# Pixel Playground — Fresh Tool for Retro Graphics > Powerful, beautiful, and simple pixel art editor for retro graphics. (iPhone/iPad app by Studio Mee.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-playground/id708109473 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Studio Mee](https://appshunter.io/developer/300673322) - Category: Photo & Video, Productivity - Price: Free - Rating: 4.20/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 2 MB - Languages: American English, Swedish - Released: 2013-09-30 - Data updated: 2026-08-20 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-playground/id708109473/reviews.md ## What is Pixel Playground? - "Wow — just wow, I've played with nearly ALL of the pixel editors out there (I use them daily) and none come close to this in terms of slickness.", UK Do pixel editors have to be as retro as pixel art itself? No! Professionals, hobbyists and newcomers – rejoice! Pixel Playground is here, and it's powerful, beautiful and simple. INTERFACE - Document bounds grow as needed - Simple & clean with no clutter between you and your art - Super responsive drawing, pan & zoom - Unlimited undo steps - Portrait or landscape anytime TOOLS - Freehand, lines, boxes, ellipses, flood-fill - Cool auto contour tool - Powerful selection: paint mask using regular tools - Intuitive tool size: matches finger-tip size at any zoom level - Cut, copy, paste COLORS - Smart palette with existing document colors - Extensive palette with all recent colors - Paint opacity setting - Automatic color naming for easy reference - Long press to sample existing colors - Lock all pixels of one color - Lock all pixels except one color - Easily adjust existing document colors - Auto erase when drawing on same color SAVING - Syncs using iCloud - Auto saves your work - Export as regular PNGs - Save to photos, air drop, facebook, twitter, etc. BONUS - No in-app purchases - Magic undo/redo transitions - Minimal file size (1,5 MB!) WHAT USERS THINK - "I'm a HUGE fan of Pixel [Playground]! It's the only iOS pixel art app that's as well designed as iOS itself. Almost every design decision is perfect.", US - "This is Absolutely what you should expect from a great pixel art tool. Some of the tools here work like magic. Nice touches everywhere in the app.", UK - "Extremely feature rich but not bloated. Love the factual names of the colours too.", UK - "This really is a great pixel editor. The interface is refreshing and there’s a surprisingly robust toolset augmented with useful gesture controls. Pixel drawing is precise.", US - "The tutorials are fun and very effective at teaching the app’s features.", US - "Inuitive, fast. Really surprised to see several really cool tools. Lock color. Draw to select. Long press to sample. Nice.", Denmark ## Key features - Freehand, lines, boxes, ellipses, flood-fill tools - Auto contour and selection tools - Smart color palette with auto naming - Unlimited undo steps - iCloud sync and auto-save - Export as PNG ## Recent user reviews (7 of 7) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-playground/id708109473/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Good but annoying *2020-03-19* Every time I go to delete a file, it comes back once I close the app!!!! Needs to be fixed because it’s a pain in the butt and it’s clogging up all my memory on my device! Other than that great app, would use it more if it weren’t for this issue! ### 3/5 — So cute but needs improvement *2019-04-13* This app is really cute, but there are a few bugs etc. that should be worked out. whenever i export a photo to “save photo” (camera roll), the app crashes. also, there needs to be some way to easily understand the size of the canvas you’re working on. i know it’s pixelated, but whenever i get into the single pixel line drawings, they export SO small. it would be nice to work with vector resizing instead, so you can get that really nice single pixel look, and then resize your drawing so you can have a high quality image. ### 5/5 — Omg, such an inventive and innovative app! *2017-03-31* I love it! It's so easy to draw what I imagine without the tools getting in the way. I drew a bird and a rabbit drawing so far, came out cute. Just very happy with this purchase! :) ### 5/5 — Love this *2016-12-24* Fun sketches for pixel people. This is great great for retro game artists. ### 5/5 — Perfect open pixelart playground *2015-11-03* This is the best pixelart editor in the app store, no questions asked. The quick two finger pan/zoom and the easy access to colors make drawing pixel art a fun activity. The nice touches like long press to snag a color and double tap to "lock" a color really makes editing quick. When you realize that the canvas will grow as you need it, you suddenly ask why doesn't any other app do this. There are only a couple suggestions for my specific use case. 1. I sometimes need the canvas to be locked to a specific size, I have a very specific use for the art and need to know where the "edge" of my canvas will end up. 2. Improved pallete. Right now it's great to pick and reuse colors, but I found myself trying to make a gradient of greys for a very small and specific picture. It became a bit tedious when I couldn't figure out where I was and how much to change the current color. - To help this would give me the ability to create a new color but start with the one I'm currently using (copy color?) Other than those little tweaks, this is my #1 choice for pixel art on my iPad! Thanks for the great work! ### 4/5 — Great features and interface *2014-01-17* This really is a great pixel