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What is the Mac Equivalent of Paint [Free and Paid Alternatives]

Microsoft Paint or MS Paint is a lightweight graphics utility that is shipped with all Microsoft Windows versions. MS Paint can be used to draw, color, and edit pictures, including imported files from a digital video or camera recorder. 

In this article, we will look at the 11 of the best applications that are Mac equivalents of Paint.

Paintbrush

Paintbrush for Mac

 

Paintbrush is a user-friendly and lightweight paint program. 

It is ideal for users who want to make a quick simple image and prefers the simplicity of Paintbrush over more comprehensive software. 

This software is completely free and can be downloaded from MacUpdate.

Mischief

Mischief

 

Do you want to create digital images on your Mac using a wide variety of styles and tools?

Mischief, the mac equivalent of Paint, fulfills your requirements. This intuitive program uses new sets of stroke presentation. 

Even though officially discontinued, it is freely available for download.

Seashore

Seashore - app like Paint

 

Seashore is a free and open-source image editor for Mac users. 

It comes with advanced features like multiple layers, channel editing, and core image effects. It is easy to use MS Paint equivalent, but it requires Mac OS 10.3 or later.

Deskscribble

Deskscribble

 

As a perfect match for editors in the Design & Photo category, Deskscribble allows users to draw on top of their desktop and on all open windows. 

It is a perfect tool for presentations, visual demonstrations, and writing notes.

This paint app is completely built with OpenGL for blazing-fast drawings and can be purchased and downloaded through Apple’s App Store.

Tux Paint

Tux Paint

 

Tux Paint allows users to take their first steps in drawing.

It is loaded with useful features. These include sound effects that accompany the selection of tools and the appearance of a Linux penguin cartoon at the bottom.

Tux Paint is available for Mac users for free.

GIMP

Gimp for Mac

 

GIMP can also serve as a paint program for Mac. It’s a photo editing tool designed to be a free rival to Photoshop. 

GIMP for Mac is an open-source editor suitable for photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. This app is expandable, extensible, and modular. 

Paint S

Paint Pro

 

Paint S is an easy-to-use imaging tool and editor which can help Mac users to draw pictures and edit their existing photos. 

With this cool MS Paint alternative, users can sketch, crop, and rotate images very easily. This app supports the layering of text onto images.

Paint S is the free version of Paint Pro. So, feel free to upgrade if you have a need for advanced functions.

Paint X

 

Paint X is a classic version of the Paint app for Mac for coloring, sketching, and editing images. 

Paint X is a multimedia editing tool that enables Mac users to mark up images as they see fit. This classic editing software can be purchased and downloaded at a fee.

Pixelmator

 

Pixelmator is an app for advanced Mac users. This app uses more than 40 tools for selecting, cropping, drawing, and painting. 

It allows users to import images directly from cameras, scanners, and devices such as an iPhone and iPad. 

The app gives advanced users the chance to execute Layer-based image editing, create new, duplicate, delete, rename, load as selection, or hide layers. 

Pixelmator can either be downloaded and used for free within an evaluation period or purchased at a one-time fee.

Acorn Image Editor

Acorn - Paint alternative for Mac

 

Acorn is an image editor for macOS 10.11 and later. It presents its users with powerful image editing, non-destructive filters, and a circle text tool. 

Users can either download this app for a 14-day trial or purchase it at a one-time fee.

Adobe Photoshop Elements

This photo-editing software is an excellent choice for hobbyists. It brings much of the visual magic pioneered by Adobe to non-professionals. 

It comes with many powerful image-imagination tools, strong face and geo-tagging capabilities, and helpful guidance for advanced users. 

This editor can either be downloaded for free with limited features or purchased at a one-time fee.

The Bottom Line

This article has briefly discussed basic to advanced features of the 11 best alternatives to MS Paint. Depending on your requirements, you can select any one of these eleven apps and start creating exciting digital arts with it.

Richard Azu

Richard Azu

Software Expert