head to head · open source
Shotcut vs Krita
Shotcut has 15,577 GitHub stars, 1,558 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Krita has 10,680 stars, 898 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shotcut leads on adoption by 46% (15,577 vs 10,680 stars). Shotcut is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; Krita is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. Shotcut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Krita 8%. Shotcut was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Shotcut | Krita | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 898 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shotcut if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Krita if
- You want the Krita feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Krita fits your workflow better
About Shotcut
Shotcut a free, open source, cross platform video editor Features: Roadmap: Install Binaries are regularly built and are available at Contributors Dan Dennedy : main author Brian Matherly : contributor Dependencies Shotcut's direct (linked or hard runtime) dependencies are: MLT: multimedia authoring framework Qt 6 (6.4 minimum): application and UI framework FFTW FFmpeg: multimedia format and codec libraries Frei0r: video plugins SDL: cross platform audio playback See for a more complete list including indirect and bundled dependencies. License GPLv3. See COPYING. How to build Warning : building Shotcut should…
read the full Shotcut overview →
About Krita
Note: Nightly builds are not covered by this table atm Krita is a free and open source digital painting application. It is for artists who want to create professional work from start to end. Krita is used by comic book artists, illustrators, concept artists, matte and texture painters and in the digital VFX industry. If you are reading this on GitHub, be aware that this is just a mirror. Our real code repository is provided by KDE: Repository Status For branch: master User Manual Development Notes and Build Instructions Please follow the online documentation. Other developer guides, notes and wiki: Apidox: Bugs…
read the full Krita overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shotcut or Krita more popular?
Shotcut has 15,577 GitHub stars and Krita has 10,680. Shotcut has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shotcut and Krita free?
Both are open source. Shotcut is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Krita under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Shotcut and Krita?
Shotcut is written in C++ and Krita in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Shotcut or Krita?
Choose Shotcut if you want the larger community (15,577 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Krita if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.