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Aseprite
The pixel art editor loved by indie developers
paid ~$20 one-time (or compile from source for free) Solo-dev friendly
Aseprite is a dedicated pixel art and animation tool built for game developers. Sprite sheets, onion skinning, layers, tilemaps, and animation timelines — everything a pixel artist needs. Source code is open, but compiled binaries are paid.
Highlights
- + Purpose-built for pixel art — every tool is tailored
- + Animation timeline with onion skinning and frame tags
- + Sprite sheet export for any game engine
- + Tilemap editing mode for consistent tilesets
Limitations
- − Paid (though source is available to compile yourself)
- − Only suitable for pixel/low-res art styles
- − No vector or high-resolution painting tools
Platforms
Windows macOS Linux