Anime Drawing Software (Best 15 Free and Paid)

When it comes to creating an amazing digital anime sketch, there’s no better way to do it than with the help of some great anime drawing software. But with so many different options on the market, it can be tough to know which one is right for you.

Don’t worry, though – we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’re going to take a look at 15 of the best anime and manga drawing software available. 

We’ll also discuss the different features and pros and cons of each program.

If you’re a beginner or an experienced anime painting artist and want to draw, you’ll find something here that meets your needs.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC – Anime Drawing Software

Adobe Photoshop CC is a leading, all under one roof software that has been put together for image editing, designing, and digital art.

It offers a wide variety of features for users to play with, an excellent user interface, and exceptional customizable options.

Photoshop CC is great for creating anime art, manga sketches, and illustrations.

Some of the features that make Photoshop CC great for anime art and manga sketches are the brushes, pencils, and eraser tools. 

There are a variety of brushes available that can create different textures and effects that allows you to draw.

The tools are also very customizable, so you can make them fit your own needs and preferences.

The anime drawing software also provides superb premium features like dodge, burn, spot healing, frequency separation, etc.

Key Features

1. Copy and paste layers
2. Graphic design and digital art
3. Photo editing and compositing
4. Advanced image retouching
5. Creative effects and filters
6. Variable fonts
7. Image analysis
8. 3D graphic design
9. Paint symmetry
10. Asset management
11. Raster and vector editing

Pros

• It can be used for simple images as well as complex designs.
• Allows compositing to make it possible to merge several images.
• Photoshop is user-friendly and has a wide range of filters, textures, and overlays.
• A versatile program used by professionals and amateurs.

Cons

• But can be expensive, depending on your needs.
• Some features are very complex and can be difficult to learn.
• Requires a lot of computer memory and processing power.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC IS A PAID-FOR PROGRAM. HOWEVER, A 7-DAY TRIAL FOR THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE.

Corel Painter 2023

Corel Painter is a great digital art software, especially for drawing manga and anime art.

Its wide range of premium features allows for creating superb anime sketches and digital anime art.

The software has a lot of features that are perfect for creating digital art, including a wide variety of brushes (both digital and traditional), paper textures, layers and blending modes.

Corel Painter 2023 also comes with colored pencils, chalk, watercolor, and pastels.

Key Features

1. A wide variety of paper patterns that perfectly complements the available brushes
2. Traditional media brushes allow for the creation of a unique and impressive piece of art.
3. A media library to help you get started.
4. Corel Painter software also provides you with an assortment of different paper textures to select from. So you can readily pick a paper texture that complements a specific drawing.

Pros

• The excellent color selection element.
• Natural media brushes and textures.
• Intuitive interface.
• Layers and blending modes.
• Customizable brush properties.

Cons

• But requires a good deal of practice to produce good results.
• The user interface is not very intuitive and can be confusing.
• The resource is GPU and RAM memory-intensive.

PAID SOFTWARE WITH A 15-DAYS FREE TRIAL.

Clip Studio Paint Pro – Anime Drawing Software

Clip Studio Paint Pro is one of the best available software for creating anime art and manga sketches.

It has many features that help you easily create professional-quality digital anime paintings and drawings.

The software consists of brushes, pens that leverage pen-pressure detection, and other tools such as pencils, lettering, screen tones, panel layout, and inking that you can use to create your masterpiece.

There are also a variety of filters and effects that you can apply to your work to give it that polished look.

Key Features

1. Stabilization setting that is crucial for anime and manga creators.
2. Supports high-resolution files of up to 10,000 layers.
3. A bucket tool that allows filling layers with a base color.
4. A limitless brush selection and other editing elements.

Pros

• Clip Studio Paint Pro is very affordable while providing great premium features.
• The program offers a wide range of features and allows users to customize their work to fit their needs.
• Supports cross-platform use
• The program has exceptional performance, with new features and improvements added all the time.

Cons

• The software can be a little overwhelming for beginners.
• However, clip Studio Paint Pro is not free.

CLIP STUDIO PRO IS AVAILABLE FOR A ONE-TIME PURCHASE AS WELL AS IN A MONTHLY USAGE PLAN.

