List of the Top 6 Pixel Art Software for Linux in 2025

Welcome to the official website of the GNU Image Manipulation Program, better known as GIMP. This robust image editing software is accessible on numerous platforms, such as GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows, and others. Being open-source, GIMP allows users the liberty to alter its source code and share their modifications. It caters to a diverse audience, including graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, and scientists, by providing a wide selection of advanced tools tailored to help you realize your creative vision. Furthermore, GIMP boosts your productivity through extensive customization options and compatibility with third-party plugins. It is equipped to handle high-quality image editing tasks, which range from retouching and restoration to imaginative composites, all limited only by the user's creativity. In addition, GIMP serves a significant role in crafting icons, graphic design components, and artwork for user interfaces and prototypes. It stands out as a powerful platform for scripted image manipulation, supporting a variety of programming languages like C, C++, Perl, Python, Scheme, and more, making it an appealing option for both developers and artists. This adaptability guarantees that GIMP can easily align with different workflows and project needs, ensuring that users can maximize their creative potential. Whether you are a novice or an expert, GIMP offers a comprehensive solution to all your image editing challenges.

Krita stands out as a powerful, entirely FREE and open-source painting software aimed at artists who prioritize accessibility in their creative tools. Developed collaboratively by a community of artists, it boasts an intuitive interface that integrates smoothly into your artistic workflow. The capability to customize dockers and panels enables users to adapt the workspace according to their specific preferences, and once you establish your ideal setup, you can save it for future projects. Furthermore, you have the option to create personalized shortcuts for tools you frequently use, which significantly boosts your productivity. With more than 100 high-quality brushes available from the outset, Krita offers an extensive range of effects for you to experiment with and refine. Should you find your hand movements to be unsteady, Krita's stabilizer feature can help enhance your brush strokes, presenting three distinct methods for smoothing and stabilization. In addition, the specialized Dynamic Brush tool allows artists to manipulate drag and mass within their creations, giving them an added dimension of control. Comic artists will appreciate the built-in vector tools, which simplify the process of designing comic panels; users can effortlessly select a word bubble template from the vector library and drag it onto their canvas, customizing it by adjusting anchor points to create unique shapes. This versatility makes Krita suitable for a wide array of artistic styles and projects. Overall, the program's comprehensive features cater to both beginners and seasoned artists, promising a rich and rewarding creative journey that encourages exploration and innovation.

GrafX2 is a bitmap painting tool that takes cues from the Amiga programs Deluxe Paint and Brilliance. Designed specifically for the creation of 256-color images, it comes equipped with a wide range of tools and effects that cater to pixel art, game graphics, and detailed designs made with a mouse. While it was mainly developed for operating systems such as Haiku, Linux, and Windows, it also provides compatibility with other platforms, enhancing its accessibility. The combination of its versatility and rich feature set contributes to its popularity among digital artists who aim to produce intricate pixel-based creations. Additionally, the application's user-friendly interface encourages both beginners and experienced artists to explore their creativity.

Aseprite stands out as a robust application specifically created for developing 2D animations that cater to the needs of video game developers, enabling the creation of everything from intricate sprites to pixel art that harkens back to the beloved 8-bit and 16-bit gaming nostalgia. This software incorporates a color mode that specifies the permissible number of colors for an image, enforcing a key regulation: all images within a sprite must adhere to the same color mode, thus prohibiting the combination of RGB and Indexed images. Moreover, it features a multi-layer system accessible via the Timeline, differentiating between a singular background layer for opaque sprites and numerous transparent layers that can exist together within a single sprite. In addition to this, Aseprite allows for the inclusion of animation frames, with each frame assigned a specific duration that dictates its visibility during playback. To further optimize the workflow, Aseprite offers a command-line interface (CLI) for seamless integration into asset pipelines, enabling developers to efficiently manage multiple animations stored within a single texture atlas, thereby simplifying the animation process. As a result, Aseprite proves to be an indispensable tool for creators aiming to bring captivating and visually striking 2D animations to life in their projects. Its versatility ensures that both novice and experienced artists can find value in its extensive features, making it a go-to choice in the realm of 2D animation.

Cutting-edge image tools tailored for today's professionals. This comprehensive platform offers a wide range of popular image features in an incredibly user-friendly manner. With a simple click, your images are enhanced for effortless sharing and storage, while retaining their original quality. Our secure cloud service compresses your images and guarantees their deletion once you complete your download. Designed to work with all devices and operating systems, our tool efficiently optimizes images for various platforms. The intuitive user interface allows you to convert any image into ASCII art in just three easy steps. You only need to drag and drop your image to receive the converted file instantly on your device. Moreover, a web-based image splitter is offered for various devices, ensuring compatibility whether you're using an Apple iPhone, Android phone, or any Windows, Mac, Linux, PC, tablet, or laptop; it functions smoothly without any lag. Additionally, the user-friendly interface streamlines the pixel art conversion process, enabling you to upload an image, wait briefly, and then download your pixel art effortlessly. In summary, this innovative platform transforms the image processing experience for professionals by merging efficiency with simplicity, making it an essential tool for anyone in need of quick and effective image solutions.

PikoPixel is a free and open-source program tailored for Mac users, enabling the creation and alteration of pixel-art graphics with ease. It boasts an array of user-friendly features, such as unlimited undo capabilities, the ability to work with multiple layers, and a customizable canvas background. Users can also access hotkey-based popup panels, export high-resolution images, and utilize color blending in linear (gamma-correct) space. Its intuitive design ensures that it caters to the needs of both novice artists and seasoned professionals. This versatility makes PikoPixel a valuable tool in the realm of pixel art creation.