---
title: "Clip Studio Paint Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra"
description: "Is Clip Studio Paint the right Vector Graphics solution for you? Explore 70 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice."
source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/210117/Clip-Studio-Paint/reviews/"
page_type: "reviews"
language: "en"
publication_date: "2026-10-19"
---

Clip Studio Paint

4.7 (70)

[View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/210117/Clip-Studio-Paint/alternatives/)

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

* * *

Last updated October 19th, 2026

# Reviews of Clip Studio Paint

Ease of use

4.1

Customer Service

4.3

## Pros and Cons in Reviews

Trap G

YouTuberEntertainment, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years.

“Anyone from beginner level to Pros will find drawing and animating with CSP intuitive and satisfying, not to mention the big community library that will cover you for every possible creative idea you can have.“

March 1, 2026

PF

Percival F

OwnerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“I don't enjoy that a lot of the juicy features are stuck behind the more expensive license, and I really dislike the change from perpetual licenses to yearly subscriptions.“

July 1, 2025

PF

Percival F

OwnerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“I really love how many tools and options that their suite has, and how much I can customize the layout of the program to suit my ever-changing needs.“

July 1, 2025

BB

Bastien B

Game developerComputer Games, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Sometimes it will just decide not to work.“

July 28, 2025

Amanda W

Owner, ArtistArts and Crafts, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“I like that it can handle large dimensions without crashing.“

April 13, 2026

JK

Jenna K

BaristaFood & Beverages, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“The cons of Clip Studio Paint is entirely based upon their newly formed "subscription" model; you are forced to pay monthly, when it's main selling point was a one time purchase.“

April 21, 2023

PF

Percival F

OwnerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Overall, the tool is great and has applications across many hobbies, including animation and comics! “

July 1, 2025

JL

Joelle L

Senior Cutout AnimatorAnimation, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“The imported text issue is the main con I have, though it is a situational issue.“

November 27, 2023

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 1-25 of 70 Reviews

Sort by:

Most Helpful

Rating

Company Size

Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

Aleksandra S.  
Freelance Graphic Artist  
Graphic Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Great for small and big projects"

February 17, 2021

5.0

Some of the features CSP offers seemed like a marketing catch, but in the end became part of my pipeline. From working exclusively on cartography and digital painting, I have expanded my horizons to dabbling with webtoons and vector illustration, both made extremely easy and user-friendly with this program.

Pros

Performance of the application is outstanding in comparison to other products of this type; this allowed me to increase the canvas size and open files that would usually slow down the other programs. The asset store is a nice touch, allowing everyone to get additional brushes, patterns, backgrounds and other images for free (or in-program currency), and they're by default allowed for commercial use. That takes a lot of licensing hassle for creators and allows them to focus on their art.

Cons

Some asset features are very CPU heavy and can lag on older machines. Translations can be a bit of a mouthful at a times. Asset store tends to be very slow when browsing. Lack of custom shapes.

Alternatives considered

[Affinity Designer](https://www.capterra.com/p/110533/WebPlus-X4/)

Reason for choosing Clip Studio Paint

Price, non-aggressive advertising, no intrusive third-party DRM, full range of features.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

In case of Adobe products, the subscription model has became a motivation killer - feeling obliged to work every single day to make the use of money you've paid, ended up stopping the creativity flow and force me to obsess over the worth of my art. With CSP, I have already purchased it, so I can work whenever and however long I feel like. With Paint Tool SAI, the program has felt outdated for a long while, lacking the core features which forced me to use it alongside other programs. CSP has eliminated the need for that.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
YouTuber  
Entertainment  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Near Perfected "

March 1, 2026

5.0

Possibly the drawing software that is closest to perfect, I have been using it for 2 years now and it's worth every penny, it truly makes my ideas alive

Pros

The convenience and little touches that make the experience polished for artists and animators. Anyone from beginner level to Pros will find drawing and animating with CSP intuitive and satisfying, not to mention the big community library that will cover you for every possible creative idea you can have.

