Paint.NET

Paint.NET is the image editor most Windows users should install before anything else: free, fast, and far more capable than the Paint app it once set out to replace, without the learning curve of Photoshop or GIMP. It started in 2004 as a student project at Washington State University mentored by Microsoft, and it is still actively developed - the current release is 5.1.12, published on March 8, 2026.

The feature set covers real photo editing work. Layers with blending modes let you composite images properly. Unlimited history means no mistake is permanent. Adjustments cover levels, curves, hue and saturation, while the effects menu offers blurs, sharpening, distortion, artistic filters and noise reduction. Selection tools, gradient fills, text with outline control and full color management round out a toolkit that handles everything from cropping screenshots to restoring old photos.

Performance is a genuine selling point: Paint.NET opens in a couple of seconds, uses hardware acceleration for the canvas, and stays responsive on modest hardware where heavier editors grind. A tabbed interface keeps multiple images organized, and the layout is conventional enough that anyone who has used any editor feels at home immediately.

Recent 5.x releases modernized the engine: pressure-sensitive pen and drawing tablet support, GPU-accelerated effects, WebP and AVIF file support, and a dark theme that matches Windows 11. System requirements stay modest - any 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC will do.

The plugin ecosystem extends what is built in - extra file formats, effects and adjustments from an active community forum. Paint.NET is freeware for everyone; buying the Microsoft Store version is an optional way to support development and get automatic updates, while the classic desktop installer remains free from the official site and its GitHub release page.

Development is a one-man show led by Rick Brewster, with releases arriving every month or two and detailed changelogs on the official blog. The project has been going for over two decades, and it shows in how polished the small details are - the installer stays lean and updates rarely break anything.

A note on the numbers: this figure covers GitHub release downloads only; it does not include downloads from other channels or represent unique users.

The honest limits: it is Windows-only, with no Mac or Linux version and none planned. It is a raster editor - no vector tools, no CMYK for print professionals, no non-destructive adjustment layers, and text becomes pixels once committed. The plugin system has no in-app browser, so finding add-ons means forum hunting. For everyday image editing on Windows, though, Paint.NET hits the sweet spot between capable and approachable better than anything else at this price - free.