Comparison

Pixel Art Effect vs DrawinGrid

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Art Effect

Transform your photos into retro or modern pixel art with customizable effects. Adjust pixel size, edge thickness, and choose from various pixel shapes. Add text and crop images into different shapes before or after applying the pixel art effect.

Highlights
  • Convert photos to pixel art
  • Adjustable pixel amount
  • Customizable edge thickness
  • Multiple pixel designs (square, hexagon, triangle, torn)
  • Add text to photos
  • Crop photos into shapes
Features
Read full description

The Pixel Art Effect app lets you turn your photo into video game pixel art. The effect ranges from modern pixel art which has a more subtle pixelated effect (many small pixels) to retro pixel art which is made up of fewer larger pixels. You can control the amount of pixels you want. There 6 designs to choose from which differ in color etc. You can control the edge thickness. This is the outline of the artwork. There are also 4 pixel designs to choose from. These pixel designs are standard square, hexagon pixels, triangular pixels and torn pixels. See the screenshot for a visual example. No internet connection is required! Step 1: To convert your image to pixel art! Simply tap the "Add a Photo". You will be presented with the option of choosing a photo from your photo library or taking a picture with your camera! Step 2: Tap the "Apply Pixel Effect" button. Step 3: Save your pixel art to your photo library or share it to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, VK or any other social network, forum or site and set the picture as a profile picture, cover photo etc. As of version 2.2, Pixel Art Effect allows you to do a lot more with your photos! The effects are endless because you can mix and combine the features and effects. You can also add text to your photos before or after applying the pixel effect! Add the text before applying the pixel effect if you want the text to become pixelated as well! You can also crop your photos into various shapes. Choose from a circle, flag, heart, star, square or rectangle.

About

DrawinGrid

Easily create custom grids over reference images and drawing surfaces. This tool simplifies image enlargement and transfer for artists, ensuring accurate proportions with every stroke. Achieve professional results with an intuitive interface.

Highlights
  • Custom grid creation
  • Image enlargement tool
  • Reference image overlay
  • Drawing surface grid
  • Precise detail transfer
  • Proportion accuracy
Features
Read full description

DrawinGrid is a drawing companion and project manager built for artists who work from reference photos. Overlay an adjustable grid on any image, size and position it exactly how you need, and use it to keep proportions and perspective accurate as you sketch — on paper or digitally. Beyond the grid tool, DrawinGrid helps you manage your art from first reference to finished piece, so your projects, progress, and portfolio all live in one place. GRID & REFERENCE TOOLS - Load and crop any reference image - Adjustable grid settings — size, spacing, and style to match your workflow - Full-screen zoom and drag for close, accurate work - Export and save your gridded reference for later or for printing TRACING - AR Sketch — float your reference over the camera view and trace it straight onto paper - Trace on Screen — draw over your reference on the screen with a finger or stylus - Move, pinch and zoom the reference to line it up exactly where you want it - Undo and redo every stroke while you work - Export your finished tracing to save, share, or add to a project PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Organize your artwork into a personal project library - Track project timelines and hours spent, piece by piece - Sync and store your projects securely in the cloud AI-ASSISTED WORKFLOW - Let AI suggest project titles so you can spend less time naming files and more time drawing SHARE YOUR WORK - Publish a public gallery to showcase finished pieces - Optionally list and mark artwork as sold to share your work with buyers Whether you're a hobbyist filling a sketchbook or a working artist managing a full slate of commissions, DrawinGrid gives you the drawing aids and the organization to see every project through. Some features, including cloud sync, AI-assisted tools, and the public gallery, require an account and are intended for users aged 13 and over. In-app purchases are available for these pro features. EULA: https://drawinggrid.app/eula.html

Screenshots

Pixel Art Effect4 screens
DrawinGrid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pixel Art Effect at none against DrawinGrid's shown. Pixel Art Effect also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 82%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). DrawinGrid's advantage is ratings volume (4.9K vs 103). On price, rating, update cadence and 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

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Effect sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DrawinGrid sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pixel Art Effect against 4.7 for DrawinGrid. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DrawinGrid has 4.9K ratings behind it against 103, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Pixel Art Effect's written reviews are positive against 82% of DrawinGrid's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Art Effect ships an update every 5 weeks, DrawinGrid monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pixel Art Effect versus DrawinGrid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Art EffectDrawinGrid
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (103 ratings)4.7 (4.9K ratings)
Positive reviews95.0% of reviews — better81.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1034.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanny PajevicBUTTERFLYRAY LIMITED

Customer experience

Pixel Art Effect

All ratings103 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.0%

DrawinGrid

All ratings4,941 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative14.1%

User reviews

Pixel Art Effect

From 103 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
  • 🎨 Great for pixel art creation
  • 🖼️ Useful for artists and designers
  • 🎮 Perfect for game design (e.g., Animal Crossing, Minecraft)
  • ✨ Produces cool pixel effects

Room to improve

  • ⚠️ Radically alters original colors
  • 🤏 Minimum/maximum pixel limits can be restrictive
  • 💡 Filters are applied without an option to disable
  • 🐛 High contrast and brightness issues
  • 🧐 Lacks detailed customization options

DrawinGrid

From 4.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Completely free and easy to use
  • 👍 Handy for drawing and art
  • 👍 Simple and effective
  • 👍 Helpful for improving drawing skills
  • 👍 No subscription trap

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy image loading and grid application
  • 🐛 Limited functionality (e.g. no ruler, unable to specify grid size)
  • 🐛 Clunky and not user-friendly for some
  • 🐛 Incompatible with older devices (e.g. iPhone SE)

Bugs and requests

Pixel Art Effect

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Radically alters original colors
  • Minimum/maximum pixel limits
  • Contrast goes super high, making pictures too bright
  • Filters are applied without an option to disable

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow choosing pixel count for both length and width
  • Option to apply or not apply filters
  • More detailed customization options

DrawinGrid

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Images not saving properly
  • Ads not removed after paid upgrade
  • Unable to load images from gallery

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow specifying number of rows and columns
  • Add more grid customization options
  • Provide instructions and definitions of terms
  • Improve image loading and grid application reliability

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel Art Effect

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
3 purchases

DrawinGrid

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$8.001 Month
  • Pro$86.001 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$10.00

Questions

Is Pixel Art Effect free?
Pixel Art Effect is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DrawinGrid free?
DrawinGrid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Art Effect or DrawinGrid?
Pixel Art Effect and DrawinGrid are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 103 and 4.9K ratings respectively.
Do Pixel Art Effect or DrawinGrid have ads?
DrawinGrid shows ads; Pixel Art Effect does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Art Effect or DrawinGrid?
Pixel Art Effect ships an update every 5 weeks, and DrawinGrid monthly. Most recently, Pixel Art Effect was updated on September 29, 2026 and DrawinGrid on October 17, 2026.

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