Cons

The lack of some minor but important features compared to other art software, like a seperate H/S/V slider

Switched from

[Krita](https://www.capterra.com/p/209859/Krita/)

I didn't like some things about Krita, mainly being that anything that could be a brush is a brush preset instead of a seperate tool, like liquify

Review Source

EC

Etân C.  
Developer  
Computer Games  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Powerful but with a learning curve"

September 23, 2026

5.0

Very good, this software served me well for a year before I switched to another one, but I will maybe come back to it one day.

Pros

It feels nice drawing with, as if you were drawing on paper. It is powerful enough to handle large canvas and projects, all without asking too much from your tablet.

Cons

It can be a bit challenging to learn how to use efficiently, as the UI and tools may not be as intuitive as on other apps.

Review Source

VD

Void D.  
Freelance Arist  
Graphic Design  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "CSP Review"

July 1, 2025

3.0

My overall experience with CSP I would say is frustrating. I really love the features, but due to how difficult the program is to learn (or even just learning a new tool when you've used the program for years), I rarely recommend it to others.

Pros

CSP has most features that you could want for an art program. It has an abundance of options and capacity to customize your workflow. Additionally, the asset store and the ease of download and implementation of assets is a huge plus

Cons

The UI isn't intuitive, it's extremely difficult to learn how to use the program, and the manual/tutorials that exist are extremely lacking to the point where most users are unaware of how to access basic features such as perfect symmetry.

Switched from

[Procreate](https://www.capterra.com/p/228914/Procreate/)

I really like procreate, but it lacks a lot of features that are helpful for my work. In particular, the layer limit in procreate made my work difficult.

Review Source

CP

Camille P.  
Artist  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Too complex for what it is"

September 30, 2026

4.0

Good, but not enough for me to keep using it after a few months due to the previously stated reasons.

Pros

CSP has a lot of potential, as it contains a lot of brushes, tools, and customizations options for each feature it offers. There's a wide range of possibilities with it.

Cons

There is just too many different subscriptions options. No need for all of that. It is also a bit expensive for a drawing software, which also lacks dedicated image editing tools.

Review Source

PF

Percival F.  
Owner  
Design  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A Great Tool For Art!"

July 1, 2025

4.0

Overall, the tool is great and has applications across many hobbies, including animation and comics! it is the primary tool I use to do my artwork, and any graphic-leaning tasks; it's Photoshop's competitor for a reason! They offer sales at least 2 times a year, so the price isn't always as steep, which I really appreciate.

Pros

I really love how many tools and options that their suite has, and how much I can customize the layout of the program to suit my ever-changing needs. The option for cloud back-ups offers such a feeling of reassurance, knowing my work will still be there if something happens to my machine or my drives. I also love how community oriented it is, with the ability to buy or even obtain free materials, brushes and more from other creative or generous users.

Cons

I don't enjoy that a lot of the juicy features are stuck behind the more expensive license, and I really dislike the change from perpetual licenses to yearly subscriptions. I also heard about some AI involvement in the newer updates, and I really don;t love that. They should know better

Switched from

[MediBang](https://www.capterra.com/p/234030/MediBang/)

I wanted access to more tools and higher quality materials than MediBang Paint could offer.

Review Source

YM

Yogesh M.  
Artist  
Computer Games  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Great tool for manga artists"

December 23, 2025

5.0

Pros

It works on ipad and I can easily between the desktop mode and simple mode, ability to access all the desktop features on ipad has made my manga creation process easier.

Cons

Though it can support large canvas it comes at the cost of overall performance and I've experienced lags often.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Clip Studio was had more features for my use case, it's artist friendly and it's much more affordable than photoshop.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Facilitator  
Education Management  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "An extremely user friendly premium software."

