# Pastello vs Squarize

The clearest difference is price: Squarize at Free against Pastello's $29.99. Squarize also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Pastello's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Squarize is free to download; Pastello costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pastello ships an update every 3 months, Squarize every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastello | Squarize |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $29.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **43** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 123 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JixiPix, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671) | [Khang Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/1078541780) |

## What reviewers say

### Pastello

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686)

Transform your photos into stunning dry media art, mimicking styles like pastel, charcoal, and colored pencil. This app offers a professional workflow with customizable layers and one-click presets for creating expressive, traditional-looking artwork.

**Highlights:** Photo to Pastel, Chalk, Charcoal, Crayon conversion, Layering of different dry media, Customizable stroke direction, size, and volume, One-click presets with customization options, Traditional sketch styles and DaVinci effect, Professional workflow for artists and photographers

**In-app purchases:** none


### Squarize

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/squarize/id6470295121)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastello free?

Pastello costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Squarize free?

Squarize is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pastello or Squarize have ads?

Squarize shows ads; Pastello does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pastello or Squarize?

Pastello ships an update every 3 months, and Squarize every 2 days. Most recently, Pastello was updated on September 18, 2026 and Squarize on October 3, 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.*