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title: Pinta - Stupidly Easy FREE Photoshop-Lite Alternative
description: Pinta is a free, open source, cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) image editing application positioned as a simpler alternative to Paint.NET, which is...
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# Pinta - Stupidly Easy FREE Photoshop-Lite Alternative

**[Gamefromscratch](https://daily.dev/sources/gamefromscratch)** · 8 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Pinta is a free, open source, cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) image editing application positioned as a simpler alternative to Paint.NET, which is Windows-only and known for sketchy download ads. Pinta supports pixel-level editing with adjustable anti-aliasing, unlimited undo/redo, layers, filters, curves, shape tools, a clone brush, and photo correction tools like vignette and red-eye removal. Written in C# under the MIT license, it started as a Paint.NET clone in 2010 and has received continuous updates since, with the latest noted around April 2026. It contains no AI or Copilot integration, unlike recent versions of Microsoft Paint.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw_Hjyi6Qc8>

## Questions this post answers

### What is a good free alternative to Paint.NET that works on Mac and Linux?

Pinta is a free, open-source image editor available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and BSD, built as a cross-platform alternative to the Windows-only Paint.NET. It offers unlimited undo/redo, pixel-level zoom with anti-aliasing controls, layers, filters, curves, shape tools, and a clone brush, and is licensed under MIT with C# source code.

_daily.dev surfaces open-source tool picks for developers weighing lightweight editors against bloated alternatives._

### Is Pinta good for pixel art editing?

Pinta works well for pixel art because it supports zooming all the way down to individual pixels and lets users toggle anti-aliasing on or off for precise pixel-level control. It also includes standard tools like a splatter brush, clone brush, shape builder, and line tool with editable control points, making it suitable for both pixel art and general digital painting.

_Developers building or reviewing creative tools track lightweight editor capabilities like these on daily.dev._

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---

Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#image-editing](https://daily.dev/tags/image-editing)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/pinta---stupidly-easy-free-photoshop-lite-alternative-0zwi6luzg)

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