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Head-to-head · Pixel Art Software

Pixelorama vs Pro Motion NG

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Pixelorama #1 in Pixel Art Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Pixelorama
Pro Motion NG #7 in Pixel Art Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Pro Motion NG

Pixelorama leads on 0 checks, Pro Motion NG on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorePixelorama · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth

Pixelorama scores higher on our rubric for pixel art software: 9.4 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

Pixelorama is the better fit for free, open-source pixel art across many platforms. Pro Motion NG is the better fit for pixel artists needing palette and tilemap depth.

  • Pixelorama fits best

    Free, open-source pixel art across many platforms

  • Pro Motion NG fits best

    Pixel artists needing palette and tilemap depth

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Side by side

Feature Pixelorama 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Pro Motion NG 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.7
Ranking #1 in Pixel Art Software #7 in Pixel Art Software
Best for Free, open-source pixel art across many platforms Pixel artists needing palette and tilemap depth
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — $19 one-time
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Desktop, Mobile Desktop
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Pixelorama 5/5 · Pro Motion NG 5/5
Animation timeline ✓ ✓
Indexed color tools ✓ ✓
Sprite-sheet export ✓ ✓
Onion skinning ✓ ✓
Tilemap tools ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported platforms Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Web Windows, macOS via Wine, Linux via Wine
Export formats PNG, animated PNG, spritesheets, GIF, video BMP, PNG, JPEG, TGA, GIF
Our review
Pros
  • Free and open-source across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and web
  • Animation, tilemap, palette, onion-skinning, and indexed-color tools
  • Non-destructive effects, clipping masks, video export, and CLI automation
  • Indexed palettes, tilemaps, tilesets and bitmap font tools
  • Animation timeline with key frames, delays and onion skinning
  • Commercial-use free edition and a $19 one-time full license
Cons
  • The Steam edition is limited to Windows and Linux
  • Steam Cloud, Achievements, and automatic updates require the Steam edition
  • Paid Steam access adds platform benefits rather than listed editing features
  • The Free Edition has limited features
  • macOS and Linux run the Windows application through Wine
  • Wine compatibility limitations may affect non-Windows setups
Our verdict

Pixelorama is an open-source pixel art editor for creating sprites, tiles, and frame-based animations. It is suited to artists, game developers, and hobbyists who want a free workflow across desktop, browser, and Android platforms. Its…

Read the review →

Pro Motion NG is desktop software for creating pixel-art images, animations, sprites, tilesets and level maps. It is aimed at pixel artists, game developers, educators and studios producing graphics for games, handheld systems and web…

Read the review →
  1. PixeloramaPixel Art Software 9.4Free plan
  2. Pro Motion NGPixel Art Software 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Pixelorama — where it wins

    • Free and open-source across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and web
    • Animation, tilemap, palette, onion-skinning, and indexed-color tools
    • Non-destructive effects, clipping masks, video export, and CLI automation

    Where it doesn't

    • The Steam edition is limited to Windows and Linux
    • Steam Cloud, Achievements, and automatic updates require the Steam edition
    • Paid Steam access adds platform benefits rather than listed editing features
  • Pro Motion NG — where it wins

    • Indexed palettes, tilemaps, tilesets and bitmap font tools
    • Animation timeline with key frames, delays and onion skinning
    • Commercial-use free edition and a $19 one-time full license

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free Edition has limited features
    • macOS and Linux run the Windows application through Wine
    • Wine compatibility limitations may affect non-Windows setups

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update