Lightcube vs Pixelc
Lightcube
lightcube.artPixelc
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Lightcube | Pixelc |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Pixel Art Software | 8.5 (#9) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Animation | The editor includes an animation timeline with frame grouping and optional onion skinning per layer. | Frames support animated previews, per-frame timing, three blend modes and GIF export. |
| Drawing tools | Tools include pen, paint bucket, line, selection marquee, magic wand, shapes, color replacement, and gradient fill. | Features listed include multiple drawing modes, shading, selections, and custom brushes, kernels, and stamps. |
| Export formats | The documentation says images and sprite sheets can be exported as PNG, BMP, GIF, or JPEG, and animations as GIF or MPEG-4 video. | The documented save functions produce PNG images, animated GIF files and TAR project archives. |
| Layers | Layers can be locked, moved, merged, given opacity and assigned blending modes; reference layers are supported. | Projects support multiple layers that can be blended or merged during saving. |
| Purpose | Lightcube is a pixel art editor for game developers and artists to create game assets, animations and pixel art. | Pixelc is an open source tile and sprite editor written in C using SDL2 and OpenGL. |
Plans
In their own words
Pixelc
Pixelc is a free, open-source tile and sprite editor written in C using SDL2 and OpenGL. The project targets touch devices such as smartphones and tablets, while also running on desktops, and provides a mobile-friendly web app. It supports animation frames and GIF export, as well as layers and onion skinning for frames and layers. Drawing tools include multiple modes, shading, selections, and custom brushes, kernels, and stamps; a tile mode supports tile work. Pixelc includes popular Lospec palettes and accepts custom palettes. The project says artwork is saved locally and nothing is sent to a server, with offline saving available in the browser app. Undo and redo are stated to remain available after an app reload. The app and assets use the GPLv3 license, and the README points users to documentation, a tutorial, and tooltips. A separate Android Premium edition is offered, with grayscale tools and background. The README warns that Samsung Internet Browser can render tiling incorrectly, with potential for other app corruption.