# ChibiStudio vs Turtle

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ChibiStudio at 77% against Turtle's 20%. ChibiStudio also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (23K vs 5). Turtle's advantage is update cadence (daily vs monthly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChibiStudio sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Turtle sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $199.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ChibiStudio holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChibiStudio has 23K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of ChibiStudio's written reviews are positive against 20% of Turtle's.

ChibiStudio ships an update monthly, Turtle daily. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChibiStudio | Turtle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chibistudio-chibi-maker/id1135307199/reviews)** | [2.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle-pixel-characters/id6744418985/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **77.3% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 142 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Software LTDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/586431973) | [Twinstar Creatives](https://appshunter.io/developer/1378171714) |

## What reviewers say

### ChibiStudio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chibistudio-chibi-maker/id1135307199)

Design adorable chibi characters with extensive customization options. Save your creations as profile pictures, share them, or use them as dynamic Home Screen widgets. Sync your characters across devices for seamless access.

**Highlights:** Thousands of customization options, Export creations as images, Cross-device sync, Chibi Home Screen widgets, Add/generate backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Anime Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Anime Hair Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extras Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Fantasy Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gala Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cyber Punk | $1.99 | one-time |
| Animals Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Underwater Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| ChibiStudio+ | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and fun to use
- 🚀 Lots of customization options
- 💡 Ability to create characters from imagination
- 👍 Great for creativity and design
- 👍 No ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Issues with saving created characters
- 🐛 Glitches with color/rotation of items
- 🐛 Disorganized layout and categories
- 🔒 Limited free options compared to premium

**Reported bugs**

- Characters disappearing after saving
- Inability to change hair/eye color for some options
- Overlapping/clipping issues with certain clothing items

**Requested features**

- Add ability to name/save created characters
- Improve organization with categories and favorites
- Expand free options and reduce reliance on premium
- Add more pose and expression options
- Allow customization of skin tone, height, etc.


### Turtle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle-pixel-characters/id6744418985)

Design unique pixel art characters with a variety of customization options. Choose base characters, skin tones, facial features, and outfits to create personalized avatars. Save and share your creations easily.

**Highlights:** Boy or girl base character selection, Customizable skin tones, Detailed facial feature design, Wide range of outfits and accessories, Save and share character exports, Paid subscription for premium style options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turtle Pro Yearly | $199.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChibiStudio free?

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

### Is Turtle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ChibiStudio or Turtle?

ChibiStudio is rated higher. ChibiStudio averages 4.7 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Turtle averages 2.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do ChibiStudio or Turtle have ads?

Neither ChibiStudio nor Turtle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ChibiStudio or Turtle?

ChibiStudio ships an update monthly, and Turtle daily. Most recently, ChibiStudio was updated on October 27, 2026 and Turtle on October 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.*