Pencil2D is an open‑source 2‑D animation and drawing program. If you’re looking for free graphic‑design tools that can replace or complement Pencil2D, here are 20 high‑quality alternatives covering raster painting, vector illustration, animation, and hybrid workflows.
Get targeted exposure with custom position pinning and highlighted placement.
Professional‑grade raster painting app with powerful brush engines, layer management, and animation support.
Feature‑rich vector graphics editor for creating SVG artwork, logos, and illustrations.
Open‑source raster image editor comparable to Photoshop, with extensive plug‑in ecosystem.
2‑D animation suite that uses vector and bitmap artwork to produce film‑quality animations.
Industry‑used 2‑D animation software (used by Studio Ghibli) offering drawing, tweening, and effects.
Cross‑platform vector graphics editor with real‑time collaboration; runs as desktop or web app.
Modern vector design tool with UI/UX, illustration, and export options; free tier available.
Web‑based Photoshop‑like editor supporting PSD, XCF, and Sketch files; works entirely in the browser.
Online raster editor with layers, filters, and AI‑assisted tools; free with optional premium upgrades.
Lightweight drawing and image editing program inspired by Paint.NET, ideal for quick sketches.
Free digital painting and comic creation app with cloud sync and a large brush library.
Professional drawing app from Autodesk offering a clean interface and extensive brush packs.
Open‑source vector graphics editor built on the Qt framework; lightweight and cross‑platform.
Web‑based SVG editor with a focus on UI design and icon creation; free tier available.
While primarily 3‑D, Blender’s Grease Pencil lets you create 2‑D vector‑based drawings and animations.
Fork of the classic Aseprite, offering pixel‑art creation and basic animation tools.
Krita’s tablet‑optimized UI for drawing on touch devices; still fully free.