We live within the golden age of digital artists. There are numerous right, both free and paid tools out there that their skills or imagination merely limits a digital artist. That being said, since there are multiple best drawing programs available for PC and Mac that as a digital artist, it’s become paramount to start with the proper tool for you because it is going to be hard to modify to a replacement tool within the end of the day. You’ll roll in the hay; on the other hand, you’d have wasted countless hours of labor you’ve got invested in learning the present tool. To assist you in selecting the most straightforward digital art tool for you, we are bringing an inventory of the 20 best drawing programs for PC and Mac you should inspect in 2020.
Note: If you’re a Chromebook user, inspect our separate article on the best drawing apps for Chromebook.
Table of Contents
The Best Drawing Programs for PC and Mac (2020)
For an artist, a tool may be a huge asset. And thus, choosing the proper asset becomes indispensable for both the flow and, therefore, the imagination.
What kind of Drawing Software do you have to Choose?
When I’m still stepping into the groove of something, I would like to encounter minimal complexities and wish to concentrate more on getting an honest hang of the core techniques. Therefore, the minimal interface, including the easy-to-master tools, becomes a requirement. So, if you’ve got just began to sketch your imagination, I might recommend you to travel for the pretty lightweight app and designed to form drawing a smooth-sailing affair.
What if you’re already a pro? You almost certainly already know what kind of tools work best for you and what can add the missing wings to your creative fancy. However, the one little tip that I might wish to offer is never to accompany the testing of the drawing apps with pre-occupied thoughts supported what others have said/written about. Maybe the tool that others have written off might end up to be the much-needed shot within the arm for your pro-grade drawing. Now that the talking is over let’s get on with a sketching.
1. Adobe Photoshop
We will start our lists with the de facto drawing device that the majority of designers have heard of and use on a day today. Adobe Photoshop is perhaps the best drawing program, and it gives you access to many different brushes with a high degree of control over your strokes, smoothness of the bushes, and a superb preset panel, which makes it very easy to arrange your beloved brushes in one place. Adobe Photoshop is a one of the best digital drawings tools for creating packaging, banners, websites, icons, logos, and much more.
The apps not only allow you to start out with a totally blank canvas but also allows you to import your own images and use them as a start line to make your digital masterpiece. If you’re trying to find something that’s mainstream and dominant, look no further than Adobe Photoshop. Also, if you’re trying to find free software that will replace Adobe Photoshop, click on the link to see them out.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free Trial, $20.99/month
2. Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is additionally one of the best drawing programs for Mac users who don’t want to pay subscription-based pricing and still be ready to perform at their highest. The app brings complete graphic design solutions for all of your needs. My favorite things about Affinity Designer is that each one of its tools and features is built, keeping end-users in mind. Meaning they’re easy to access and straightforward to find out and use. With Affinity Designer, you’ll create illustrations, icons, branding materials, printing projects, mockups, and more. The app also supports non-destructive operations, which provides it a foothold over its competitors. you’ll get of these features and more for just a one-time payment fee.
Supported Platforms: Mac
Price: Free Trial ,$49.99
3. Autodesk Sketchbook
For an extended time, AutoDesk Sketchbook has been one of the best drawing programs on a Mac or PC, and it still is that the same. What’s even good is that the program is now wholly liberal to use. That change has make this the best free dragon program for each designer out there. Whether you’re a designer, an illustrator, or an animator, Sketchbook will assist you not only to improve your skills but also to create fantastic art once you’re spending a while thereon. My favorite features of the Sketchbook is its minimalistic UI, which dissolves out of your way once you are literally creating your piece.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free
4. Corel Painter 2020
Another useful gizmof for designers, illustrators, and digital artists is that the Corel Painter 2020, which brings a plethora of tools to assist you in getting the work done. Corel Painter markets itself as a device for pros created by the pros. Fortunately, that description isn’t far away from reality. You get an enormous selection of brushes (more than 900), exclusive particles, pattern pens, thick paintbrushes, and far more. Corel Painter is supported by it is a massive library of video tutorials, which is great for any artist to urge to start. That being said, if ou’s a beginner, you’ll find it harder to use. But, if you plan to form this your career, it’s not a nasty move to start out with a tool that you simply can apply for the next 20 years. If you’re trying to find the most straightforward drawing programs, I suggest you are trying Corel Painter.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Cost: Free Trial,, $229 for the users who had purchased a license for any previous version and $429 for brand spanking new users
5. Adobe Illustrator
While Photoshop may be a competent tool for designers, if you’re trying to find the drawing programs for vector design, Adobe Illustrator is what you ought to be using. Many thousands of designers and artists use Illustrator CC to make everything from web icons and merchandise packaging to book illustrations and billboards. That alone may be a testament to Illustrator’s features. With Illustrator, you’ll get all the tools that you simply got to turn simple shapes and colors into sophisticated logos, icons, and graphics. Since you’re working with vector graphics here, your artwork can scale anywhere from a little smartphone to an ad. you furthermore may get access to gorgeous typography and freehand drawing tools. Illustrator is undoubtedly a drawing programs you ought to inspect.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free Trial, $20.99/month
