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Tesserra

Tesserra is a retro-inspired pixel art editor for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.

Place
#14 of 70
Score
6.9
Tesserra's website

What Tesserra is

Tesserra is a retro-inspired pixel art editor for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. It combines drawing tools and custom brushes with layer groups, blend modes, an animation timeline, and onion skinning. Built-in palettes support up to 64 colours, and the editor imports GPL, PAL, HEX, and ASE palettes. It imports images and exports GIF, PNG, SVG, and ASE files. Retro-style themes and six shaders include Composite NTSC, three CRT styles, and two handheld LCD looks. Files open across the supported platforms; tablets use the desktop layout, while phones have a simpler touch layout. Cloud sync works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Nextcloud, and requires an account with that provider. Tesserra Lite is free with drawing, painting, layer tools, image import, and PNG export. Tesserra Full costs $7 once while in beta and grants access to all platform versions except iOS. The maker says the price will rise to $14 on full release; iOS and iPadOS are in development.

Good

  • Includes an animation timeline and onion skinning.
  • Imports and exports several palette and image formats.
  • Cloud sync supports four listed providers.
  • A free Lite plan is available.

Watch out

  • iOS and iPadOS are still in development.
  • Cloud sync requires an account with the provider.
  • Windows and macOS may show a security warning.

Who it suits

Tesserra suits pixel artists who want drawing and animation tools on desktop or Android. It may also suit users who want to move files between supported platforms or sync through a cloud provider.

Verdict

Tesserra combines pixel drawing, palette tools, animation, and retro effects across four listed platforms. Its free Lite plan is limited, while Full costs $7 once during beta and excludes iOS.

Plans and prices

From Tesserra's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
Tesserra LiteFreeDrawing, painting & layer tools · Colour picker, wheel & limited built-in palettes · Import images · Export PNG
Tesserra Full$7, paid onceFull feature set · Purchase grants access to all platform versions except iOS · $7.00 USD or more

The facts

Each one read from Tesserra's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Beta pricing
The page says Tesserra costs $7 while in beta and will rise to $14 on full release.checked 8 Oct 2026
Cloud integrations
Cloud storage sync works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Nextcloud, and requires an account with the cloud provider.checked 8 Oct 2026
Drawing and animation
It includes drawing tools, custom brushes, layer groups, blend modes, an animation timeline, and onion skinning.checked 8 Oct 2026
File formats
It can import images and export GIF, PNG, SVG, and ASE files.checked 8 Oct 2026
Palettes
It includes built-in palettes up to 64 colours and supports importing GPL, PAL, HEX, and ASE palettes.checked 8 Oct 2026
Product
Tesserra is a retro-inspired, cross-platform pixel art editing tool.checked 8 Oct 2026
Requirements
The page lists Windows 10 (22H2) or 11, macOS 14 Sonoma, modern 64-bit Linux, or Android 12 or newer, with 4 GB RAM on desktop and 3 GB on Android.checked 8 Oct 2026
Security and signing
The maker says the release is not yet code-signed, so Windows and macOS may show a security warning; code signing is on the roadmap.checked 8 Oct 2026
Themes and shaders
It includes built-in retro-style themes and six shaders, including Composite NTSC, three CRT types, and two handheld LCD looks.checked 8 Oct 2026

Where it runs

Device layouts
The same file opens on every platform; tablets use the desktop layout and phones use a simpler touch layout.checked 8 Oct 2026
Platform availability
The page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android as available; iOS and iPadOS are in development.checked 8 Oct 2026

The company

Maker
The itch.io creator is listed as “tesserra.”checked 8 Oct 2026

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