# ChibiStudio vs Doodlebud

The clearest difference is update cadence: Doodlebud at every 4 days against ChibiStudio's monthly. Doodlebud also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChibiStudio sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Doodlebud sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ChibiStudio ships an update monthly, Doodlebud every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChibiStudio | Doodlebud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chibistudio-chibi-maker/id1135307199/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 142 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Software LTDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/586431973) | [Mathew Groves](https://appshunter.io/developer/1809217846) |

## 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.


### Doodlebud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodlebud/id6744754949)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| handful of bux | $0.99 | one-time |
| bunch of bux | $4.99 | one-time |
| stack of bux | $9.99 | one-time |
| sackful of bux | $19.99 | one-time |
| heap of bux | $49.99 | one-time |
| mountain of bux | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChibiStudio free?

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

### Is Doodlebud free?

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

### Do ChibiStudio or Doodlebud have ads?

Neither ChibiStudio nor Doodlebud shows ads.

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

ChibiStudio ships an update monthly, and Doodlebud every 4 days. Most recently, ChibiStudio was updated on October 24, 2026 and Doodlebud on October 7, 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.*