Clip Studio Paint vs Limner
Clip Studio Paint
clipstudio.netLimner
limnerart.comSide by side
| Figure | Clip Studio Paint | Limner |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.92/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 10 | 6 |
| Spec score · Digital Painting Software | 9.0 (#4) | 8.4 (#9) |
| Animation | Animation tools include a light table and onion-skin features, and PRO supports simple animation up to 24 frames while EX includes full-length animation tools. | Animation mode supports cel timelines, onion skinning, keyframed cameras, motion curves, parenting, audio, and GIF, APNG, MP4, PSD, and PNG-sequence output. |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States |
| Intended users | The maker describes PRO as suited to concept artists, illustrators, and designers, and EX as suited to comic artists, manga artists, and animators. | The license permits personal or commercial creative work, and the maker describes the app for illustrators, animators, and comic or manga projects. |
Plans
Clip Studio Paint
- Clip Studio Paint PRO annual/monthly plan$0.99 a month
- Clip Studio Paint EX annual/monthly planPrice not published
- Clip Studio Paint PRO Ver. 5.0 perpetual license$63 a month
- Clip Studio Paint EX Ver. 5.0 perpetual license$277 a month
- Clip Studio Paint PRO Annual / Monthly Plan$0.99 a month
- Clip Studio Paint EX Annual / Monthly Plan$2.49 a month
- Clip Studio Paint PRO Update Pass$10.99 a year
- Clip Studio Paint EX Update Pass$31.99 a year
- Clip Studio Paint PRO Ver. 5.0 Edition$63, paid once
- Clip Studio Paint EX Ver. 5.0 Edition$277, paid once
Limner
- Free tierFree
- iPad betaFree
- iPad betaFree
- Limner FreeFree
- Limner PlusFree
- Limner PlusPriced on request
In their own words
Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is a digital art app for making illustrations, comics, webtoons, and animations. Its customizable brushes are designed to evoke traditional materials, and adjustable 3D models can serve as references for drawing characters and backgrounds. Comic tools include panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines, screentones, and multi-page project management. Animation features include a light table and onion-skin tools; PRO supports simple animation up to 24 frames, while EX includes full-length animation tools. Monthly and annual plans include 10GB of cloud data, with an option to add storage. Clip Studio Assets offers downloadable brushes and other materials, and GOLD can be used to buy materials there. Projects can be saved in compatible and industry-standard file formats. The app is listed for Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows; the download page also lists Chromebook. PRO is described for concept artists, illustrators, and designers; EX for comic and manga artists and animators. PRO monthly plans start at US$0.99/month and EX at US$2.49/month.
Limner
Limner is an app for painting, illustration, vector work, animation, and comics, with desktop versions for Windows and macOS and support for iPadOS. Drawing tools include pressure and tilt input, stroke stabilization, custom brushes, and Photoshop ABR brush importing. Layers, masks, and live adjustments support image editing. Animation mode provides frame-by-frame work with onion skin and exports to GIF, MP4, or numbered PNG sequences. The app can record drawing sessions and export timelapse videos up to 4K; the manual also lists PSD import and SVG export. The download page specifies Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, macOS 13 Ventura or later, and iPadOS 16 or later. Windows minimum requirements include a dual-core CPU, 4 GB RAM, and a GPU with a working Direct3D 12 or Vulkan driver. The desktop free tier needs no account or key, while vector, animation, and book projects on desktop are Limner Plus features. All features are unlocked during the iPad beta. Limner says artwork, documents, and settings stay on the device, and that the app has no analytics, telemetry, or crash reporting. The license permits personal and commercial creative work.