yes |
| Pixel Studio | Mobile pixel app | Pixel art on the go | Yes |
| Pixelorama | Open source editor | Tiles and animations | Yes |
| Pixquare | Mobile pixel app | A full studio on iPad | Yes |
| Pro Motion NG | Pro pixel editor | Professional tile and sprite work | Yes |
| Resprite | Mobile sprite editor | Sprites on iPhone | Yes |
Ten pixel art apps
Aseprite
Best for: Indie game developers who want layers and animation in a dedicated, widely used sprite editor.
dotpict
Best for: Casual artists who want to draw pixel art on a phone and share it with a community.
LibreSprite
Best for: Hobbyists who want a free, open source desktop sprite editor with animation support for game characters.
Piskel
Best for: Students and beginners who want to make animated sprites in a browser with nothing to install.
Pixaki
Best for: iPad artists who want to draw pixel art with a pencil in an app built for the tablet.
Pixel Studio
Best for: Artists who want a capable mobile pixel art editor to sketch ideas anywhere they go.
Pixelorama
Best for: Game makers who want an open source multitool for sprites, tiles and animations that plugs into their workflow.
Pixquare
Best for: iPad and iPhone users who want a full pixel art studio they can carry everywhere they go.
Pro Motion NG
Best for: Professional pixel artists who want advanced tools for sprites, images and tile sets, with a free edition to begin.
Resprite
Best for: Mobile game artists who want pixel art and sprite editing tools on an iPhone or iPad.
Your work is protected from the start
Pixel artists often share work widely, so it helps to know your rights. The U.S. Copyright Office says copyright protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression.
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What that means for you: your sprites are protected once they're saved, so keep dated source files as a record. And if you sell game assets, check the licence of any palette, template or tileset you didn't make yourself.
Desktop, iPad, phone or browser?
Desktop editors suit game developers, with layers, animation timelines and export options for game engines. iPad apps suit artists who like drawing with a pencil and want a full studio on the sofa. Phone apps are great for sketching ideas and sharing with communities. Browser editors need no install, which makes them perfect for classrooms and quick experiments.
Many artists sketch on a phone or iPad and finish on a desktop, and most apps here export in standard formats that make that easy. If you're making games, check how an app exports animations and sprite sheets before you start a big project. Moving hundreds of frames between tools is painful, so it's worth testing a small export into your game engine early. That five-minute test can save you a weekend of reworking later.
Starting your first sprite
- Choose a small canvas, such as a character the size of a game tile.
- Pick a limited palette of a few colours.
- Block out the silhouette in one colour first.
- Add shading with two or three tones.
- Clean up stray pixels and jagged lines.
- Export at a larger scale without smoothing so it stays crisp.
Mistakes that make pixel art look messy
- Too many colours. A small palette looks cleaner.
- Jagged curves. Keep line steps consistent.
- Pillow shading. Pick a light direction and stick to it.
- Blurry exports. Scale up without smoothing.
Sharing and selling your work
Pixel art communities are friendly places to share work and get feedback. If you sell sprites or tilesets, be clear about licences: what buyers can and can't do, whether commercial use is allowed and whether credit is needed. Clear terms protect you and make buyers more confident.
Do you make a pixel art app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a pixel art app
Start with a free app on the device you already use and make ten small sprites before you think about upgrading. Pixel art is about decisions, not features, and a simple editor teaches those decisions well.
If you're making a game, move to a desktop editor with animation and good export options once you know what you need. And keep your source files organised and dated; they're your record of authorship and your backup if a project grows. You'll thank yourself when you're hunting for an old sprite that's suddenly needed again.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app for pixel art?
It depends on your device: a desktop editor for games, an iPad app for drawing with a pencil or a browser editor for quick sprites.
Are pixel art apps free?
Several are free or open source, some have free editions, and one offers a trial version before purchase.
Can I make pixel art on an iPad?
Yes. Several apps here are built for iPad and work well with a pencil.
Is my pixel art protected by copyright?
The U.S. Copyright Office says copyright protects original works as soon as they're fixed in a tangible form.
What size should a sprite be?
Many game sprites use small canvases; start small and scale up when exporting.
Can I animate pixel art in these apps?
Most apps here include animation tools for frames and timelines.
