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Design · head to head

PaintTool SAI vs Sourcegraph

P

PaintTool SAI

Design

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From
5500/month
Free plan
No
Visit PaintTool SAIFull review
Sourcegraph logo

Sourcegraph

Developer Tools

Code search and intelligence platform for large codebases with Cody AI assistant

From
$16000/year
Free plan
No
Visit SourcegraphFull review

The short version

  • Sourcegraph is an enterprise code intelligence platform.
  • PaintTool SAI starts at JPY 5500/mo, Sourcegraph at $16000/yr.
  • Where PaintTool SAI falls short: windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.
  • Where Sourcegraph falls short: enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where PaintTool SAI and Sourcegraph differ
AttributePaintTool SAISourcegraph
Starting price5500/month$16000/year
Pricing modelOne-timeSubscription
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: free tier (No).

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 Sourcegraph

Nothing recorded that PaintTool SAI does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

PaintTool SAI

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

Sourcegraph

  • Large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositoriesnot PaintTool SAI
  • Enterprise governance and code ownership trackingnot PaintTool SAI
  • AI-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detectionnot PaintTool SAI
  • Onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebasesnot PaintTool SAI
  • Regulatory compliance and code audit trailsnot 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

Sourcegraph

  • Enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • No free tier or standard plan published; all options require custom sales engagement
  • Complex enterprise-only positioning limits adoption compared to GitHub Copilot's pervasiveness
  • Requires indexing entire codebase; not suitable for small or ephemeral projects

Pricing, plan by plan

PaintTool SAI

5500/month
  • Standard License$5,500/mo
    • Perpetual license
    • All 1.x.x minor updates
    • Free upgrade path to version 2

Sourcegraph

$16000/year
  • Enterprise$16,000/yr
    • Scales with team size
    • Credits for AI features per user
    • Deep Search

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 Sourcegraph if

  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
Sourcegraph review

Questions people ask

Is PaintTool SAI or Sourcegraph better?
Neither clearly leads. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month and Sourcegraph at $16000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PaintTool SAI or Sourcegraph?
PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month and Sourcegraph at $16000/year.
Does PaintTool SAI or Sourcegraph run on more platforms?
PaintTool SAI runs on Windows. Sourcegraph runs on Web, Self-hosted.
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 Sourcegraph is typically brought in for.
What can PaintTool SAI do that Sourcegraph cannot?
PaintTool SAI covers Pressure-Sensitive Tablet Support, Anti-Aliased Brushes, 16-bit ARGB Color Channels, Lightweight Performance.

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
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
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
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