Comparison

Tracing Board | Lightbox vs Plasmotopia

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

Head to head
About

Tracing Board | Lightbox

This app transforms your iPad into a portable light box for artists. It allows you to trace over sketches, drafts, or fonts to refine your work, make variations, or create new typographical designs. Save your progress and adjust image settings for an optimal tracing experience.

Highlights
  • Portable light box functionality
  • Trace sketches and drafts
  • Create typographical designs
  • Save tracing progress
  • Adjust size, brightness, saturation, and contrast
  • Lockable menu to prevent accidental input
Features
Read full description

Tracing Board converts your iPad into an on-the-go light box. This is a tool for those of us who draw daily (wherever we are) and sometimes need to re-draw sketches until we are pleased with the results. ▶ USES • Use it to clean-up or fix mistakes in your drafts. • Make hand copies of your originals with small variations. • Combine drawings you’ve done in separate places. • Make your own typographical creations by combining and tracing inspirational fonts. ▶ ADVANTAGES • Use it on the go • Menu can be locked to avoid accidentally tapping any controls or leaving the app while tracing. • Save your boards to finish tracing later. • Adjust Size, Brightness, Saturation & Contrast to make tracing easier. ▶ HOW IT WORKS Before using the app app, go to your iPad’s Settings and “Turn OFF Multitasking Gestures”. Read the “Tips & Tricks” section displayed automatically on the first run (you can access it again later by tapping on the lightbulb icon) to get the most of this app. Choose the drawing you want to trace and either take a photo of it, select a photo from Camera Roll or simply tape the drawing you want to trace over the white screen and add a white paper on top. Tracing board does not condone copying original works from other artist and claiming them as yours. It is merely a tool to improve your own creations, practice or for going from a draft to a final piece. We recommend using a soft lead pencil and tracing with minimum pressure to avoid damaging your device.

About

Plasmotopia

This app offers a creative experience combining drawing, exploration, and worldbuilding. Use touch or Apple Pencil to paint 3D objects inspired by nature, science, and culture with unique brushes. It's designed to inspire curiosity and reward imagination.

Highlights
  • Draw on 3D objects
  • Explore and build worlds
  • Expressive brushes
  • Nature-inspired materials
  • New worlds added regularly
  • Apple Pencil support
Read full description

Please check supported iPhone and iPad models below before purchasing. Drawing can change the way we see the world. That’s why we created Plasmotopia, to inspire curiosity about the world around us. We can’t wait to see the worlds you create. Plasmotopia is a creative experience that combines drawing, exploration, play and worldbuilding. Using Apple Pencil or touch, participants draw directly onto 3D objects inspired by nature, science, culture and storytelling. From coral reefs and ancient fossils to masks and imagined beings, each object becomes a canvas for colour, texture and imagination. Use a unique set of expressive brushes to bring your creations to life. Paint with lava, bioluminescence, iridescence and other materials inspired by the natural world. The more you create, the richer your universe becomes. Plasmotopia is created for curious kids, creative adults, families, museums and classrooms. It blends drawing, play and learning into a calm, joyful experience that rewards creativity. —----------—---------- Discover a world of creative possibilities: – Great Barrier Reef (created in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation) – Deep Earth – Many Faces New worlds added regularly —----------—---------- SUPPORTED DEVICES Please check that your device is supported before purchasing. iPhone – iPhone 13 or later iPad – iPad, 2021 9th gen or later – iPad Pro, 2021 M1 or later – iPad Air, 2022 M1 or later – iPad mini, 2024 7th gen or later – Supports Apple Pencil or touch input. —----------—---------- PRIVATE BY DESIGN We collect anonymous usage statistics to help improve Plasmotopia. We don’t collect your name, email, photos, or location, and your creations stay on your device.

Screenshots

Plasmotopia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Plasmotopia at 5.0 against Tracing Board | Lightbox's 4.5. Plasmotopia also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 18 months). Tracing Board | Lightbox's advantage is ratings volume (40 vs 1) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Tracing Board | Lightbox costs $2.99 and Plasmotopia $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plasmotopia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tracing Board | Lightbox has 40 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Tracing Board | Lightbox's written reviews are positive against 100% of Plasmotopia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tracing Board | Lightbox ships an update every 18 months, Plasmotopia every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Tracing Board | Lightbox versus Plasmotopia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTracing Board | LightboxPlasmotopia
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (40 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB726 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPablo PacielloTIN&ED

Customer experience

Tracing Board | Lightbox

All ratings40 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative25.0%

Plasmotopia

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tracing Board | Lightbox

No in-app purchases

None

Plasmotopia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tracing Board | Lightbox free?
Tracing Board | Lightbox costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plasmotopia free?
Plasmotopia costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tracing Board | Lightbox or Plasmotopia?
Plasmotopia is rated higher. Tracing Board | Lightbox averages 4.5 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Plasmotopia averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Tracing Board | Lightbox or Plasmotopia have ads?
Neither Tracing Board | Lightbox nor Plasmotopia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tracing Board | Lightbox or Plasmotopia?
Tracing Board | Lightbox ships an update every 18 months, and Plasmotopia every 2 weeks. Most recently, Tracing Board | Lightbox was updated on October 6, 2026 and Plasmotopia on October 19, 2026.

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