Krita 6.0.4 Is Out — But Should You Leave 5.x Yet?

Krita 6.0.4 is out. The release page is short, and that’s the first thing worth knowing: a version number is not a changelog. If you’re mid-project on a 5.x install, the honest answer to “should I upgrade?” depends on facts the release page doesn’t hand you.

So here’s the useful version of this story — what the Krita 6.0.4 release actually establishes, what it leaves you to test, and how to make the call without gambling a client deadline.

What changed in Krita 6.0.4

KDE published Krita 6.0.4 on its GitHub releases page on 10 September 2026. That’s the primary source, and it’s the only thing in this article treated as established fact.

What the release page does not contain, at least in the readable form available to us, is a detailed itemised list of fixes, a migration note, or a statement about file-format compatibility between 5.x and 6.x. That matters, because those are exactly the things a working illustrator needs before touching a production install.

Everything below is framed as a check you run, not a claim we’re making on KDE’s behalf. If you want the raw release, it’s linked in Sources at the bottom — read it yourself before you commit.

Why a point release is still a decision

Krita sits in an unusual spot for a professional paint app. It’s free, it’s open source, and it’s been a serious alternative to paid raster tools for years. That combination changes the upgrade calculus.

With a subscription tool, you upgrade when the vendor says so, or you stop working. With Krita, you can simply stay on 5.x indefinitely — no licence server, no forced update, no expiry. That’s a genuine advantage, and it’s also a trap: nothing pushes you to test the new branch, so people sit on old installs for years and then migrate in a panic.

The 6.x line is the current branch. 6.0.4 is a maintenance release inside it, which usually means bug fixes rather than new features — but “usually” is doing real work in that sentence, and you shouldn’t plan around it.

The 5.x vs 6.x call, in practice

Here’s how I’d frame it for a freelance illustrator or a graphic designer with a studio install.

The alongside install is the whole trick. You don’t have to choose. Keep the version that ships work, and open the new one when nothing is on fire.

What to actually test, not what to assume

Don’t run a five-minute doodle and call it verified. Run the file that would hurt.

• Your heaviest layered file. Open the largest .kra you own and check that layer groups, blending modes and masks look the way you left them.
• Your brush presets. Import your custom set and paint a few strokes. Preset behaviour is the thing illustrators notice first when a branch changes.
• Export, not just canvas. Export one finished piece to PNG and, if you deliver print work, to your usual print format. Compare against the same export from your old install.
• Tablet pressure and tilt. Ten minutes of real strokes, not a single test line.
• File round-trip. Save in 6.0.4, reopen in your old install if you still have it. If that fails, you’ve learned something important before a client did.

If all five pass, you have evidence. If any fail, you’ve saved yourself a bad week.

Where this release leaves you short

The uncomfortable part: a bare version number gives you no way to judge whether 6.0.4 is worth the disruption. You can’t weigh a fix you can’t read.

That’s not a criticism of the maintainers — Krita is volunteer-driven and release notes vary in depth. It’s a practical warning. Treat the release as “a new build exists,” not as “a new build is better for you.”

If you’re on a paid tool and used to vendor-written upgrade guides, this is the adjustment. With open-source tools, the testing burden lands on you.

What this means if you’re still learning

If you’re a student or early-career designer, the calculus flips. You have no production files to protect, so install the current branch and learn it. Learning a version that’s about to be legacy is wasted effort.

Krita’s free licence is the reason this is even a choice — no seat cost, no trial clock. Use that. Install it, break it, reinstall it. That’s the advantage of a tool that doesn’t bill you.

If you’re weighing Krita against a paid raster app, the comparison that matters isn’t feature lists — it’s whether your delivery format and your client’s expectations survive the round trip. Test that before you commit a project.

The takeaway

Krita 6.0.4 exists as of 10 September 2026. That’s the fact. Whether it belongs on your machine is a test you run, not an announcement you trust.

Install it beside your working version. Open your worst file. Export something. If it holds, migrate on your schedule. If it doesn’t, you’ve lost an afternoon instead of a deadline.

That’s the whole decision, and it’s a better one than upgrading because a number went up.

Sources

• Krita v6.0.4 release — KDE/krita on GitHub (published 10 September 2026)