# Adobe Illustrator vs Pendulum Paint

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Illustrator | Pendulum Paint |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (38K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **38K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 13.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 856 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Elliot Williams](https://appshunter.io/developer/991432050) |

## What reviewers say

### Adobe Illustrator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Illustrator on iPad : Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Illustrator on iPad : Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive
- 👍 Great for on-the-go vector work
- 🚀 Seamless sync with desktop Illustrator
- 👍 Useful for quick sketches and illustrations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Missing key desktop features
- 🔍 Buggy layer and selection handling
- 🔍 Limited export options and quality
- 🔍 Unintuitive interface in some areas

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pendulum-paint/id6794935476)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*