Pixelc vs Tesserra

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.

Tesserra is a pixel art editor for drawing and animation on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. It has custom brushes, layer groups, blend modes, an animation timeline, onion skinning, indexed color tools, and sprite-sheet export. Built-in palettes support up to 64 colors, and you can import GPL, PAL, HEX, and ASE palettes. The editor imports images and exports GIF, PNG, SVG, and ASE files. Retro-style themes and six shaders include Composite NTSC, three CRT types, and two handheld LCD looks. Files open across the supported platforms; tablets use the desktop layout, while phones use a simpler touch layout. Optional cloud sync works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Nextcloud and requires an account with that provider. Tesserra Lite is free. Tesserra Full costs $7, paid once while in beta; the maker says the price will rise to $14 on full release. Full includes the feature set on all platform versions except iOS, which, along with iPadOS, is in development.