When comparing Aseprite vs Pixly, the Slant community recommends Aseprite for most people. In the question“What are the best pixel art / sprite editors?” Aseprite is ranked 1st while Pixly is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Aseprite is:
You can change the playback speed of the loop and the speed of each individual frame. There are three playback modes: forward, reverse, and ping-pong. Onion Skin mode is included to speed up the animation process and to allow for tagging the timeline to help keep animations organized. There is also a live preview so you can always see the end result. Onion Skin mode will overlay previous and next frames over the canvas so you can use them as references when drawing. For Onion Skin mode, you can adjust items like range, opacity, and tint, whether the onion frames are in front of or behind the canvas, etc. You can tag different parts of the timeline when, for example, you need different animations for the same character. You can then loop those tagged sections individually.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Good selection of tools for animation
You can change the playback speed of the loop and the speed of each individual frame. There are three playback modes: forward, reverse, and ping-pong. Onion Skin mode is included to speed up the animation process and to allow for tagging the timeline to help keep animations organized. There is also a live preview so you can always see the end result.
Onion Skin mode will overlay previous and next frames over the canvas so you can use them as references when drawing. For Onion Skin mode, you can adjust items like range, opacity, and tint, whether the onion frames are in front of or behind the canvas, etc.
You can tag different parts of the timeline when, for example, you need different animations for the same character. You can then loop those tagged sections individually.
Pro Easy to use
Getting started with the program is straightforward. It's laid out intuitively: the main workspace in the middle, color selection on the left, tool section on the right, and animation timeline at the bottom.
All tools and the vast majority of functions have keyboard shortcuts, allowing for results to be obtained quickly.
Aseprite is a very focused program: it's not filled with icons, there's no excess functionality, and dialog boxes generally only have a couple of options so you're never overwhelmed and it's easier to learn.
Pro Responsive developer
Always in touch with the community and approachable via Twitter.
Pro Awesome tools
Tools are good, easy to use.
Pro Pixel perfect mode
It makes drawing lines and shapes less jaggy by default.
Pro Free and paid versions available
Aseprite is free if you compile it yourself. Its maintainers also offer a security-signed package with a technical support license for a one time fee of $14.99. It's also easy to use and presents really awesome tools.
Pro Cross-platform
Aseprite is available on macOS, Windows and Linux. The unfree source code is published on GitHub.
Pro Made for pixel art
It was designed with pixel art in mind, unlike other general-purpose image editors. This means you get lots of useful features and very little clutter from tools and features that you won't need.
Pro Very intuitive thus easy for complete beginners
The interface invites you to be creative, and since it's pixel art you are creating, this adds to the feeling of being in the right environment. Everything seems to have its natural place and thereby could make beginners feel right at home.
Pro Beautiful interface
Aseprite has a beautiful pixel-art interface that makes it a pleasure to use.
Pro Scriptable using Lua
Aseprite is scriptable using the Lua language, which can be used to automate tasks and add new functionality. Some consider the API more user-friendly than GrafX2's.
Pro Color selector with different color systems
RGB, CMY, HSB, and a somewhat different HUSL.
Pro Offers color ramp generator
Pixly offers a color ramp generator that then exports directly into a custom palette.
Pro You can use reference images
You can work with a reference image on top of your art, or by its side.
Pro Allows you to continue your work even when not in front of your PC
This tool works on both phones and tablets that run Android, which is handy for when you do not have access to a PC.
Pro Layered projects
Pro Gestures that feel natural on touch screens
In Pixly, you can move the art around with two fingers (like in Google Maps) and change the brush/eraser size with a three-finger pinch.
Pro Supports onion skinning
Onion skinning is also called ghosting. It allows the user to see the past and previous frames, while editing the current frame. This way, the user can make decisions on how to create or change an image.
Pro Mirroring support
In Pixly, the user can make symmetrical art with a mirror, or even go bananas setting up two or more mirrors at different angles at once.
Pro Transparency support
The user can make transparent sprites in Pixly.
Pro Animation support
Even though this is a mobile tool, it's fully featured and even allows you to create animations.
Pro Standard and custom palettes
Pro Live image tiling
The user can create tiles in Pixly and keep an eye on progress in real time.
Pro Color filters
Cons
Con Not FLOSS anymore
The license was changed to a shared license, that does not allow redistribution of the source code. While older versions should still be FLOSS, the newest versions are not.
Con Text tool could be better
You can't change text and its font or size after you've inserted it. You have to re-insert text every time you wish to make an edit.
Con No tilemap support yet
A tilemap editor is on the roadmap for version 1.6.
Con Pixel-styled interface can be jarring
Aseprite uses low-resolution window frames and fonts. Opinions vary on whether this sets the mood or gets in the way.
Con No PC version
The PC version has not yet been released.