Comparison

Adobe Illustrator vs Pendulum Paint

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Adobe Illustrator

Create logos, illustrations, and graphics on your iPad with intuitive Apple Pencil support. Design vector art, manipulate type, and create patterns on the go, even offline. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and other Adobe apps.

Highlights
  • Vector drawing with Apple Pencil
  • Advanced typography tools
  • Pattern creation
  • Image vectorization
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Gradient and color tools
Read full description

Create logos, illustrations, graphics and more. Illustrator on the iPad works intuitively with your Apple Pencil so you can design on the go from anywhere, even offline - it’s never been easier to take your creativity to new places. Design with precision, as naturally as you would with pen and paper. Create vector lines, shapes, type, gradients, and effects. Merge or cut graphics with quick, intuitive Pencil gestures to remove unwanted areas. Make your graphics pop with effects, and access over 18,000 fonts, 20+ color palettes, up-to-the-minute live streams from famous creatives, and guided tutorials. Work on a project across Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Fresco. Plus, your Illustrator work is automatically synced to the cloud, so you and your team can always access the latest version from your desktop or iPad. This app is part of Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s free for Creative Cloud members who have a plan that includes Illustrator. INTUITIVE AND PRECISE DRAWING WITH APPLE PENCIL • Natural ways to draw — Make lines and curves using the Pen, Pencil, and Brush tools • Art and Calligraphic Brushes — Create and apply brush strokes to add artistic elements to your artwork. • Pinpoint editing — Create perfect graphics without quality loss with Smart Delete, Simplify Path, and more • Point precision — Edit graphics down to the point, radius, or angle level NEW WAYS TO MAKE STUNNING PATTERNS AND SHAPES • Vectorize — Convert raster images or paper sketches into vector images. • Radial, grid, and mirror repeat — Turn graphics into sophisticated patterns • Polygon shape creation — Make objects out of circles, triangles, squares, and stars • Transform as Shape — Transform paths and curves without manual manipulation of anchor points. • Blend Tool — Smoothly blend one shape into another across a specified number of steps. THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE TYPE TOOLKIT FOR IPAD • 18,000+ fonts — Use one of the thousands of high-quality fonts included in the Adobe Fonts library • Fonts of your own — Upload and design with any of your own licensed fonts and use them on both desktop and iPad • Type on a path — Bend and flow text onto the surface of lines and shapes • Outlined text — Turn text into an editable format that can be modified without limits • Variable fonts — They’re infinitely customizable • Color fonts — Explore gorgeous color variations and gradients that are built into the font BRILLIANT COLORS AND GRADIENTS • Point gradients — Drag and drop colors to create dynamic blends of diffused colors • 20+ color books — Use industry-standard color swatches or incorporate your own SEAMLESS MOVEMENT BETWEEN DEVICES AND APPS • File syncing between Illustrator on the desktop and on the iPad — Projects are automatically synced and accessible across devices • Photoshop import — Easily place a Photoshop image into your Illustrator design • Standard file format export — Create, save, and open Illustrator (AI) files with no loss of quality, and export in the most common formats, including SVG, PDF, PNG, and PSD. KEEPING TABS ON THE LATEST CREATIVE TRENDS • Livestreaming — Watch and learn from top design-industry creatives daily, right within the app • Trends to discover — Explore projects by other creatives Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do Not Sell My Personal Information: www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

Pendulum Paint

Features
Read full description

Turn motion into art. Pendulum Paint transforms harmonic physics into luminous, evolving compositions. A suspended paint bucket swings through layered pendulum motion, tracing Lissajous curves, orbital ribbons, splatters, and falling drips across a deep studio canvas. Start with a curated motion preset or shape the result yourself. Tune frequency ratio, damping, detuning, paint flow, splatter, trail fade, and glow while the artwork develops in real time. Features: - Physics-driven harmonograph motion - Five distinct motion presets - Rainbow, cyber, solar, and aurora color palettes - Live controls for rhythm, decay, flow, splatter, trails, and bloom - Randomized variations for new compositions - Pause, clear, and restart at any time - Export and share finished artwork as a PNG - Responsive layouts for phones, tablets, and desktop browsers - No accounts, ads, analytics, or tracking Every composition is generated locally on your device. Explore the balance between order and chaos, then save the moment when it feels right.

Screenshots

Pendulum Paint4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pendulum Paint at none against Adobe Illustrator's 4. Pendulum Paint also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Adobe Illustrator sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Pendulum Paint asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, Pendulum Paint every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Adobe Illustrator versus Pendulum Paint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdobe IllustratorPendulum Paint
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (38K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews13.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings38K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size856 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.Elliot Williams

Bugs and requests

Adobe Illustrator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Layers disappearing or not updating properly
  • Eraser tool behaving inconsistently
  • Pasting content causing unexpected issues
  • Frequent crashes when working on complex files

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to rotate canvas
  • More brush and stroke customization options
  • Implement Gaussian blur and other effects
  • Add support for keyboard shortcuts
  • Improve file management and cloud sync

Pendulum Paint

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Adobe Illustrator

Subscriptions4
  • Illustrator on iPad : Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Illustrator on iPad : Yearly1 Month trial$79.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly1 Month trial$149.991 Year
None

Pendulum Paint

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Adobe Illustrator free?
Adobe Illustrator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pendulum Paint free?
Pendulum Paint is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Adobe Illustrator or Pendulum Paint have ads?
Neither Adobe Illustrator nor Pendulum Paint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Adobe Illustrator or Pendulum Paint?
Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, and Pendulum Paint every 4 days. Most recently, Adobe Illustrator was updated on October 23, 2026 and Pendulum Paint on October 18, 2026.

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