Rebelle 6

Rebelle 6 has quickly become the go-to watercolor software for anime art and manga sketching.

The software has many features that make it easy to create beautiful, professional-looking wet and dry sketches and artwork.

With Rebelle 6, you can create traditional art that has a seamless touch of digital technology.

You can customize your drip size, amount of water to use, and blow length to create exceptional anime and manga art.

Rebelle 6 includes easy-to-use canvases, very realistic papers, and lithography stones.

These features allow manga and anime creators, including those who have little experience with drawing or graphic design, to test several backgrounds.

Key Features

1. A tilt option that allows you to adjust the direction of your paint colors.
2. A multi-touch user experience.
3. Magical watercolor simulation for anime and manga sketches.
4. A wide variety of brushes that allow for a ton of customizations.

Pros

• There are many different ways to customize your work, making it versatile.
• It has a wide range of tool features that work for different projects.
• Excellent performance.
• A very user-friendly interface.

Cons

• It is not possible to resize the canvas without delays in the simulations.
• However, export options are limited.

AVAILABLE IN STANDARD AND PRO PAID VERSIONS.

ArtRage – Anime Drawing Software

If you are looking for a fun and easy way to create anime art and manga sketches with some of the most realistic features, look no further than ArtRage.

This creative software application provides everything you need to start, from a wide range of digital brushes and painting tools to handy reference images and tutorials.

Thanks to its versatile features, you can turn simple natural media into hilarious and realistic manga characters!

Key Features

1. Highly customizable elements and features.
2. Natural painting brushes, rollers, and tubes.
3. Several layers, blend modes, and exceptional opacity adjustment.

Pros

• Allows for very realistic painting simulation.
• Customizable interface.
• Simple to use.

Cons

• Limited color palette.
• Can be difficult to get the proportions right for large canvases.

ARTRAGE IS ONE OF THE BEST SOFTWARE IN 2022 AND REQUIRES A ONE-OFF PAYMENT, AND HAS VARIOUS DIFFERENT PACKAGES AVAILABLE.

Systemax PaintTool SAI

Systemax PaintTool SAI is a Japanese anime art and manga painting software used by many professional and novice artists from around the world.

It’s a great program for creating detailed and intricate sketches with ease.

SAI is also great for adding color to your work and has a wide variety of brush sizes and textures to choose from.

Key Features

1. Watercolor and marker pen for creating traditional-art styles.
2. Supports custom brushes that are available to be downloaded from the web.
3. A layer tool that produces anime paintings with sharp edges and fine outlines.
4. Editable lines feature.

Pros

• PaintTool SAI is a lightweight and affordable painting software that is popular with digital artists that sketch anime.
• It offers a wide range of features and options for drawing and painting, including brushes, layers, and a selection of tools.
• SAI is easy to use and has a simple, uncluttered interface.
• 30- days free trial that allows you to test the software beforehand.

Cons

• The interface looks somewhat outdated.
• Lack some crucial tools compared to other software in the industry.

PAINTOOL SAI IS A PAID SOFTWARE IT’S AVAILABLE FOR A FREE 31 DAYS PERIOD TRIAL.

Krita – Anime Drawing Software

Krita is one of the best art software that is used for digital painting, animation, comics, and photo editing.

The open-source program was created with the idea of making it easy for artists to create beautiful and highly customizable artworks.

Krita has a lot of features that make it fun and easy to use, like built-in pre-designed tools and a variety of brushes that let you create any kind of effect you want.

Key Features

1. An excellent selection of brushes and filters enables manga artists to create highly artistic digital paintings.
2. Customizable painting and sketching features that allow for a personal touch in sketches and paintings.
3. Rendering features included allowing the creation of concept art and comics.

Pros

• Krita is open-source software with a wide variety of features that make it perfect for digital painting and sketching.
• Easily customizable and fun to use.
• The pre-designed tools help create anime artwork with a personal touch.

Cons

• Krita is still in development, which can lead to some inconsistency and instability issues, especially when it comes to touch controls.
• Its features are not as comprehensive as those of Photoshop.
• The software is not very text-friendly.

KRITA IS AN OPEN-SOURCE AND FREE-TO-USE SOFTWARE.

Smith Micro Manga Studio

If you’re looking for software made specifically for manga and anime artists and designers, look no further than Smith Micro Manga Studio.

