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Drawpile
What it is
Drawpile is a free drawing, painting, sketching, and animation program for people working on the same canvas, and it can also be used offline. It includes more than 200 built-in brushes, multiple brush engines, a brush editor, and stroke stabilization. Artists can organize work with layers and groups using blend modes, alpha preservation, clipping, masking, and alpha lock. Animation tools include a timeline and onion skins. Canvas files can be saved as OpenRaster or PSD, and images can be pasted from files or other programs. Users can join official community servers without setting up hosting, or operate their own Drawpile server. Drawpile says it does not transfer information to other networked systems unless specifically requested by a user or operator. It is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and the web. On iPhone and iPad, the browser version works, but a native iOS application is unavailable. Support options include Discord, IRC web chat, Matrix, GitHub issues, and documentation.
For and against
For
- More than 200 built-in brushes.
- Supports layers, groups, and multiple blend options.
- Animation includes a timeline and onion skins.
- Canvas files can be saved as OpenRaster or PSD.
Against
- No native iOS application is available.
- Built-in server is not recommended for hosting sessions.
- Self-hosting can create security and privacy implications.
The verdict
Drawpile offers a wide range of canvas tools for shared and offline art work, with community servers and self-hosting options. iPhone and iPad users can use the browser version, but there is no native iOS app.
Who it suits
Drawpile suits artists who want to draw, paint, sketch, or animate collaboratively, as well as people who want to work offline. Its community servers offer an option for users who do not want to set up hosting themselves.
Plans and prices
Free
Collaborative drawing, painting, sketching, animation and offline use · desktop, mobile and browser access
Read 15 Oct 2026 · drawpile.net
Drawpile
Free and open source under GPLv3 · official community servers available free
Read 1 Oct 2026 · drawpile.net
On the record
- Android distribution limitation
- Drawpile is not currently distributed through Google Play; the project directs users to F-Droid or APK downloads.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Animation
- Animation tools include a timeline and onion skins, and users can animate collaboratively on a shared canvas.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Authentication integration
- External authentication lets users log in to potentially untrusted third-party servers without sending their password to those servers, and lets site owners integrate existing accounts.docs.drawpile.net · read 1 Oct 2026
- Autorecovery
- Desktop and mobile applications automatically save recovery data and can restore work after an unexpected exit; browser autorecovery is disabled by default.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Brushes
- Drawpile includes over 200 built-in brushes, multiple brush engines, a brush editor and a stroke stabilizer.drawpile.net · read 1 Oct 2026
- Brush library
- The program includes more than 200 built-in brushes, several brush engines, a custom brush editor and stroke stabilization.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Build documentation
- Source-building instructions cover Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, WebAssembly and other operating systems, with package dependencies and CMake presets documented.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Code integrity
- Windows binaries are signed through SignPath.io, dependencies are pinned to known-good versions, and SHA384 checks are performed for each build's retrieved dependency source.drawpile.net · read 1 Oct 2026
- Collaboration servers
- Official community servers let users host sessions for free without setting up server infrastructure themselves.drawpile.net · read 1 Oct 2026
- Community hosting
- Official community servers provide public sessions, and users can host password-protected sessions for invited collaborators.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Company legal entity
- The legal notice identifies Drawpile gemeinnützige UG (haftungsbeschränkt), registered in Wiesbaden, Germany, with Carsten Hartenfels as managing director.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Company location
- The maker's listed address is Adolfstraße 1, 65185 Wiesbaden, Germany.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Developer architecture
- The architecture documentation covers the client, paint engine, dedicated server, command-line tools, list server, web admin interfaces, abuse-report relay and Docker package.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Developer tools
- The project distributes dprectool, drawpile-cmd and drawpile-timelapse command-line utilities alongside the dedicated server.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation scope
- The help center includes drawing tools, animation, hosting, Docker, WebSockets, authentication, troubleshooting, packaging, architecture, source builds and protocol material.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- External authentication
- The ext-auth mechanism lets third-party servers authenticate Drawpile accounts with signed tokens without receiving the user's password.docs.drawpile.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- File interoperability
- OpenRaster and Drawpile formats are supported, and the documentation discusses PSD support and exporting to other editors such as Krita.gappsy.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Hosting limitation
- The built-in server is not recommended because browsers cannot connect to sessions hosted that way and exposing a home computer creates security and privacy implications.docs.drawpile.net · read 1 Oct 2026