July 13, 2022

5.0

I really enjoy using this software, it has helped me up my game with all my drawings. Being able to add 3D objects into my 2D drawings for reference and the number of brushes provided is an absolute game changer. If Clip Studio Paint could make the setup process a little simpler that would be great. With the powerful text editor that Clip Studio Paint provides, I would definitely recommend this software!

Pros

I like the bundles of brushes it offers, I am able to really get those fine lines and shading that my creative side is going for. It works out really great for my 2D drawing and with its powerful text editor, I am able to do lettering and fancy graphic design text. The best feature is how I am able to add 3D objects into 2D drawings for reference.

Cons

The interface is overwhelming at first but you are able to customize it to your liking. When I first started using this type of software, the setup was quite difficult, but once I got all the settings right, then it was a walk in the park.

Switched from

[Adobe Illustrator](https://www.capterra.com/p/227125/Adobe-Illustrator/)

I enjoyed how powerful the text editor on Clip Studio Paint is.

Review Source

Rogelio A.  
CEO  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Happy accidents everywhere!"

September 25, 2021

5.0

I love it. Truly love it. I hope they enable the vector export feature soon. Of course they try to sell you the brushes packs and several other stuff but they are really cheap and good quality and made on collaboration with several artists who use it on their own arts

Pros

It is really easy to learn how to use it, you can start drawing sketches the minute you start it and you can feel like a real pro if you use the stabilizers. Graphixly (Clip Studio) give enough webinars to teach you how to use it and learn by yourself. It is truly free to let you create whatever you want, the way you want it. If you are a noob like me, you can draw on vectors and correct everything of the drawing you just made without having to re-draw it Clip Studio lets you export on several formats including webtoons

Cons

You can't draw on exportable vectors as SVG or EPS.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

first: price. second: I felt I had more support here and they didn't fail to deliver.

Review Source

BB

Bastien B.  
Game developer  
Computer Games  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Expensive & performance heavy, when it actually works"

July 28, 2025

2.0

It's ok at what it does, and is a nice alternative to Photoshop, but its flaws may draw you away. Consider giving a chance to Paint Tool SAI 2 instead. It's not too hard to learn, but getting the brush that works just right can be tricky.

Pros

Lots of tools, brushes, and assets, focused on art and productivity, without bloated, useless functionality like Photoshop.

Cons

Heavy interface, pretty bad performance overall, and a license verification system that will prevent you from actually using the software you paid for a quarter of the time. Sometimes it will just decide not to work.

Review Source

MG

Martina G.  
Artista freelance  
Fine Art  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Recensione CSP"

January 19, 2023

5.0

Ottimo programma, per me ormai insostituibile.

Pros

È un programma nato con in mente artisti e illustratori e si vede, è intuitivo e di facile uso, e anche con i soli tool base si può già lavorare senza problemi.

Cons

Il text tool e i modelli 3D umani possono essere migliorati, ma non è nulla che possa incidere sull'uso complessivo del programma.

Switched from

[Adobe Photoshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/229092/Adobe-Photoshop/)

Photoshop è costoso e limitato e non pensato per gli artisti.

Review Source

JL

Joelle L.  
Senior Cutout Animator  
Animation  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A Solid Program, Especially if you do a lot of Inking/ Work on Comics."

November 27, 2023

4.0

I love it! The main things that have stopped me from picking it up full-time is how different it is to photoshop and how efficient I am in the latter. I've already created a solid pipeline in photoshop, which cannot easily be fully transferred over, and I'm too lazy to start over. But if you're just starting out or happy to experiment, it is an amazing program and much more affordable.

Pros

I love the variety of brushes you can find for use in the program, and felt that needed a shout-out. However, the main reason I use Clip on the regular is to quickly place flat colours under my linework. I use photoshop CS5, which is sorely lacking a good paint bucket feature. Clip, on the other hand, is amazing at quickly filling areas of flat colour, and allows you to place flats on a different layer than the lineart, all while using the linework information. The result is near-seemless, needing very little adjustments, and is much more versatile and less destructive than the Photoshop equivalent.