6. Krita
If you’re trying to find one of the best drawing programs that’s free and open-source, and brings all the professional tools at your disposal, look no further than Krita. Krita is employed by designers everywhere the planet to make concept art, comics, illustrations, and more. While all the different above-mentioned drawing programs focus more on illustrations, Krita is more geared towards comics and concept artists. The app features an intuitive and customizable interface with excellent features like brush stabilizers, pop-up pallets, different brush engines, an in-depth resource manager, and more. If you’re into drawing art and comics, you ought to definitely check it out.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free
7. Inkscape
Another open source free and powerful drawing programs for creators is Inkscape. Whether you’re an illustrator, designer, web designer, or only someone who must create some vector imagery, Inkscape may be a great free tool for you. The program offers many features, including object creation, object manipulation, color selector, node editing, path conversion, multi-line text support, anti-aliased display, support for nearly all the main file formats, and more. An open-source app doesn’t recover from this. In fact, Inkscape is perhaps one of the best free drawing programs which will work as a sort of Illustrator alternative also.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Cost: Free
8. Clip Studio
Clip Studio is one of the best drawings programs for artists and illustrators who primarily work on manga. While it can b easily be used for standard illustrations and animations, it really excels once you are using the tool to make a manga. I mean, it is the official successors of Manga Studio and is suggested by all the main manga and comics creators around the world. The program offers features like advanced pen pressure detection for natural, realistic-looking pen strokes, decoration tools for the straightforward drawing of complex areas, vector layers, quick coloring, and more. If you propose to figure in either the manga or comic industry, this may be your buddy in your journey.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free Trial, starts at $49.99
9. Rebelle 3
Rebelle might be a one-of-a-kind paint software that allows you to create realistic watercolor, acrylic, wet and dry media artwork, using real-world colors blending wet diffusions and drying Developed by the artist Peter Blaškovič Rebelle 3 drawing programs was a created as a project to seek out out if it had been possible to make a paint program with the foremost natural painting tools. Well, the solution was a profound yes because the program is top-rated and quite influential. That being said, it’s not for everybody; instead, Rebelle 3 is aimed toward traditional painters and CG artists who want to require a dive into digital art with the skill set that they already possess. If you’re one among them, definitely check this app out.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Cost: Free Trial, $89.99
10. FireAlpaca
If you are a using an older PC or are merely trying to find a light-weight tool with some basic features, FireAlpaca is one of the best drawing programs for you. One of the simplest things about this software is that it’s quite light on resources, so people with older PCs also can make use of this app. While the many more compelling apps like Illustrator and Corel Painter offer plenty of features, they also require a quiet capable PC or Mac to run. On the opposite hand, FireAlpaca could be light on features in comparison to the heavyweights, but it also can smoothly run on older hardware. I found this to be an excellent device for beginners how cannot afford to shop for a secure PC or Mac. Also, the tool itself is totally freed from charge, so you don’t even get to spend a dime to urge started.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free
11. Leonardo
Another drawing programs that doesn’t require secure hardware to run is Leonardo. Like FireAlpaca, Leonardo is lights on resources and may run smoothly on years old Windows PC. The app works for sketching, painting, tracing, drawing, and whiteboarding. It offers the best to use and intuitive UI, which is extremely fast. Other features of the apps include perspective drawing gadget, infinite canvas, a powerful brush engine, and more. Leonardo is specially made for touch screen Windows tablets, which support digital pen inputs. So, if you’ve got one among those tablets and need to dive digital art a try, inspect Leonardo. Leonardo is specially made for touch screen Windows tablets, and touch screen computers, which support digital pen inputs.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free, $39
12. BlackInk
If you’re someone who wants to travel beyond traditional tools and need to experiment together with your art, then BlackInk is for you. The app offers a groundbreaking controller system that allows you to make and customize your own brushes. You’ll even customize existing brushes and paint an image that only you’ll imagine. Artists can sharing their brushes with the community so even before you begin, you’ll have access to thousands of customized brushes shared by other artists. The app is additionally very smooth and because it uses GPU rendering to offer fast performance. This is often an app for people that wish to experiment, and if you’re one, click on the link below to download it.
Supported Platforms: PC
Price:Free Trial Trial, $59.99
12. MediBang Paint
MediBang Paint may be a great drawing programs for manga and comics creators. The app offers various tools, including over 800 tones/backgrounds, brushes, over 50 brushes, and 20 fonts style. It’s an easy and powerful tool for people that are just getting started with their comics or manga creator’s journey and need a tool that may help them learn and improve. The app also offers cloud syncing across platforms. It provides apps for Windows, iPad, iPhone, and Android, and every one of your work is synced across devices. It’s a realistic option for a budding manga or comics creator.
