# Paintstorm Studio Lite vs Drawing Pad

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drawing Pad at 74% against Paintstorm Studio Lite's 24%. Drawing Pad also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 267). Paintstorm Studio Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drawing Pad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Paintstorm Studio Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

Drawing Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drawing Pad has 6.9K ratings behind it against 267, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Paintstorm Studio Lite's written reviews are positive against 74% of Drawing Pad's.

Paintstorm Studio Lite ships an update every 4 months, Drawing Pad every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paintstorm Studio Lite | Drawing Pad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (267 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio-lite/id1097147869/reviews) | **[4.3 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad-apps-for-drawing/id1114463240/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 267 | **6.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 24.1% of reviews | **73.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 103 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.1 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sergei Komarov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060632106) | [Minh Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1050437840) |

## What reviewers say

### Paintstorm Studio Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio-lite/id1097147869)

This app offers professional digital painting tools for artists of all levels. It provides extensive brush customization, stroke correction, and intuitive controls to enhance the mobile art creation experience. Discover new possibilities for digital drawing with advanced features and Apple Pencil support.

**Highlights:** Extensive brush customization, Stroke post-correction, Apple Pencil support, Dynamic interface, Mirror drawing, Standard tools pack

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Excellent brushes and color mixing
- 🎨 Sophisticated drawing tools
- 🖌️ Advanced interface like desktop apps
- 🖥️ Powerful features on par with desktop software

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚧 Cluttered and confusing interface
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and performance issues
- 💦 Annoying watermark on exported artwork
- 🔍 Lack of clear instructions and tutorials

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening or switching between projects
- Brush settings and color wheel disappearing unexpectedly
- Inability to save or recover unsaved artwork

**Requested features**

- Remove watermark option
- Ability to import photos and images
- Better organization and customization of UI
- More intuitive brush and tool controls


### Drawing Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad-apps-for-drawing/id1114463240)

Unleash your creativity with a versatile digital sketchbook. This app offers a wide range of drawing tools, customization options, and helpful features like grids and mirroring to enhance your artistic process. Easily share your creations with others.

**Highlights:** Pencil, brush, eraser, marker, pen tools, Customizable brush textures, Color fill bucket, Add text and shapes, Background customization, Mirror and grid drawing aids, Share drawings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drawing Pad - Pro Version | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Variety of tools and features
- 💡 Useful for beginners and artists
- 🎨 Good for sketching and drawing
- 👍 Responsive to Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 💰 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
- 🔒 Limited functionality in free version
- 🎨 Difficult to control precision of drawing

**Reported bugs**

- Drawing not saving properly
- Lag and delay when using certain tools
- Incompatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add layers for more complex drawings
- Improve brush and color selection
- Implement undo/redo functionality
- Allow offline drawing without internet connection


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paintstorm Studio Lite free?

Paintstorm Studio Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Drawing Pad free?

Drawing Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Paintstorm Studio Lite or Drawing Pad?

Drawing Pad is rated higher. Paintstorm Studio Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 267 ratings, while Drawing Pad averages 4.3 from 6.9K ratings.

### Do Paintstorm Studio Lite or Drawing Pad have ads?

Drawing Pad shows ads; Paintstorm Studio Lite does not.

### Which is updated more often, Paintstorm Studio Lite or Drawing Pad?

Paintstorm Studio Lite ships an update every 4 months, and Drawing Pad every 2 months. Most recently, Paintstorm Studio Lite was updated on October 23, 2026 and Drawing Pad on October 29, 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.*