The best drawing apps, according to Hacker News commenters
6 drawing apps were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and October 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
On Hacker News, the most recommended drawing app that earns the badge is Krita: 69 people recommended it, 6 had mixed feelings and 10 criticized it between November 2025 and October 2026. Next is Procreate (19 recommend, 3 mixed, 0 criticize), most often for “Good for drawing and illustration”.
Top picks
The two most recommended drawing apps with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsMixed feelingsCriticizes One comment
Modern, consistent user interface
“Blender and Krita seem to give UX a higher priority, so they're more likely to catch on.”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “Blender 5.0” Free, open source painting app praised for its modern interface, strong brush engine and stability. The common caveat is that it is mostly aimed at digital illustration and falls short of Photoshop for professional work.
Good for drawing and illustration
“It's great for drawing / painting using Apple Pencil and software like ProCreate.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4” Well-regarded iPad painting and drawing app that works well with Apple Pencil and suits novices; some people note its files can get heavy.
All 6 drawing apps, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Mixed counts the people with mixed feelings, who count toward neither side. Approval share is recommenders out of recommenders and critics; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 12, in which someone recommended it. Had for is the median time people say they have had or used it, shown when 10 or more said.
| Rank | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krita | 69 | 6 | 10 | 87% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Aseprite | 22 | 4 | 3 | 88% | 6 | — | — |
| 3 | Procreate | 19 | 3 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 4 | LibreSprite | 6 | 3 | 4 | 60% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | LibreOffice Draw | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Clip Studio Paint | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment between November 2025 and October 2026. Someone who praises the same drawing app in five threads counts once, in the column of their latest opinion.
A drawing app earns the badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.
Counts come from Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 3 Nov 2026. How it works