Softwr

Design · head to head

PaintTool SAI vs Photopea

P

PaintTool SAI

Design

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From
5500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Photopea logo

Photopea

Design

Free online photo editor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Photopea has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.; Photopea performance becomes sluggish and prone to crashes with high-resolution images or multi-layered files
  • They diverge on capability: PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Photopea covers Photo editing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PaintTool SAI and Photopea actually diverge.

Attributes where PaintTool SAI and Photopea differ
AttributePaintTool SAIPhotopea
Starting price5500/monthFree
Pricing modelone-timeUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformswindowsWeb
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design).

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 PaintTool SAI

  • Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support
  • Anti-Aliased Brushes
  • 16-bit ARGB Color Channels
  • Lightweight Performance
  • Crash Data Protection

Only in Photopea

  • Photo editing
  • PSD compatibility
  • Layer support
  • Selection tools
  • Filters and effects
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • Adobe fonts

What people use each for

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

PaintTool SAI

  • Digital illustration and manga artnot Photopea
  • Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot Photopea
  • Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot Photopea
  • Character and concept art sketchingnot Photopea

Photopea

  • Quick photo editsnot PaintTool SAI
  • PSD file editingnot PaintTool SAI
  • Web designnot PaintTool SAI
  • Social media graphicsnot PaintTool SAI

Where each one falls short

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

PaintTool SAI

  • Windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
  • Only supports 32-bit operation, lacking modern 64-bit performance benefits.
  • Lacks the advanced brush engine customization and layer effects found in tools like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.
  • No cloud sync or mobile app, unlike many modern illustration tools.

Photopea

  • Performance becomes sluggish and prone to crashes with high-resolution images or multi-layered files
  • Risk of losing work due to browser crashes or save failures
  • Aggressive advertising that can slow down the entire computer
  • No local installation option, always requires browser access
  • Basic file organization and version tracking compared to professional tools

Pricing, plan by plan

PaintTool SAI

5500/month
  • Standard License$5500/month
    • Perpetual license
    • All 1.x.x minor updates
    • Free upgrade path to version 2

Photopea

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Photopea review.

Which should you pick?

Choose PaintTool SAI if

  • You need pressure-sensitive tablet support.
  • You work on windows.
  • You also want anti-aliased brushes.
PaintTool SAI review

Choose Photopea if

  • You need photo editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want psd compatibility.
Photopea review

Questions people ask

Is PaintTool SAI or Photopea better?
Neither clearly leads. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month and Photopea at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PaintTool SAI or Photopea?
Photopea has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at 5500/month for PaintTool SAI and Free for Photopea.
Does PaintTool SAI or Photopea run on more platforms?
PaintTool SAI runs on windows. Photopea runs on Web.
Can I use Photopea for free?
Yes. Photopea has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month.
What is PaintTool SAI best used for?
PaintTool SAI is most often used for digital illustration and manga art, line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pens, lightweight painting on lower-spec computers, character and concept art sketching. Of those, digital illustration and manga art and line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pens are not what Photopea is typically brought in for.
What can PaintTool SAI do that Photopea cannot?
PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance. Photopea covers Photo editing, PSD compatibility, Layer support, Selection tools.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PaintTool SAI: Is there a free trial for PaintTool SAI?

Yes, PaintTool SAI offers a 31-day free trial with full functionality before requiring purchase of a license.

Source
Photopea: Is Photopea free to use?

Yes, Photopea is completely free and supported by ads displayed within the browser. No subscription or payment is required to use the full feature set.

Source
PaintTool SAI: What does the license cover?

The one-time 5,500 JPY purchase provides a perpetual license covering all minor updates within version 1.x.x; a major version 2 upgrade is offered for free.

Source
Photopea: Does Photopea support Photoshop PSD files?

Yes, Photopea fully supports Photoshop PSD files including layers, masks, text, and effects. It can read and export files back to PSD, PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, or GIF format.

Source
PaintTool SAI: What operating systems are supported?

PaintTool SAI runs on Windows XP through Windows 11, but only in 32-bit mode, requiring at least a 450MHz Pentium processor and 256MB of RAM.

Source
Photopea: What platforms does Photopea run on?

Photopea is a web-based editor accessible through any modern browser including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. It can be added to desktop as a shortcut or Chrome extension.

Source
Photopea: Does Photopea upload my files to servers?

No. Photopea processes images entirely within your browser and does not upload files to external servers, keeping your work private and secure.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on PaintTool SAI

More on Photopea

Keep looking

Other head to heads