Aseprite review

Aseprite is the pick when a GIF starts as a drawing rather than a video. It is a pixel-art editor with a real animation timeline: layers, frames and cels can be created, copied, linked and dragged, onion skinning shows neighbouring frames while you draw, and frame tags let one file hold several animations that loop forward, in reverse or ping-pong. Drawing tools are tuned for pixel art, with pixel-perfect strokes, a shading ink and RotSprite rotation that avoids distortion on tiny sprites. Finished work saves as an animated GIF, a PNG sequence or a sprite sheet with JSON data, and a command-line interface can automate conversions. On Steam's US store it costs $19.99 once, with updates for the v1.x series. It does not import video, so it is not a converter, and its tools suit pixel art more than painted or photographic frames. We compared documented features and published prices.

Who it is for

Pixel artists and game developers drawing frame-by-frame animations

Price

One-time purchase of $19.99 on Steam (US store).

Buy Aseprite $19.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Timeline with layers, frames and cels that can be copied, moved and linked
• Onion skin with red/blue mode for drawing in-betweens
• Frame tags with forward, reverse and ping-pong playback
• Save animations as .gif files, PNG sequences or sprite sheets
• Command-line interface for automated conversions

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: One-time price with updates for the v1.x series
• Strength: Pixel-perfect strokes, shading ink and RotSprite rotation
• Strength: Windows, macOS and Linux builds, minimum 128 MB RAM
• Weakness: Built for pixel art, not photos or video
• Weakness: No video import for video-to-GIF work
• Weakness: Steam lists the app as unsupported on Steam Deck

Key facts

• Price: $19.99 one-time on Steam (US)
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Export: Animated GIF, PNG sequence, sprite sheet
• Developer: Igara Studio

Where it ranks

Aseprite is No. 6 in our Best GIF Makers verdict.