Softwr

Design · head to head

Krita vs PyCharm

Krita logo

Krita

Design

Free and open-source digital painting software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit KritaFull review
PyCharm logo

PyCharm

Developer Tools

The IDE for Professional Python Development

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit PyCharmFull review

The short version

  • Krita is a professional free and open-source painting program; PyCharm is a dedicated Python Integrated Development Environment.
  • Krita is free; PyCharm starts at $24.9/mo.
  • Only Krita lists digital painting; only PyCharm lists intelligent code editor.
  • Where Krita falls short: not portable across Windows/macOS/Linux with consistent performance.
  • Where PyCharm falls short: exact pricing for Pro edition not available on homepage.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Krita and PyCharm actually diverge.

Attributes where Krita and PyCharm differ
AttributeKritaPyCharm
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools
Founded19992010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Krita.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Krita

  • Digital painting
  • Brush engines
  • Layer management
  • Animation
  • Vector tools
  • OpenEXR
  • PSD files
  • Graphics tablets

Only in PyCharm

  • Intelligent code editor
  • Smart code navigation
  • Fast and safe refactorings
  • Debugging and testing
  • VCS integration
  • Scientific development tools
  • Web development support
  • Database tools

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Krita

  • Digital paintingnot PyCharm
  • Concept artnot PyCharm
  • Character designnot PyCharm
  • 2D animationnot PyCharm
  • Texture paintingnot PyCharm

PyCharm

  • Python developmentnot Krita
  • Data science projectsnot Krita
  • Web developmentnot Krita
  • Machine learningnot Krita
  • Scientific computingnot Krita

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Krita

  • Not portable across Windows/macOS/Linux with consistent performance
  • Performance limits on large projects with many layers compared to professional software
  • Requires system administrator privileges for installation on managed systems
  • Limited professional support compared to commercial alternatives

PyCharm

  • Exact pricing for Pro edition not available on homepage
  • Community edition free but limited to open-source projects only
  • Professional edition pricing requires visiting buy page

Pricing, plan by plan

Krita

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Krita review.

PyCharm

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Intelligent Python editor
    • Graphical debugger and test runner
    • Navigation and refactoring
  • Professional$24.9/mo
    • Everything in Community
    • Web development frameworks
    • Database tools

Which should you pick?

Choose Krita if

  • You need digital painting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want brush engines.
Krita review

Choose PyCharm if

  • You need intelligent code editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want smart code navigation.
PyCharm review

Questions people ask

Is Krita or PyCharm better?
Neither clearly leads. Krita starts at Free and PyCharm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Krita or PyCharm?
Krita starts at Free and PyCharm at Free.
Does Krita or PyCharm run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Krita for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Krita best used for?
Krita is most often used for digital painting, concept art, character design, 2d animation. Of those, digital painting and concept art are not what PyCharm is typically brought in for.
What can Krita do that PyCharm cannot?
Krita covers Digital painting, Brush engines, Layer management, Animation. PyCharm covers Intelligent code editor, Smart code navigation, Fast and safe refactorings, Debugging and testing. Both handle Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Krita: Is Krita free and open source?

Yes, Krita is completely free and open source software developed by the KDE community. It is distributed under the LGPL license with no licensing fees.

Source
PyCharm: How much does PyCharm cost?

PyCharm offers a free Community edition plus a Professional edition with a one-month free trial of Pro features included. Exact Pro pricing is available on JetBrains' buy page.

Source
Krita: What platforms does Krita support?

Krita is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can be downloaded from krita.org or installed via package managers on Linux distributions.

Source
PyCharm: Is there a free version of PyCharm?

Yes, PyCharm Community Edition is completely free. All new downloads also include one month of PyCharm Professional included free.

Source
Krita: What animation capabilities does Krita have?

Krita supports frame-by-frame animation with onion skin view, timeline management, and export to video formats for creating animated sequences.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Krita

More on PyCharm

Keep looking

Other head to heads