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Spixl

Free#51 of 70 in Pixel Art Software

Spixl: A focused free desktop editor for simple pixel art and frame-by-frame animation. Ranked #51 of 70 in Pixel Art Software by our editors (5.5/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free desktop beginners making simple animations.

5.5/10Editor score

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At a glance

Editor score
5.5 / 10
Pricing
Free plan
Best for
Free desktop beginners making simple animations
Free plan
Yes
Paid from
Free
Animation timeline
Yes
Facts checked
22 Sep 2026

Where it wins
- Free, name-your-own-price desktop editor
- Timeline animation with onion skinning and layer support
- Custom palettes, autosave, mirror drawing, and GIF export
Where it doesn't
- Limited export options centered on documented GIF support
- No verified spritesheet or tilemap support
- Desktop coverage is limited to Windows and macOS

Our verdict on Spixl

Spixl is a downloadable desktop editor for pixel art and frame-by-frame animation. It is aimed at solo creators and small teams making retro game sprites, character animations, or other pixel artwork. Beginners get a focused set of drawing tools, layers, custom color palettes, mirror-symmetry drawing, and background autosave. The free, name-your-own-price model also makes it accessible for creators who want to explore pixel animation without a paid plan.

Animation is the product's clearest strength. Its frame-by-frame timeline supports onion skinning, helping creators compare nearby frames while working through movement. Layered artwork can be merged, and GIF animation export provides a direct way to share animated work. This combination suits simple animation projects and learning workflows, particularly when a creator wants a compact desktop tool rather than a broader production suite. There are no AI features, keeping the feature set centered on manual pixel drawing and animation.

Spixl is a better fit for straightforward artwork and basic animated sequences than for pipelines that depend on specialized game-development exports. The documented export focus is GIF, while spritesheet and tilemap support is not verified here, so creators with those requirements should consider another tool. Platform choice is also important: Spixl is distributed for Windows and macOS only, with desktop deployment rather than a broader platform mix. Choose it for free pixel drawing, timeline animation, palettes, layers, and simple GIF output; look elsewhere when advanced export or wider platform coverage is central to the workflow.

Your product? Our editors can test Spixl in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Spixl pricing

Plans Free planFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.

See plans on makinggamesinc.itch.io

All 1 Spixl plans and prices →

Spixl fact sheet

Free plan	Yes
Paid from	Free
Animation timeline	Yes
Indexed color tools	Not verified
Sprite-sheet export	Not verified
Onion skinning	Yes
Tilemap tools	Not verified
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS
Export formats	GIF
Deployment	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS
Built for	Solo, Small business (editorial estimate)
Pricing	Free plan (source)
Website	makinggamesinc.itch.io
Facts checked	22 Sep 2026

Alternatives to Spixl

See all Spixl alternatives →

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Featured on iTechGuides

Spixl is listed in our Pixel Art Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update