Comparison

Swift Pixels vs PixelPad

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

PixelPad

Features
Read full description

PixelPad is a focused pixel art and sprite animation studio for iPad and iPhone. Draw precise pixels with Apple Pencil or touch, build frame-by-frame animations, and export assets without leaving your device. DRAW WITH PRECISION • Work on crisp 8×8 to 128×128 canvases • Use Pencil, Eraser, Fill, Eyedropper, and Selection tools • Pan and zoom without losing the pixel grid • Undo and redo complete strokes ANIMATE FRAME BY FRAME • Add, duplicate, delete, and reorder frames • Set a project frame rate or tune timing per frame • Compare neighboring frames with color-coded onion skins • Preview animation with the same timing used for GIF export BUILD YOUR PALETTE • Add, remove, and reorder colors • Start with built-in palettes • Save reusable custom palette presets EXPORT GAME-READY ASSETS • Export transparent or solid-background PNGs • Create animated GIFs • Arrange sprite sheets by rows and columns • Control frame spacing and 1×, 2×, or 4× scale PRIVATE BY DEFAULT PixelPad currently works offline, requires no account, and stores projects on your device. Export through the standard share sheet whenever you are ready. The app starts in English. Korean is available at any time in Settings.

Screenshots

Swift Pixels4 screens
PixelPad4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

PixelPad is free to download; Swift Pixels costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swift Pixels ships an update every 5 months, PixelPad every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Swift Pixels versus PixelPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwift PixelsPixelPad
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.7 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid GavilanDAEHONG MIN

In-app purchases

None

Swift Pixels

No in-app purchases

None

PixelPad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Swift Pixels free?
Swift Pixels costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PixelPad free?
PixelPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Swift Pixels or PixelPad have ads?
PixelPad shows ads; Swift Pixels does not.
Which is updated more often, Swift Pixels or PixelPad?
Swift Pixels ships an update every 5 months, and PixelPad every 2 days. Most recently, Swift Pixels was updated on October 2, 2026 and PixelPad on October 9, 2026.

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