Cons

The imported text issue is the main con I have, though it is a situational issue. Other than that, you need to take the time to learn how to use the program to get the most out of it. Of course, that can be said about almost any program. It is a little harder to pick up than certain programs.

Review Source

Teya B.  
Teacher: Digital Illustration  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "The most amazing drawing app EVER!"

October 9, 2020

5.0

CSP is the software that I recommend daily to all artist around me. I am a professional illustrator and after I started using Clip Studio Paint I forgot about all Adobe software. Everything is easier, smoother, better in CSP !

Pros

I don't like this app. I LOVE IT! I am happy that someone finally made an app that is light and fast. It doesn't make your computer die. In the same time it has all the useful tool of other aps + some original, very creative tools that I've seen only in CSP. I love that the software is so affordable too!

Cons

I never had any issues with the software. however a couple years ago I lost my serial key and had to contact the support team to recover it for me. I don't know if this is the way Japanese support usually behaves, but they didn't feel very friendly at all. Not that they were rude, but they weren't kind and friendly as many other apps support people are. That said, I need to mention that they DID solve my problem. It took long though.

Review Source

sR

sasha R.  
NONE  
Writing and Editing  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "just what any artist needs"

December 13, 2022

5.0

my overall opinion is that its great. works the way I want it to and helps me become better at what I do.

Pros

I love all the ways to improve my work. has no issues with importing or saving. great templates and tons of things to improve anything you working on. this software is one of the best I've used. there always making it better too.

Cons

sometimes it loads slowly or it has issues with the drag-and-drop option where it does it work correctly.

Review Source

LP

Lorenzo P.  
Disegnatore  
Animation  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Perfetto e accessibile "

January 16, 2024

5.0

Mi trovo benissimo con questo software, lo utilizzo professionalmente insieme ad altri software e continuerò ad utilizzarlo in quanto e’in continuo sviluppo

Pros

Di questo software amo i moltissimi strumenti che l’artista ha a disposizione, i tools, i righelli per prospettive, ma sopratutto la possibilità di cambiare la dimensione del segno quando si vuole, in quanto questa utilita’ e’ molto importante nel campo dell’animazione professionale

Cons

Un vastissimo menu’ che inizialmente può spaventare

Review Source

EM

Eric M.  
Founder  
Consumer Services  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Confusing "

April 5, 2023

4.0

Pros

I got a free trial when I purchased my tablet, so that was cool. It looks very capable and professional. There are lots and lots of tools, options, all that.

Cons

I've opened it and tried to use it every few days for the past month with little progress. It took a long time to just figure out how to open a new file. I still have no idea how to insert a file or add a background. Doesn't seem to have a media library, which is ok but it would be nice. I can't figure out how to change the brush or brush size. It's just very confusing and everything is tiny even on a huge tablet.I'm not a professional artist but I've been a hobbyist all of my life and I use other things like this with no problem. I wanted to use it to draw a new logo for our company but so far I can't even draw a stick man with it lol. Please make some how to videos or something.

Review Source

CN

Cheyenne N.  
Freelance Artist  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "State of the Art"

February 18, 2021

5.0

Overall, CSP is a seriously wonderful, state of the art program. It is much like photoshop and paint tool sai had a baby, but much easier to learn, use and has a lot more perks! A LOT Lighter on the wallet too!

Pros

It's hard to pick what I love most about this program, I love that the developers listen to what we want, it's easy to learn AND tjay there is s large amount of free assets(brushes, patterns etc) available right in the program!

Cons

I think the thing I like least is it can be difficult to get brushes to transfer sometimes.

Reason for choosing Clip Studio Paint

I liked that CSPs interface seemed easier, and that it had so many other perks.

Review Source

SB

Shahroz B.  
Character Artist  
Media Production  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "2D/3D Artist"

July 16, 2022

5.0

Overall experience is very Amazing and impressive about its options and animation tools are unbelievable. It,s overall experience is very good.

