Affinity is both a vector and raster based creation software and by far will have the highest price on this list. That’s because I consider it to be the best alternative program to the industry standard- Adobe Creative Suite.

Affinity programs are one-time purchases and are available for Mac, Windows, and the Apple iPad.

The price for computer versions of the software is around $55 USD, and the mobile version is around half that.

Procreate was originally developed as a raster based, digital painting app for the Apple iPad. It has since, expanded to add animation capabilities.

Procreate is my current program of choice when it comes to making art. It’s intuitive and while I was in college the fact that I could carry it with me to class made life a hell of a lot easier.

Procreate is a one-time-purchase program that sits around $10 USD on the App Store. All updates to the program come for free.

Krita is a free and open-source digital art program aimed at painters and concept artists.

I’ve never personally used the program myself, but I do own it and love to watch other artists paint with it on YouTube.

Krita is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac

CSP is an intensive program aimed at comic artists and animators. The artist community behind this app creates a ton of beautiful, and useful, brushes for the program.

The only real drawback I see in this program depends on which version you choose to use.

For those who have Windows or Mac, the program is a one-time purchase of $50 USD. For those wishing to use it on mobile (iPad, iPhone, Android)- it is a monthly charge of $5 USD.

Edit (12/5/2022) Clip seems to be moving towards both versions using a monthly payment plan. I also have concerns about AI integration.

Canva is a design program that can be used for free in your web-browser. It also has a paid version, and an app.

The program has become sort of a joking point in the design community for its ease of use, but I’d be remiss if I missed out on mentioning it. Anything beginner friendly is a good thing in my book.

If you’re looking to get some ideas down quick, and without having to create your own assets from scratch I’d definitely recommend Canva.

Blender is a powerful program that allows artists to draw, paint, sculpt, rig, and animate all in one software. The best part is that it’s completely free!

It’s got a bit of a learning curve but there are resources on YouTube that can get you started pretty easily.

Everyone loves the Donut Tutorial.

This 3D modeling program is my favorite yet, and by far the most accessible.

This in-browser app operates on a cloud based system, meaning that the cloud handles all of the intensive rendering and sends an interactive video feed to the user, rather than relying on that individuals' computer specs.

With Womp, anyone with an internet connection can create beautiful 3D art regardless of the strength of their computer. With a kit that includes lighting, textures, and even 3D printing services.