Tesserra

Tesserra is a pixel-art editor for still images and animation, with palette tools and retro display effects. It suits artists who want to work across desktop and Android; the central trade-off is that its free tier only exports PNG, while the broader feature set costs $7 during beta.

Overview

Tesserra brings drawing, animation, palette handling, and file export into one retro-inspired editor. A project can open on any supported platform, which is useful for moving between a desktop and mobile device without splitting work across apps. The platform range has real limits: iOS and iPadOS are still in development, and the unreleased code signing means Windows and macOS may show a security warning.

Key features

Drawing and animation

Custom brushes, layer groups, and blend modes give artists useful control over pixel work, while the animation timeline and onion skinning support frame-by-frame projects. Indexed-colour tools and sprite-sheet export add practical value for sprite workflows. Lite includes drawing, painting, and layer tools, but its PNG-only export makes it a poor fit for anyone who needs animated or layered deliverables.

Palettes, effects, and files

Built-in palettes top out at 64 colours, and imports cover GPL, PAL, HEX, and ASE, so artists can bring established palettes into a project. Six shaders—Composite NTSC, three CRT types, and two handheld LCD looks—are a focused set of presentation effects rather than a general-purpose image-editing toolkit. Tesserra imports images and exports GIF, PNG, SVG, and ASE; cloud sync works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Nextcloud, but requires an account with the chosen provider.

Layouts and requirements

Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android versions are available. Tablets use the desktop layout, while phones get a simpler touch layout; that keeps the same-file workflow intact but does not provide a dedicated tablet interface. Desktop requirements are Windows 10 (22H2) or 11, macOS 14 Sonoma, or modern 64-bit Linux, with 4 GB RAM. Android requires version 12 or newer and 3 GB RAM.

Pricing

Tesserra Lite is free and includes drawing, painting, layer tools, a colour picker and wheel, limited built-in palettes, image import, and PNG export. It is a reasonable way to make static work, but the restricted palettes and single export format narrow its usefulness for ongoing or multi-format production.

Tesserra Full is a one-time $7.00 USD or more purchase during beta, with access to the full feature set and all platform versions except iOS. The beta price is set to rise to $14 on full release. Full is the sensible choice for animation, the wider palette and export workflow, or use across devices; iOS users cannot yet get that cross-platform coverage.

Who it's for

Tesserra is best for pixel artists who want drawing and animation in the same editor, use retro display looks, or switch projects among Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. It is less suitable for iOS-first artists, or for anyone who needs a signed Windows or Mac release without a security warning.

Pros and cons

Pros: Animation, onion skinning, indexed-colour tools, and sprite-sheet export support more than static pixel drawing.

Pros: Palette imports, four export formats, and cloud sync give projects several routes in and out of the editor.

Cons: Lite exports only PNG and limits built-in palettes, so serious multi-format work requires the paid tier.

Cons: No iOS or iPadOS release is available, and Windows and macOS may warn that the app is unsigned.

Alternatives

Pixel Art Software is a useful starting point for comparing the wider category. Choose Pixelorama instead if free and open-source software across desktop, Android, and web matters more than Tesserra’s specific shader set. Pixelc is another free and open-source option across those platforms; its Android Premium is a separate purchase.

Choose Pixilart if you need an iOS or web option and prefer a service with a free tier and a monthly PRO plan. Hexcalibur is an alternative for Linux, macOS, web, and Windows users. PixelWall is worth considering when scripting, API or CLI access, and tilemap editing are priorities.

Manabit covers iOS as well as Android, desktop, and web, with Pro sold as a monthly subscription. Pix2D is a free and open-source alternative if you want to avoid a paid tier. Pixel Studio supports iOS and Android as well as desktop, but its free version contains ads and some features require PRO.

Verdict

Choose Tesserra if you want a single pixel-art editor for drawing, animation, palette work, and retro effects across desktop and Android, and the beta-era $7 purchase fits your budget. Its narrow free export and the lack of an iOS release are clear reasons to look elsewhere.