KritaLinux
vs
MS PaintWindows
Krita as a Linux alternative to MS Paint
Updated
Our verdict
Krita can replace MS Paint for users who need more than the bare‑bones drawing tools that Paint offers. It handles all the file formats Paint supports, provides brushes, layers, and colour‑space options, and runs natively on Linux. However, its interface and feature set are far richer, so casual users who only want a quick doodle may find it heavyweight. For hobbyists, students, or anyone who wants to grow into more advanced digital art, Krita is a solid, free alternative.
- License
- GPL-3.0-only
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 5.3.4.1 (October 7, 2026)
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Can open and save BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF
- Basic drawing tools such as brush, pencil, and shape tools
- Text insertion capability
- Simple cropping and image resizing
What is different
- Krita adds layers, masks, and vector layers – missing in Paint
- Advanced brush engine and colour‑space support (CMYK, HDR) are not in Paint
- No dedicated two‑color mode; Krita works in full colour
- Interface is more complex and may be slower to launch than Paint
Opening your MS Paint files
Krita opens all the raster formats that MS Paint uses (BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF) without issue, and it can export back to the same formats. There is no native .paint file format, so if you have legacy Paint files saved in a proprietary container, you would need to open them in Paint on Windows first or convert them to a supported raster format.
Switching from MS Paint to Krita, step by step
- Install Krita from your distro’s repository or via Flatpak/AppImage.
- Launch Krita and set the default colour profile to sRGB for compatibility.
- Open your existing BMP/PNG/JPEG files to verify they display correctly.
- Adjust the canvas size or crop using the Image → Crop tool if needed.
- Save or export the edited image back to BMP, PNG, or JPEG for use in other Windows programs.
Key features of Krita
- Advanced brush engine with dozens of preset brushes
- Full CMYK, RGB, and HDR color space support
- Layer groups, masks, and vector layers
- HDR painting and 16/32‑bit float channels
- Resource manager for brushes, gradients, and palettes
- Python scripting for custom tools
- Docker panels for quick access to tools and filters
- Export to PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and OpenRaster
How to install Krita on Linux
flatpak install flathub org.kde.kritasudo apt install kritasudo apt install kritasudo dnf install kritasudo pacman -S kritasudo zypper install kritaFrequently asked questions
Can I use Krita for quick sketches like I did with Paint?
Yes, but you’ll need to close the extra panels you don’t need; the canvas and brush tools work fine for fast doodles.
Is Krita’s performance acceptable on low‑end hardware?
Krita is heavier than Paint; on very old machines it may feel sluggish, especially with large brushes or multiple layers.
Do I lose any features when saving from Krita to BMP for use in Paint?
When exporting to BMP, Krita flattens layers and discards any alpha channel, which matches Paint’s capabilities.
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