GIMP vs Krita
Learn how GIMP and Krita differ in their key features, development activity, technology
stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these photo editing software is best for you.
Learn how GIMP and Krita differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these photo editing software is best for you.
GIMP
Last 30 days
Last commit
14 hours agoRepository age
14 yearsRepository
gnome/gimp
Krita
Last 30 days
Detailed Comparison
Krita appears to have several advantages over GIMP, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Krita appears to have several advantages over GIMP, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Community & Popularity
Krita leads in popularity with 10,339 stars vs 6,401 stars for GIMP. The 62% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, GIMP has 888 forks, indicating moderate developer engagement.
Growth Momentum
Krita is growing faster, adding 161 stars in the last 30 days (+1.6%) against adding 61 stars for GIMP (+1%). Krita is both larger and pulling further ahead.
Development Activity
Both projects show recent activity, with GIMP last updated 14 hours ago and Krita 21 hours ago.
Technology Stack
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, Bash, Python, C, Objective-C, C++, Perl. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: GIMP uses CSS, Lua while Krita leverages Java, Swift, MATLAB.
Project Maturity
GIMP has been in development longer, starting 14 years ago, compared to Krita which began 11 years ago. This 3.4-year head start suggests GIMP may have more mature features and established processes.
Licensing
Krita is licensed under GPL-3.0, while GIMP's license terms are not publicly specified.
Use Cases & Features
Both tools serve similar use cases in Photo Editors.
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