KPix review

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026

KPix is a free, open-source pixel art editor for making still images and animations. It suits solo artists and small teams who want to draw across web, desktop, and mobile platforms, with input support for mouse, keyboard, touch, and stylus. Indexed-color drawing and parameter-generated color ramps support palette-focused work, while shading modes are available across drawing tools. Non-destructive reference, shading, dithering, and grid or perspective layers give artists ways to guide and refine a composition without making those aids part of the artwork.

Animation is a notable strength: KPix includes adjustable onion skinning, linked layers, and per-frame timing from 1 to 30 fps. It exports images and animations in PNG, WebP, APNG, GIF, and zipped PNG formats. Layered projects can be exported for Aseprite, GIMP, Pixelorama, and Photoshop, which makes it easier to continue work in those graphics applications. The published details describe broad image and project export, but not sprite-sheet or tilemap editing; game artists who depend on those tools in the editor should consider a different option or plan to handle that work elsewhere.

KPix runs in a browser and has downloadable builds for Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS. The macOS build is described as experimental and untested, so artists on that platform should weigh that caveat before making it their main workflow. The project is released under AGPLv3, and support is community-based. Its free, open-source model and cross-platform drawing options make it a fit for artists prioritizing accessible pixel-art creation and animation; it is less suitable for workflows centered on sprite sheets, tilemaps, or assured macOS stability.

KPix pros and cons

• Where it wins
  • Indexed-color drawing includes parameter-generated color ramps and shading modes.
  • Animation offers adjustable onion skinning, linked layers, and per-frame timing.
  • Runs on web, desktop, and mobile, with mouse, touch, and stylus input.
• Where it doesn't
  • No documented sprite-sheet editing tools.
  • No documented tilemap tools.
  • The macOS build is experimental and described as untested.

KPix fact sheet, pricing and score →

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Last updated 14 Nov 2026 · How we research and update