Comparison

Swift Pixels vs Pixel

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

Head to head
About

Swift Pixels

Create pixel art with a unique color palette and diverse rendering options. Save your creations as PNGs with transparency or high-resolution images to share. Import photos from your library or camera to use as a base for your designs.

Highlights
  • Unique color palette with universal categories
  • Render pixels as squares, 3D boxes, beads, towels, or hexels
  • Save images as PNG with transparency
  • High-resolution export and sharing
  • Import photos from library or camera
Features
Read full description

Simple and easy to use drawing application to create pixel art. Features: * Unique color palette based on universal color categories. Each color category expands a continuous gamut for that color. * Render pixels as simple squares, 3D boxes, beads, a towel, or as hexagons (hexels). * Save small images as PNG images with transparency (alpha/mask), or save them in hi-res and share them with the world :) * Load and import pictures from your Photo Library, or directly take a picture from your camera.

About

Pixel

Features
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Your photo, turned into a pattern you can actually make. Pixela turns any picture into a crisp pixel grid with a tidy color palette and a printable chart — so you can recreate it however you like: • Perler / Hama beads — get the bead-by-bead layout for your next fuse-bead art. • Cross-stitch & embroidery — symbols per color and a printable chart to stitch from. • Knitting & crochet — color-work charts (intarsia, tapestry, C2C, jacquard): one square per stitch/block. • Quilting & patchwork — each pixel becomes a fabric square. • Pixel art, sprites & icons — turn a photo or your own drawing/sketch into true pixels with a controlled palette; export a clean PNG. • Event & stadium mosaics — plan "pixel performances" and card stunts, seat by seat, sized in meters. • Wall decor & murals — set the centimeters per tile and get the real wall size to paint or tile. • LEGO & brick mosaics — each pixel is one brick on the baseplate. • LED matrices & low-res screens — a pixel map to wire or program each LED. • Gifts & keepsakes — turn a pet, a portrait, or a logo into a handmade piece. • Drawings, coloring pages & templates — a ready-made grid to trace, color, or hand off. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • Pick a photo — Pixela builds the pattern in seconds. • Control the look — set the number of columns and palette colors with live sliders. • Color symbols — every color gets a letter so it's easy to follow (great for color-vision needs). • Printable PDF — a clean legend plus the full symbol chart, ready to print or share. • Export a clean PNG — the pure pixel art with no grid or symbols, ready to use as a sprite, sticker, or poster. • Real thread colors — see the nearest DMC floss for every color, and swap any color for the one you prefer. • Real finished size at any scale — stitches (Aida), beads, or big tiles; shown in cm or meters, so you can size a wall mural or a whole stadium mosaic. • Track your progress — mark finished cells and watch your % climb. • Pinch to zoom, tap "1:1" to see the whole thing — built for big, detailed pieces. • Works offline — everything is processed on your device. Your photos never leave it. FAIR PRICING Unlock everything with a single one-time purchase — no subscription, ever. Private by design: your photos are processed on-device and are never uploaded.

Screenshots

Swift Pixels4 screens
Pixel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pixel at Free against Swift Pixels's $1.99. Pixel also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months). Swift Pixels's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads 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

Pixel is free to download; Swift Pixels costs $1.99 up front. Pixel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Swift Pixels asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swift Pixels ships an update every 5 months, Pixel every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Swift Pixels versus Pixel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwift PixelsPixel
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.7 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid GavilanAbraham Munguia

In-app purchases

None

Swift Pixels

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel

One-time1
  • Pixel-A Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Swift Pixels free?
Swift Pixels costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixel free?
Pixel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Swift Pixels or Pixel have ads?
Neither Swift Pixels nor Pixel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Swift Pixels or Pixel?
Swift Pixels ships an update every 5 months, and Pixel every 4 days. Most recently, Swift Pixels was updated on October 19, 2026 and Pixel on October 10, 2026.

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