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PaintTool SAI vs Toon Boom Harmony

PaintTool SAI logo

PaintTool SAI

Software

Lightweight digital painting and illustration software for Windows

From
5500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Toon Boom Harmony logo

Toon Boom Harmony

Software

Creating worlds of Animation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: PaintTool SAI windows-only software with no native Mac or Linux version.; Toon Boom Harmony licensing is subscription only across Essentials, Advanced and Premium tiers, with no perpetual license option offered on the pricing page

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PaintTool SAI and Toon Boom Harmony actually diverge.

Attributes where PaintTool SAI and Toon Boom Harmony differ
AttributePaintTool SAIToon Boom Harmony
Starting price5500/monthOn request
PlatformswindowsWeb

Identical on both: pricing model (one-time), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Toon Boom Harmony

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 Toon Boom Harmony
  • Line art and inking with pressure-sensitive pensnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Lightweight painting on lower-spec computersnot Toon Boom Harmony
  • Character and concept art sketchingnot Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom Harmony

No use cases recorded yet. See the Toon Boom Harmony review.

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.

Toon Boom Harmony

  • Licensing is subscription only across Essentials, Advanced and Premium tiers, with no perpetual license option offered on the pricing page
  • Access beyond the 14 day free trial requires purchasing a subscription through the shop

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

Toon Boom Harmony

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Toon Boom Harmony 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 Toon Boom Harmony if

Nothing in the data separates Toon Boom Harmony from PaintTool SAI on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Toon Boom Harmony review

Questions people ask

Is PaintTool SAI or Toon Boom Harmony better?
Neither clearly leads. PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month and Toon Boom Harmony at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PaintTool SAI or Toon Boom Harmony?
PaintTool SAI starts at 5500/month and Toon Boom Harmony at On request.
Does PaintTool SAI or Toon Boom Harmony run on more platforms?
PaintTool SAI runs on windows. Toon Boom Harmony runs on Web.
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 Toon Boom Harmony is typically brought in for.
What can PaintTool SAI do that Toon Boom Harmony 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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