# Paintstorm Studio vs Brushes

The clearest difference is price: Brushes at $3.99 against Paintstorm Studio's $12.99. Brushes also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and chart position (#79 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Paintstorm Studio costs $12.99 and Brushes $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Brushes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 368 and 177 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Paintstorm Studio's written reviews are positive against 57% of Brushes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Paintstorm Studio ships an update every 4 months, Brushes every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paintstorm Studio | Brushes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $12.99 | **$3.99** |
| Rating | [4.4 (368 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio/id1077984099/reviews) | **[4.6 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **368** | 177 |
| Positive reviews | **59.6% of reviews** | 57.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#79** |
| Size | 103 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sergei Komarov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060632106) | [Envoza](https://appshunter.io/developer/867470531) |

## What reviewers say

### Paintstorm Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio/id1077984099)

This app offers a professional digital painting experience on iOS devices, leveraging Apple Pencil for advanced control. It provides a vast array of customizable brushes, stroke correction, and intuitive tools for artists of all levels to create masterpieces on the go.

**Highlights:** Advanced brush customization, Stroke post-correction, Perspective-aware parameters, Dynamic and custom interface, Mask brush functionality, Photoshop PSD and ABR support, Apple Pencil integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful desktop-class features
- 🎨 Excellent brush engine and blending
- 📚 Highly customizable interface
- 💻 Seamless desktop-to-iPad experience
- 🖌️ Realistic painting simulation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Cluttered and confusing UI
- 🔋 Performance and memory issues
- 🔒 Lack of cloud/online integration
- 📁 Limited file management and export options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup or when using certain tools
- Brush lag and performance issues with large canvases
- Unreliable autosave and file management
- Unresponsive or glitchy UI elements
- Incompatibility with older iPad models

**Requested features**

- Improved brush customization and management
- Seamless canvas rotation and zooming
- Expanded layer and selection tools
- Better text and typography support
- Integrated cloud/online sync and sharing


### Brushes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279)

**Currently charting:** #79 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app offers a powerful digital painting and sketching experience with a modern interface and advanced features. Create detailed artwork with customizable brushes, layers, and color tools. Optimized for Apple Pencil and various devices.

**Highlights:** Customizable parameterized brushes, Advanced layer management, Apple Pencil support with pressure curve, Light and dark mode interface, Unlimited undo/redo, Cloud Drive import/export

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Great for detailed drawings
- ✨ Simple and intuitive interface
- 💨 Fast and fun to use
- 🖌️ Unique 'Brushes look'
- 💰 Excellent value for price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Brush tip issues (square instead of fade)
- 💾 Auto-save malfunctions
- 🎛️ Poor brush size control (fine detail)
- ⚫ Difficulty getting a true black line
- 🔄 Not an improvement on original

**Reported bugs**

- Brush tips not staying (switching to square)
- Auto-save not working
- Cannot place images from gallery
- Brush size slider jumps
- Circular lines icon appears unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- More save color slots
- Full Chinese menu translation
- Instructions/manual
- Smudge tool
- Documentation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paintstorm Studio free?

Paintstorm Studio costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Brushes free?

Brushes costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Paintstorm Studio or Brushes?

Brushes is rated higher. Paintstorm Studio averages 4.4 out of 5 from 368 ratings, while Brushes averages 4.6 from 177 ratings.

### Do Paintstorm Studio or Brushes have ads?

Neither Paintstorm Studio nor Brushes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Paintstorm Studio or Brushes?

Paintstorm Studio ships an update every 4 months, and Brushes every 6 weeks. Most recently, Paintstorm Studio was updated on September 6, 2026 and Brushes on September 24, 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.*