Drawpile vs FireAlpaca
Drawpile
drawpile.netFireAlpaca
firealpaca.comSide by side
| Figure | Drawpile | FireAlpaca |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 5 |
| Spec score · Digital Painting Software | 8.9 (#5) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Animation | Animation tools include a timeline and onion skins, and users can animate collaboratively on a shared canvas. | The program includes onion-skin animation and can export animated GIF files. |
| Brushes | Drawpile includes over 200 built-in brushes, multiple brush engines, a brush editor and a stroke stabilizer. | FireAlpaca distributes unique original brushes weekly, including pencil, watercolor, motif, pattern, and effect brushes. |
| Brush library | The program includes more than 200 built-in brushes, several brush engines, a custom brush editor and stroke stabilization. | The maker publishes original brushes weekly, including analog, effects, nature and pattern brushes. |
| Licence | Drawpile is distributed as free and open-source software under GPLv3 or later. | An independent software listing identifies FireAlpaca as proprietary rather than open source. |
| Purpose | Drawpile lets people draw, paint, sketch and animate together on the same canvas, and it can also be used offline. | FireAlpaca is a free digital painting tool for creating illustrations and images. |
| Support | Support is available through Discord, IRC web chat, Matrix, GitHub issues and the documentation. | The SE page directs users to the FireAlpaca manual website for questions about basic operation and tools. |
| Timelapse | Desktop and mobile builds can turn recorded drawing commands into timelapse video, with optional canvas cropping. | A timelapse recorder captures the drawing process and saves it as a GIF. |
| What it does | Drawpile lets multiple people draw, paint, sketch or animate together on one shared canvas in real time. | FireAlpaca is a free desktop painting and digital illustration program. |
Plans
FireAlpaca
- FreeFree
- FireAlpacaFree
- FireAlpaca standardFree
- FireAlpaca SE$39.99, paid once
- FireAlpaca SE$39.99, paid once
In their own words
Drawpile
Drawpile is a drawing, painting, sketching and animation app for people working together on one canvas, with offline use also available. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and the web; on iPhone and iPad, the browser version works, but there is no native iOS app. Its toolkit includes more than 200 built-in brushes, several brush engines, a brush editor and stroke stabilization. Layers and layer groups support blend modes, alpha preserve, clipping groups, masking and alpha lock. Animation tools include a timeline and onion skins. Canvases can be saved as OpenRaster or PSD, and images can be pasted from files or other programs. Users can join official community servers without arranging their own infrastructure, or operate a server themselves. External authentication can let users access potentially untrusted third-party servers without sharing their password with those servers. Drawpile says it does not transfer information to other networked systems unless a user or operator specifically requests it. The free plan costs nothing.
FireAlpaca
FireAlpaca is a digital painting program for making illustrations and images, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its listed tools include animation, mesh deformation, gradient maps, lasso fill, CMYK display, text, halftone, 3D perspective, tone curves, and reference windows. The standard software supports 10 languages, and the maker distributes original brushes weekly in styles including pencil, watercolor, motifs, patterns, and effects. Brush customization, layers, pressure sensitivity, and stroke stabilization are supported; color management is described as basic. The free edition permits individual and commercial use without a license fee. Its separate FireAlpaca SE edition adds onion-skin animation with GIF or APNG export, a store with more than 300 brush types, a liquify tool, and layer masks. SE costs 39.99 USD once. Listed downloads are version 2.16.3 or later requirements: Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, and Linux distributions including Ubuntu 23.04, Fedora 36, and Debian 12 or later.