It offers powerful manga drawing and painting tools, plus a wealth of other features that help you to create professional-grade comics and manga.

Key Features

1. Exceptional vector capabilities for crisp line work.
2. 3D characters creation capabilities thanks to its intelligent rules, color switches, and skin tones.
3. Customizable preset brushes suitable for all styles.

Pros

• All-in-one software for manga artists.
• Familiar and easy-to-use tools.
• Guides you through your scenes and characters.
• Has a wide variety of features.
• Can be used for both professional and personal anime projects.

Cons

• The Learning curve is pretty steep.
• The interface is clunky.
• Software is not always stable.

THE SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE FOR A ONE-TIME PAYMENT.

Medibang Paint – Anime Drawing Software

MediBang Paint is software for creating comics, manga, and illustrations. It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for anyone to create amazing art.

Medibang Paint is a lightweight digital painting software with top-rated and premium features for creating digital anime art and manga sketches.

The software is packed with features that allow you to easily create high-quality sketches. You can choose from a variety of brushes, pens, cloud fonts, and other comic creation tools, and there is a range of options for adding text and effects to your sketches. You can also share your sketches online or save them for later use.

Key Features

1. A variety of brushes, layers, and text tools.
2. Pre-programmed backgrounds to get you started.
3. Drag and drop features that make it easy to edit your work.
4. Importing images and exporting comics features.

Pros

• Compatible with multiple devices – IOS, Mac OS X, Android, and Windows.
• There are a variety of brushes and tools available, as well as textures and filters.
• Easy to use and doesn’t require any prior experience or training.
• Easy to import and export files.

Cons

• The interface is not always intuitive.
• Can be slow and laggy due to ads.

MEDIBANG PAINT IS A FREE DRAWING SOFTWARE FOR DIGITAL PAINTING.

Autodesk Sketchbook

Autodesk Sketchbook is a digital sketchbook software for artists of all levels of experience.

It offers a variety of brushes and drawing tools to create beautiful anime art and manga sketches.

Sketchbook is easy to use and offers a lot of customization options. You can adjust the size, shape, and color of your brushes, as well as the opacity and flow.

The app also has a wide variety of built-in presets to help you get started.

Sketchbook is great for creating quick sketches and for, experimenting with new anime and creating manga sketches.

Key Features

1. A great collection of highly customizable brushes.
2. Transparent background.
3. Line-art import feature.
4. The superb radial symmetry technology.

Pros

• It’s easy to use and doesn’t require any prior experience or training.
• It has a wide variety of features and tools that you can use to create simple sketches as well as professional-grade sketches and designs.
• It’s perfect for artists, designers, and anyone else who wants to create digital art.

Cons

• Limited tools and features.
• Not so good for detailed drawings or illustrations.

ALTHOUGH PREVIOUSLY A PAID SOFTWARE, AUTODESK SKETCHBOOK IS NOW FREE FOR INDIVIDUAL USE.

Affinity Designer – Anime Drawing Software

If you’re looking for effective and highly accurate art software, Affinity Designer is the go-to option.

It’s crammed full of features that will help you quickly and easily create stunning, professional-quality artwork.

Affinity Designer boasts a huge range of features, including font bundles, a full library of brushes and pens, stabilization options, and more.

It’s also lightning-fast and very easy to use, making it perfect for anime artists of all levels of experience.

Key Features

1. Top-tier zoom capabilities.
2. A wide range of customizable options.
3. It provides a ton of shape-drawing tools as well as vector support.
4. Supports real-time adjustments.

Pros

• Affinity Designer is relatively easy to use.
• Great customization options for the much-needed personal touch on anime art.
• It has a wide range of features, including a variety of brushes and filters that allow you to create complex artwork.

Cons

• Not very intuitive and takes some time to get used to for starters.

AVAILABLE FOR A ONE-TIME PAYMENT.

Artweaver

If you’re an anime artist or manga sketch enthusiast, Artweaver offers a perfect full-featured software and painting tool for you!

It’s packed with features that will help you unleash your creative potential and produce amazing works of anime art.

Artweaver lets you create and edit anime art and manga sketches with ease.

You can choose from a variety of brushes, adjust their size and opacity, and blend colors to create realistic effects.

