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Design · head to head

Krita vs RAD Studio

Krita logo

Krita

Design

Free and open-source digital painting software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit KritaFull review
RAD Studio logo

RAD Studio

Developer Tools

Cross-platform native app development with Delphi and C++Builder

From
$2000/perpetual
Free plan
No
Visit RAD StudioFull review

The short version

  • Krita is a professional free and open-source painting program; RAD Studio is a cross-platform IDE.
  • Krita is free; RAD Studio starts at $2000/mo.
  • Where Krita falls short: not portable across Windows/macOS/Linux with consistent performance.
  • Where RAD Studio falls short: professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Krita and RAD Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Krita and RAD Studio differ
AttributeKritaRAD Studio
Starting priceFree$2000/perpetual
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Krita, founded for RAD Studio.

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 RAD Studio

Nothing recorded that Krita does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Krita

  • Digital paintingnot RAD Studio
  • Concept artnot RAD Studio
  • Character designnot RAD Studio
  • 2D animationnot RAD Studio
  • Texture paintingnot RAD Studio

RAD Studio

  • Building Windows desktop applications with VCL componentsnot Krita
  • Creating iOS and Android apps from shared Delphi codebasenot Krita
  • Connecting to Oracle databases through FireDAC connectivitynot Krita
  • Building REST web services that run on Linux serversnot 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

RAD Studio

  • Professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Enterprise edition steps up to $3,400 license plus $1,199 maintenance, and Architect edition to $4,416 license plus $2,183 maintenance
  • The perpetual license only entitles the buyer to updates for one year; continued access to new updates and upgrades requires an annually renewable Update Subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Krita

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Krita review.

RAD Studio

$2000/perpetual
  • Professional Edition$2,000 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $599
    • Total $2,599 + Tax
  • Enterprise Edition$3,400 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $1,199
    • Total $4,599 + Tax
  • Architect Edition$4,416 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $2,183
    • Total $6,599 + Tax

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 RAD Studio if

Nothing in the data separates RAD Studio from Krita on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

RAD Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Krita or RAD Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Krita starts at Free and RAD Studio at $2000/perpetual, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Krita or RAD Studio?
Krita has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Krita and $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio.
Does Krita or RAD Studio run on more platforms?
Krita runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. RAD Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Krita for free?
Yes. Krita has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
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 RAD Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Krita do that RAD Studio cannot?
Krita covers Digital painting, Brush engines, Layer management, Animation.

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
RAD Studio: How much does RAD Studio cost?

RAD Studio uses perpetual licensing: Professional Edition $2,000 perpetual license + $599 first year maintenance ($2,599 total + tax). Enterprise Edition $3,400 license + $1,199 maintenance ($4,599 total + tax). Architect Edition $4,416 license + $2,183 maintenance ($6,599 total + tax).

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
RAD Studio: What is the difference between RAD Studio editions?

Professional Edition ($2,599 total + tax) targets individual developers. Enterprise Edition ($4,599 total + tax) adds multi-tier app capabilities. Architect Edition ($6,599 total + tax) includes advanced database and cloud features. All three include perpetual licenses.

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
RAD Studio: Does RAD Studio offer Kai AI integration and discounts?

Yes, adding Kai AI to any edition provides discounts: 25% off Professional ($2,136 + tax), 30% off Enterprise ($3,394 + tax), and 40% off Architect ($4,109 + tax). This promotion is active through August 31, 2026.

Source
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