Pros

In this software we can work on both 3D and 2D projects . Its pen pressure is much better than Adobe Photoshop. It's color output is Amazing. It's files are not too much big in storage. It is amazing in animation because its animation panel is very nice. It's also good on 3d texturing and Animagion

Cons

The only one bad thing is, it's workspace window is not very good and tools panel are average.

Review Source

PM

Philip M.  
Owner  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Natural drawing"

November 6, 2021

5.0

Pros

The most impressive feature of this is how easy it is to draw. The brushes "feel" natural and drawing is smooth. Changing sizes and shapes are intuitive and line weights react much better from graphic tablets than other software tested.

Cons

Coming from Photoshop or other variants this takes a bit of getting use to. However the learning curve is pretty short. Many keyboard shortcuts are similar, however there are some key ones you may want to remap.

Review Source

AR

Alexandre R.  
Designer  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: I used a free trial

### "Experience with Clip Studio Paint"

March 6, 2021

4.0

I looked for Clip Studio Paint to make prints for the painting shop where I work, I found it easy to learn how to use the tools and it was easy to work with comparison to other programs, but at the same time that some tools were good and simple, with others I had difficulty not only in using them but also in getting help, but it was nothing that hindered my service too much. In addition, when printing the prints, the quality was not like that of PhotoShop, but it did not leave anything to be desired. It is a good software, simple to use but it has small details that make the difference but that in some cases are compensated by the price of the software in relation to some competitors.

Pros

It is a software with a lot of resources, the tools are simple to use, are easy to find and have very intuitive icons (which makes it easy to use even for those who know the tool for a short time). The zoom tool is very good and makes it easy to work, giving agility and speed at work (unlike other software).

Cons

Customer support is not the best and sometimes you have to work hard to discover the functionality of some tools, some are easy and very intuitive but others are not so much. Some resources are missing for working in 3D and the tools for working with vectors need further improvement.

Review Source

LC

Lidiane C.  
Professora  
Design  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Um excelente software, se não fosse o preço "

May 16, 2023

5.0

Um excelente app, recomendaria muito. Só espero que façam algo com o preço para pessoas como eu.

Pros

A quantidade gigantesca de possibilidades com tantas ferramentas fáceis de se utilizar.

Cons

O preço alto que é incompatível com minha renda, mesmo valendo a pena

Review Source

AZ

Aileen Z.  
Freelance artist  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Great software for a very nice price"

February 20, 2021

5.0

Pros

I'm not an expert by any means, but Clip Studio is as powerful as Photoshop at a fraction of the price. The official tutorials are helpful and the user-contributed assets are great. A great drawing experience.

Cons

There are tons of tools, and learning all of them requires a pretty steep learning curve.

Review Source

MP

Marko P.  
Photographer  
Photography  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "ClipStudioPaint review"

September 27, 2024

4.0

My overall experience with CSP is positive but far from the best.

Pros

What I like the most about CSP is the open source aspect.

Cons

What I like least about CSP is the difficult interface

Review Source

CS

Carmelo S.  
libero professionista  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "molto buono, consigliato"

December 15, 2022

4.0

Pros

comoda l'interfaccia chiara, sopratutto per chi viene da programmi più complessi! ottime anche le opzioni di conversione dei files.

Cons

non mi piace molto che purtroppo, date le prestazioni del mio dispostivo, a volte crasha il programma senza salvare il lavoro. consiglio di salvare spesso!!!!

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Owner, Artist  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Powerful drawing tool with a little learning curve"

April 13, 2026

5.0

Pros

I love how it integrates with my drawing tablet. It feels just as nice as drawing on paper. I like that it can handle large dimensions without crashing. I also like that the software is a one-time fee as opposed to monthly fee to use on desktop.

Cons

There is a slight learning curve to learn where things are, and to customize the windows to your preference. But if you're comfortable with other drawing software, it is not too different. I do wish that there is a one-time fee for the iPad apps.

Review Source

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