Comparison

Pixen vs DOTDOT

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

Head to head
About

Pixen

Create detailed pixel art and animations with a comprehensive suite of tools. Manage projects, import/export various file formats, and utilize Apple Pencil features for precise drawing. Supports layers, color palettes, and pattern creation for advanced designs.

Highlights
  • Pixel art and animation creation
  • Extensive toolset (Pencil, Eraser, Fill, etc.)
  • Apple Pencil support with gestures
  • Color palette management
  • Animation frame editing
  • Import/export various file formats
  • iCloud sync for macOS users
Read full description

Pixen is a native pixel art editor for iOS and macOS, designed for working with low-resolution raster art such as those 8-bit sprites found in old-school video games. Pixen packs all the tools pixel artists need in an intuitive, native interface including support for high zoom levels, animation editing, color palettes, and a lot more. PROJECTS GALLERY The Pixen experience starts in the projects gallery, which allows you to manage all of your creations in one place. You can import and export files in various file formats including PNG, JPEG, GIF, ICO, BMP, TIFF, SVG, and PSD. Files can be imported from your Photos library, the Files app, or the clipboard. Pixen for macOS users can take advantage of seamless iCloud sync. When you're ready, you can share your creations with friends. TOOLS AND APPLE PENCIL Leverage Pixen's wide array of tools when composing pixel art: Pencil, Eraser, Brightness, Text, Eyedropper, Zoom, Rectangular Selection, Magic Wand, Lasso, Move, Fill, Line, Rectangle, and Ellipse. All of Pixen's tools are fully compatible with Apple Pencil on iPad. You can take advantage of the double-tap gesture on Apple Pencil 2 to quickly switch to your last tool, switch to the eraser, or bring up the color picker. Pixen even has hover support when using Apple Pencil Pro, so you can see a preview of what you're about to draw before your Apple Pencil touches the screen. COLOR PALETTES With Pixen, you can add and organize commonly-used colors into palettes. Pixen can also import and export color palettes in the Adobe Color Table, Microsoft Palette, JASC Palette, and GIMP Palette formats. You can even perform palette operations such as sorting colors and removing duplicate colors directly in the app. ANIMATIONS Create and arrange image frames in the filmstrip view to piece together animations. Pixen can import animated PNGs, animated GIFs, and sprite sheets. It can export animations as animated GIFs, animated PNGs, movies, image sequences, and sprite sheets! GRID Take advantage of Pixen's grid and alignment tools and create pixel-perfect artwork. PATTERNS Define custom patterns to use while drawing with the Pencil, Line, or Eraser tool (instead of a single pixel). You can even import patterns from 1-bit images. PREVIEW While editing at high zoom levels, use the Preview feature to view the canvas scaled out. You can play back animations and tile small images, useful when working on repeated patterns. AND A LOT MORE... - Sync your creations with Pixen for Mac over iCloud and resume your work right where you left off, regardless of device. - Take advantage of the flexibility of layers and change opacities, blend modes, and more to compose creative effects. - Invert colors, convert to grayscale, apply sepia tone, remove alpha components, palettize, pixellate, adjust hue, exposure, brightness, contrast, and more. - Pixel Perfect mode removes extra pixels while drawing such that any drawn paths are at most 1 pixel in width. In other words, it removes the middle pixel of an L shape. - Pick a flat, striped, or checkered background to be drawn beneath the canvas, or set a reference image. - If you use your iPad with a keyboard, increase productivity with Pixen's wide array of keyboard shortcuts. - Export your artwork in PNG, JPEG, GIF, ICO, BMP, TIFF, SVG, and PSD file formats. - Share your creations quickly and easily via AirDrop, Messages, email, and more! - Adjust the size and position of Pixen's sidebars, customize the Apple Pencil 2 double-tap gesture, and more. Pixen is also available for macOS and is the only pixel art maker of its class that syncs projects with iCloud!

About

DOTDOT

Create pixel art and animated GIFs on a 12x12 canvas while listening to relaxing Lofi music. Share your creations with a community and friends, perfect for beginners and those seeking a creative outlet.

Highlights
  • Pixel art creation
  • GIF animation
  • Lofi music integration
  • Community sharing
  • Intuitive interface
  • Beginner-friendly
Features
Read full description

Take a break from your busy life. Weave your own world of pixel art with music. Express your world on a small 12x12 canvas. Features: - Create with Music: Draw pixel art and create animation GIFs while listening to relaxing Lofi music. - Intuitive Design: An easy-to-use, intuitive interface smoothens the creative process. - Sharing Functionality: Share your art within the app and exchange inspiration with other users. Functions: - Animation Creation: Make moving GIF animations with simple steps. - Music: Create art while listening to Lofi. - Community: Post your pixel art and interact with likes. - Share: Share as animation GIFs with friends or on social media. Recommended for: - Those with a Creative Hobby: Ideal for those seeking new forms of art. - Those Seeking Relaxation: Combine music and art to relieve daily stress. - Digital Art Beginners: Perfect for easily starting digital art. - Social Media Users: Share unique content on social networks. - Children and Their Guardians: For families looking for safe and creative activities. - Fans of Games and Anime: Enjoy the charm of retro pixel art.

Screenshots

Pixen4 screens
DOTDOT2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pixen at 4.7 against DOTDOT's 4.0. Pixen also leads on ratings volume (181 vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). DOTDOT's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On price, ads, monetization model and device support 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. Pixen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DOTDOT asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixen holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixen has 181 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Pixen's written reviews are positive against 100% of DOTDOT's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixen ships an update monthly, DOTDOT every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pixen versus DOTDOT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixenDOTDOT
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (181 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings181 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFurnace Creek Software LLCKyohei Hosono

Customer experience

Pixen

All ratings180 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative29.4%

DOTDOT

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pixen

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes
  • Cannot make anything else after one image
  • Cannot export
  • App crashes when exporting
  • Export as JPG without transparent background
Show 9 more
  • Artwork doesn't save latest edit
  • Crashes when undoing
  • Crashes when exiting artwork
  • Doesn't save
  • App won't open
  • Crashes on boot
  • Export in gif to photos bug
  • Cannot save images to camera roll (app crashes)
  • Crash on startup

Requested features

8 requests
  • Undo gestures
  • Gallery for artworks
  • Redo button
  • Keep animation preview screen up while working
  • Option to choose background color
Show 3 more
  • Spill bucket eraser
  • Larger button size option
  • Undo button on left side for left-handed users

DOTDOT

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixen

One-time1
  • Pro: One Time Purchase$9.99
None

DOTDOT

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixen free?
Pixen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DOTDOT free?
DOTDOT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixen or DOTDOT?
Pixen is rated higher. Pixen averages 4.7 out of 5 from 181 ratings, while DOTDOT averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pixen or DOTDOT have ads?
Neither Pixen nor DOTDOT shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixen or DOTDOT?
Pixen ships an update monthly, and DOTDOT every 5 months. Most recently, Pixen was updated on November 11, 2026 and DOTDOT on November 4, 2026.

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