Supported Platforms: PC
Price: Free
14. Paint 3D
If you’re just starting out and do the digital drawing programs on a non-professional basis, then Microsoft’s Paint 3D, which comes pre-installed on Windows devices, maybe a great option. The app offers plenty of different brushes and tools. It’s an excellent app for beginners who are just testing out the waters because it provides a best to know interface which is comfortable to navigate and work with. No matter your drawing skills, you’ll be ready to create good-looking 2D and 3D models of objects and shapes. As I said, this is often not a tool for you if you’re in the least serious about making your career in digital art, instead just for someone who just wants to pursue this is often a hobby or pass time activity.
Supported Platforms: PC
Price: Free
15. Artweaver
Artweaver maybe a drawing programs that will easily appeal to aspiring artists or those that are willing to urge an honest hang of drawing techniques. If you’re one among them, look no further than this handy drawing software. Probably, the most important highlight of this software is an intuitive interface that feels familiar right from the onset. Moreover, it’s an honest collection of readymade brushes that allow you to make impressive arts. Just just in case you would like to possess more control, you’ll also configure the comb system. Another notable features of Artweaver is the seamless collaboration that permits you to figure together with your teammates on a project in sync. On best of all, the software also allows you to record your work in order that you’ll take an in-depth check out how you set about your drawing and find out the issues that require to be eradicated.
Supported Platforms: PC
Price: Free, $47
16. ArtRage
If you favor possessing a variety of realistic painting tools to craft amazing arts, you would like to stay ArtRage in mind. From neatly designed pencils to grease painting brushes to fascinating watercolors, the software has checked off most essential boxes to form drawing a satisfying experience for both adults and youngsters. Furthermore it also allows you to fine tune all of your favorite tools for more flexibility. As for the user-interface, I feel ArtRage has kept everything minimal in order that getting an honest hang of the tools remains easy-going for you. But what has appealed to me the foremost during this drawing programs is that the appreciable network through handy tutorials and online community for getting the much-needed inspiration and tips.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: $79
17. PaintShop Pro/Ultimate
Though “PaintShop Pro/Ultimate” might not be as popular as a number of the popular drawing programs mentioned above, it’s quite efficient to allow you to design commendable arts. What makes it, so user friendly is that the ability to try to pretty much in three notable aspects: drawing, photo editing, and designing graphics. So, if you would like a reasonably good drawing software which will live up to your expectations altogether, these aspects, PaintShop is often worth taking a glance. Apart from featuring a substantial collection of tools, the software also boasts many plugins, which may go an extended way in adding the missing x-factor to your creativity.
Supported Platforms: PC
Price: Free trial, the professional version comes at $63.99, while the last word variant begins at Free trial
18. SketchUp
For the parents who are more inclined towards creating awesome 3D designs, SketchUp promises to be an excellent option. If that’s you, it’s to be your go-to pick. Featuring many professionally designed extensions at the disposal, you’d enjoy giving the proper shape to your ideas. If you don’t find the predefined tools interested enough, you’ll also customize them to fit into your taste better. What’s many more SketchUp allows you to share your creativity with your friends and collaborate with them seamlessly. In terms of pricings SketchUp offers a basic version for free of charge so that you’ll start directly. If you would like to unlock all the professional tools, you’ll get to spend $119/$299 countings on the features you open.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Cost: Free, $119/$299
19. Clip Studio Paint Pro
As an official who prefers natural brush feel, “Clip Studio Paint Pro” has looked quite promising to me for multiples reasons. First, the software comes with a fast brush engine that permits you to make beautiful arts with desired precision. Because of the much-improved control, you’ll craft every stroke as envisioned by your creativity. Besides, the app has one among the most important libraries of brushes, allowing you to select and choose your tools supported the humanities you would like to make . And if you would like to possess even more control, you’ll also personalize your devices so that they will stay in sync together with your particular sort of drawing. That’s not at all, and Clip Studio Paint Pro is additionally available for iPad ( and iPhone) so that you’ll get the foremost out of Apple Pencil.
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Price: Free trial, $49.99/$219
20. CorelDRAW Suite
In the end, “CorelDRAW Suite” has long been one of the best drawing programs software packages, so it deserves a spot during this coveted lineup with none doubt. What I even have always admired in CorelDRAW Suite may be a wide selection of professional tools that make drawing and painting an excellent experience. Of course, mastering that pro device requires a steep learning curve, but once you’ve got skilled that phase, you’d fall crazy with it. Whether it’s the top notch vector design AI-powered LiveSketch, or the precision photo editing, it’s got the robust suite of features to satisfy your demand. But confine mind, of these top-of-the-line features, would require you to stretch your budget a touch. Expensive cost aside CorelDRAW Suite is what you would like to craft pro-grade drawing.
CorelDRAW Suite
Supported Platforms: PC/Mac
Cost: Free trial: $198/year or $499 for full version
The Best Drawing Programs for PC and Mac
The ends our article on the best drawing programs that you simply can get for your PC and Mac. I even have included programs with are both free and paid and serve different use-case scenarios. Find applications for sketching, drawing, illustrating, and more. Do check the list out and allow us to know your favorite drawing programs of all of them.