Key Features

1. Highly customizable brushes.
2. A customizable user interface.
3. Supports high-DPI display.
4. A great library of image editing tools.
5. Exceptional image and effect filters.

Pros

• It has a user-friendly interface that is easy to learn and use.
• A wide range of features, including a variety of brushes and filters, allow you to create complex artwork.
• It can be used for both digital and traditional art.

Cons

• Some brushes and tools are difficult to use.
• It can be slow on older computers.

ARTWEAVER HAS A FREE VERSION AND PLUS VERSION (PAID) OPTION.

PGN openCanvas – Anime Drawing Software

PGN openCanvas is a digital drawing and painting software that helps you create anime art and manga sketches.

Available in both Japanese and English language, PGN openCanvas is packed with features to make the creative process easier and more fun.

openCanvas has a wide variety of brushes (watercolor and raster-based), pen brushes, and other tools to help you create your masterpiece.

The software also includes layering options that give your work that extra bit of pizzazz. You can even add text and create comics with openCanvas.

Key Features

1. Easy to use menus and thumbnail panels.
2. A wide range of editable brushes and paper textures to choose from.
3. An event log that helps you keep track of your activities.

Pros

• It is a great way to improve your productivity and create great content.
• It is easy to use thanks to its intuitive hardware.
• You can keep a record of your work and go back to it whenever you want.
• It’s a well-rounded Manga software.

Cons

• PGN openCanvas can be buggy and unstable at times.
• CPU-intensive.

YOU NEED TO PAY TO DOWNLOAD PGN OPENCANVAS, BUT THERE’S ALSO A FREE TRIAL.

Paintstorm Studio

Designed for seasoned anime digital painting artists, Paintstorm Studio is a creative and easy-to-use anime drawing software for painting and drawing anime art, manga sketches, and illustrations.

With its simple and intuitive interface, Paintstorm Studio is one of the top drawing software, making it easy to unleash your creativity.

The software has an extensive array of customizable brushes that will help you create beautiful anime art and manga sketches.

Key Features

1. A dynamic user interface with unmatchable custom panels.
2. Super customizable brushes that you can use to paint anything you want.
3. Create layers and symmetry tools to create a more detailed artwork.
4. Special effects that help you achieve a more polished look.

Pros

• Paintstorm Studio is a fun and easy to use painting software with a wide variety of features.
• Paintstorm Studio offers a wide range of customizable options to create truly unique pieces of art.
• Suitable for beginners.

Cons

• The app can be buggy and unreliable at times.
• The file-saving options are limited.
• The app can be resource-intensive.

PAINTSTORM STUDIO IS AVAILABLE FOR A ONE-TIME FEE.

YouiDraw Drawing – Anime Drawing Software

YouiDraw is a great online digital anime drawing software that enables users to create anime art and manga sketches.

This online digital art tool has a user-friendly interface that makes it fun and easy to use, even for people who have no prior experience in drawing.

YouiDraw also offers a wide range of features and tools that allow users to create truly amazing sketches with great detail and realism.

In addition, the drawing tool provides an extensive library of pre-made templates and characters that users can choose from to get started.

Key Features

1. Cloud Drive integration that allows you to open existing files from Google Drive and Dropbox.
2. A ton of shapes customization tools.
3. Top of the pack vector graphic effects and freehand drawing tools.
4. A great collection of vector shapes and lights.

Pros

• YouiDraw is a fun and easy way to create digital art.
• There are a variety of tools and features to help you express your style and creativity.
• It is an online tool that allows you to create designs in various environments.

Cons

• It can be hard to create a good piece of art without upgrading to a paid plan.
• Limited cloud storage.

YOU CAN USE THIS SOFTWARE FOR FREE, AND THERE’S PAID VERSION FOR YOUIDRAW.

Conclusion

Anime drawing software is a great way to create your anime characters and scenes. There are several different programs available, each with its strengths and weaknesses.

We compared fifteen of the best anime drawing software programs in this article.

Feel free to test several options and determine what will suit your anime digital art and manga sketching style and creativity!

Why not see what Anime apps you can use on the go Best Manga and Anime Drawing App

Please leave a comment below letting me know your favorite Anime drawing software you prefer.