editor. The interface is refreshing and there’s a surprisingly robust toolset augmented with useful gesture controls. Pixel drawing is precise. The tutorials are fun and very effective at teaching the app’s features. I hope the developer gets enough interest to continue enhancing the app. A few recommendations: - The paint tool should be in the toolbar, it’s the most used tool. You could combine file and settings (or move settings to Settings) and remove the clear tool since that’s not something you want to hit accidentally (and it’s in the pencil menu anyway). - The palette and pencil menus need to be compacted so they don’t scroll. And after tapping an item the menu should dismiss. - A major grid lines option, like 8 x 8, would be helpful when you are working with specific-sized drawings. An extra bonus: isometric grid line guides. - An option to have a specific canvas size that doesn’t automatically expand or contract. - It would be nice to know the current zoom level. I can’t tell what’s 100%, if there is such a thing. The three-finger zoom out gesture will zoom in if the drawing is small. It’s confusing. ### 5/5 — Phenomenal *2013-11-09* Wow — just wow, I've played with nearly ALL of the pixel editors out there (I use them daily) and none come close to this in terms of slickness bar one and even that one is limited. This is Absolutely what you should expect from a great pixel art tool. Some of the tools here work like magic. Nice touches everywhere in the app. Extremely feature rich but not bloated. Love the factual names of the colours too. ## Frequently asked questions about Pixel Playground ### What is Pixel Playground? Pixel Playground is a powerful, beautiful, and simple pixel art editor designed for creating retro graphics. It offers a clean interface and a robust set of tools for both professionals and hobbyists. ### Does Pixel Playground have ads? No, Pixel Playground does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application with no in-app purchases or ads, ensuring an uninterrupted creative experience. ### What devices is Pixel Playground available on? Pixel Playground is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, allowing you to create pixel art on your preferred Apple mobile device. ### How often is Pixel Playground updated? The latest version of Pixel Playground is 1.2.2, and it was last updated on August 8, 2024. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements. ### What drawing tools are included in Pixel Playground? Pixel Playground includes freehand drawing, lines, boxes, ellipses, and a flood-fill tool. It also features a cool auto contour tool and powerful selection capabilities. ### Can I save my work easily with Pixel Playground? Yes, Pixel Playground supports iCloud sync and auto-saves your work. You can export your creations as regular PNG files and save them directly to your photos or share them via AirDrop, Facebook, and Twitter. ### What is the age rating for Pixel Playground? Pixel Playground has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in digital art creation. ### How does Pixel Playground handle colors? Pixel Playground features a smart palette that uses existing document colors and an extensive palette of recent colors. It offers paint opacity settings, automatic color naming, and the ability to lock pixels by color. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.2.2 — 2024-08-08 Minor fixes ### 1.2.1 — 2019-11-21 - Workaround for a bug in iOS 13 which made saving to camera roll not work. ### 1.2 — 2018-05-24 - Bug fixes ### 1.1.8 — 2015-04-07 Long press in document list to - Clone documents - Rename documents Fixed document load animation glitch. ### 1.1.7 — 2015-02-03 - Bugfix: document name changing working again in iOS 8. ## Apps similar to Pixel Playground | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Canva AI Photo & Video Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canva-ai-photo-and-video-editor/id897446215) | 4.9 (3,494,302) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Pixel Art Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-camera/id1107180652) | 4.6 (1,214) | Free | Photo & Video | | [CapCut: Photo & Video Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capcut-photo-and-video-editor/id1500855883) | 4.6 (1,117,818) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Picsart AI Photo Editor, Video](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picsart-ai-photo-editor-video/id587366035) | 4.7 (1,194,118) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Lightroom: AI Photo Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightroom-ai-photo-editor/id878783582) | 4.8 (336,238) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Photo To Sketch - Drawing book](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-to-sketch-drawing-book/id421785759) | 4.2 (11,989) | Free | Photo & Video | ## More apps by Studio Mee - [SketchMee](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchmee/id319652474) - [SketchMee Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchmee-lite/id327345296) - [PaintMee](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintmee/id329485556) - [PaintMee Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintmee-lite/id329847306) - [Foolproof Art Studio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foolproof-art-studio/id526674575) - [Foolproof Art Studio Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foolproof-art-studio-lite/id542355311) All apps by Studio Mee: https://appshunter.io/developer/300673322 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-20.*