# Brushes vs Realistic Paint Studio

The clearest difference is price: Brushes at $3.99 against Realistic Paint Studio's $11.99. Brushes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). Realistic Paint Studio's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 57%) and ratings volume (735 vs 177). On rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Brushes costs $3.99 and Realistic Paint Studio $11.99 up front. Realistic Paint Studio sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Brushes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Brushes against 4.7 for Realistic Paint Studio. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 177 and 735 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Brushes's written reviews are positive against 67% of Realistic Paint Studio's.

Brushes ships an update every 6 weeks, Realistic Paint Studio every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brushes | Realistic Paint Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$3.99** | $11.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279/reviews) | **[4.7 (735 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realistic-paint-studio/id1529593385/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 177 | **735** |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **67.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#83** | — |
| Size | 13 MB | 1005 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Envoza](https://appshunter.io/developer/867470531) | [Aleksandr Komarov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529593777) |

## What reviewers say

### Brushes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279)

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app offers a powerful digital painting and sketching experience with a modern interface and advanced features. Create detailed artwork with customizable brushes, layers, and color tools. Optimized for Apple Pencil and various devices.

**Highlights:** Customizable parameterized brushes, Advanced layer management, Apple Pencil support with pressure curve, Light and dark mode interface, Unlimited undo/redo, Cloud Drive import/export

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Great for detailed drawings
- ✨ Simple and intuitive interface
- 💨 Fast and fun to use
- 🖌️ Unique 'Brushes look'
- 💰 Excellent value for price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Brush tip issues (square instead of fade)
- 💾 Auto-save malfunctions
- 🎛️ Poor brush size control (fine detail)
- ⚫ Difficulty getting a true black line
- 🔄 Not an improvement on original

**Reported bugs**

- Brush tips not staying (switching to square)
- Auto-save not working
- Cannot place images from gallery
- Brush size slider jumps
- Circular lines icon appears unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- More save color slots
- Full Chinese menu translation
- Instructions/manual
- Smudge tool
- Documentation


### Realistic Paint Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realistic-paint-studio/id1529593385)

This digital art software offers a familiar art station experience with realistic brushes, pencils, and markers. It allows users to create art in drawing, watercolor, and oil painting styles with a unique color engine and diverse canvas textures. Step-by-step tutorials and live demonstrations guide users through the creative process.

**Highlights:** Realistic color engine, Drawing, Watercolor, Oil Painting styles, Realistic brushes and tools, Realistic canvases with diverse textures, Live demonstration of drawing methods, Step-by-step tutorials

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Artistic brush | Free | one-time |
| Mechanical pen | Free | one-time |
| Glitz pen | Free | one-time |
| Glass pen | Free | one-time |
| Fountain pen | Free | one-time |
| Calligraphy brush | Free | one-time |
| Hieroglyph brush | Free | one-time |
| Diamond brush | Free | one-time |
| Album with six color sheets | Free | one-time |
| All brushes from the VIP box | Free | one-time |
| Dragon brush | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crystal brush | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Realistic and immersive painting experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎨 Excellent brush dynamics and color blending
- 🎨 Wide variety of traditional media tools
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing presentation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔒 Limited export options (no PSD, no transparent background)
- 🔒 Restricted canvas size and resolution
- 🔒 Lack of customization for brushes and tools

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when using the camera feature
- Inconsistent behavior with the undo/redo function
- Issues with the color mixing in the palette
- Delayed response and lag when using Apple Pencil

**Requested features**

- Add support for PSD export with layers
- Implement canvas rotation and resizing options
- Allow for more brush customization and pressure sensitivity
- Improve color picker and palette functionality
- Introduce a simple, distraction-free canvas mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brushes free?

Brushes costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Realistic Paint Studio free?

Realistic Paint Studio costs $11.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Brushes or Realistic Paint Studio?

Realistic Paint Studio is rated higher. Brushes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 177 ratings, while Realistic Paint Studio averages 4.7 from 735 ratings.

### Do Brushes or Realistic Paint Studio have ads?

Neither Brushes nor Realistic Paint Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brushes or Realistic Paint Studio?

Brushes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Realistic Paint Studio every 5 weeks. Most recently, Brushes was updated on September 24, 2026 and Realistic Paint Studio on September 20, 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.*