# Pixen vs PixelForge

The clearest difference is ads: Pixen at none against PixelForge's shown. PixelForge's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PixelForge sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pixen ships an update monthly, PixelForge fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixen | PixelForge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixen-pixel-art-editor/id1161880215/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **177** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Furnace Creek Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/321189453) | [Mohamed Nagy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582361271) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixen-pixel-art-editor/id1161880215)

Create and animate pixel art with a comprehensive set of tools. Manage projects, import/export various file formats, and utilize advanced features like layers and custom patterns. Optimized for Apple Pencil on iOS and macOS.

**Highlights:** Pixel art and animation editing, High zoom levels, Color palettes, Animation frame editing, Import/export various file formats, Apple Pencil support, Layers and blend modes

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro: One Time Purchase | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use for beginners
- 🚀 Great for pixel game art
- 💡 iCloud sync with Mac version
- ✨ No ads whatsoever
- 👍 Responsive developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Little buggy
- 🐛 More tapping in menus than necessary
- 🐛 Low quality export
- 🐛 Hard to navigate for beginners
- 🐛 Too much extra work for frame duplication

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- Cannot make anything else after one image
- Cannot export
- App crashes when exporting
- Export as JPG without transparent background

**Requested features**

- Undo gestures
- Gallery for artworks
- Redo button
- Keep animation preview screen up while working
- Option to choose background color


### PixelForge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixelforge-pixel-art-studio/id6758704485)

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PixelForge Pro - Lifetime | $0.99 | one-time |
| 20 AI Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100 AI Credits | $2.99 | one-time |
| 500 AI Credits | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixen free?

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

### Is PixelForge free?

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

### Do Pixen or PixelForge have ads?

PixelForge shows ads; Pixen does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixen or PixelForge?

Pixen ships an update monthly, and PixelForge fortnightly. Most recently, Pixen was updated on October 24, 2026 and PixelForge 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.*