FireAlpaca vs Limner
FireAlpaca
firealpaca.com
Limner
limnerart.comSide by side
| Figure | FireAlpaca | Limner |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 6 |
| Spec score · Digital Painting Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.4 (#9) |
| Animation | The program includes onion-skin animation and can export animated GIF files. | Animation mode supports cel timelines, onion skinning, keyframed cameras, motion curves, parenting, audio, and GIF, APNG, MP4, PSD, and PNG-sequence output. |
| Brushes | FireAlpaca distributes unique original brushes weekly, including pencil, watercolor, motif, pattern, and effect brushes. | Brush Studio lets users create brushes and exchange Photoshop ABR files and Limner LBRUSH presets. |
| Company | PGN Inc. is a privately held software-development company focused on illustration and image-processing software. | Limner LLC is a Virginia limited liability company with an address in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. |
| Documentation | The official manual covers menus, tools, layers, brushes, snapping, symmetry, shortcuts and installation. | The official manual is a searchable 45-chapter guide covering tools, workspaces, file formats, animation, Books, troubleshooting, and shortcuts. |
| Drawing tools | Listed functions include animation, mesh deformation, gradient maps, lasso fill, CMYK display, text, halftone, 3D perspective, tone curves, and reference windows. | It supports pressure and tilt, custom brushes, and importing Photoshop brushes. |
| Headquarters | PGN Inc. lists CIOS Iwamoto-cho Building 3F, 1-13-3 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0032, Japan. | Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States |
| Support | The SE page directs users to the FireAlpaca manual website for questions about basic operation and tools. | Support is provided by email for bugs, feature requests, keys, billing, and questions, and the studio says every message is read by the developer. |
| Timelapse | A timelapse recorder captures the drawing process and saves it as a GIF. | Limner records drawing sessions inside the document and exports timelapse video with crops and presets up to 4K. |
| What it does | FireAlpaca is a free desktop painting and digital illustration program. | Limner is a creative application combining raster illustration, vector design, animation, and comic or manga workspaces. |
Plans
FireAlpaca
- FreeFree
- FireAlpacaFree
- FireAlpaca standardFree
- FireAlpaca SE$39.99, paid once
- FireAlpaca SE$39.99, paid once
Limner
- Free tierFree
- iPad betaFree
- iPad betaFree
- Limner FreeFree
- Limner PlusFree
- Limner PlusPriced on request
In their own words
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.
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.