Comparison

Drawing Pad vs ShadowDraw

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

Head to head
About

Drawing Pad

This app allows users to draw, sketch, and doodle with a variety of tools and brushes. It offers features for photo editing, a coloring book, and the ability to record and share creations. Users can enhance their artwork with stickers, stamps, and frames.

Highlights
  • Drawing, sketching, and doodling tools
  • Photo editing with magic brush effects
  • Coloring book with multiple categories
  • Record and share drawings as video
  • Stickers, stamps, and frames
  • Apple Pencil support
Features
Read full description

Drawings is a cool doodling app that allows you to draw, sketch, doodle while you are traveling or just relaxing a home! **Kids Doodle** (NEW) - Creative Kids Doodle brings to life your unique designing experience - 10+ unique canvas backgrounds that you can change while drawing. - You can record your drawing on canvas as a video and share it with your friends - Beautiful preset color palettes: choose one that fits best and fill a picture with colors from soft and muted to bold and lively - Apple Pencil support: enjoy an easy and intuitive process of coloring on the crisp screen of iPad Pro. 1. Doodle Desk! Are you a Doodle Lover? - Yes! Unleash your creativity and create amazing Doodles with getting Drawing Pad. Create beautiful Doodles with different tools like 3D brushes, stickers, stamps and so on. Want to show you doodling skills to your friends/family? Share it on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. No happy with your Doodle? Want to give a perfect finishing touch? Drawing Pad comes with smooth erasing, undo, redo & specific brushes for a perfect Doodle. 2. Sketch Desk! You love sketching, but cannot carry your sketchbook, everywhere? Don’t worry install Drawing Pad in your iPhone/iPad and sketch while on a go! You can create beautiful sketches with various brush tools like as pen, pencil, highlighter & so on. Also, you can pick up your favorite colors from the quick colors tool. With options like Undo, Redo and flexible eraser, you can create that perfect sketch. 3. Photo Desk for Creative Editors Are you an artist who also creates beautiful effects for your photos? Drawing Pad comes with Magic brush stroke effects. This allows you to add more liveliness to your photos. Moreover, beautify your photos with a collection of attractive stamps & stickers, vibrant frames, & a cropping tool. You can import photos from Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, & other networks. Export your ArtWork :- You can export your sketches, drawings, & doodles to other physical products like Phone cases, Posters, Cushions, Frames, & many more. 4. Coloring Book - Creative coloring book brings to life your unique designing experience - 10+ categories of unique coloring pages from talented illustrators - with frequent collection updates you’ll always have something new to color - Custom palettes: combine any colors you like to create a matchless work of art Drawing Pad app is always easy to use, but you can enjoy even more powerful drawing features with the auto-renewed subscription. Subscription Terms for Drawing Premium • Length of subscription: Month • Introductory Trial: 3 Days free trial • Price of subscription: 3 Day Free Trial then $8.99 / month • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, & identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user & auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of your current subscription, & you can cancel a subscription during the active period. You can manage your subscription at any time, either by viewing your account in iTunes from your Mac or PC or Account Settings on your device after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://drawingsdesk.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://drawingsdesk.com/terms-of-use/

About

ShadowDraw

Learn to draw with guided, step-by-step lessons designed for beginners. Follow the strokes of professional artists to build confidence and master fundamental techniques. Explore thousands of tutorials across various popular art subjects.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step guided drawing lessons
  • Thousands of tutorials
  • Manga, anime, people, animals, and nature subjects
  • Art Teacher Mode
  • Sketch My Way Mode
  • Builds drawing fundamentals
Features
Read full description

Learn to draw with confidence using your Apple Pencil. Featured by Apple as App of the Day in 2023 and 2025. ShadowDraw® is the easiest way for beginners to learn how to draw on iPad using their Apple Pencil. Our guided lessons teach you step-by-step by showing the real strokes of professional artists, helping you build confidence, accuracy, and real drawing fundamentals from your very first session. LEARN TO DRAW THE SMART, BEGINNER-FRIENDLY WAY
 ShadowDraw breaks every drawing into simple, guided steps. You follow the same strokes as a professional artist, learning: * Line control * Shapes & construction * Proportions * Shading * Final detailing
 Each step unlocks only after you complete the previous one, giving you a structured, supportive learning path—like having a private art teacher with you on your iPad. THOUSANDS OF STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS
 Explore beginner-friendly drawing lessons across the most popular art subjects: * Manga & Anime Characters * People & Portraits * Animals (cats, dogs, horses, birds, dragons, and more) * Architecture & Buildings * Botanical & Nature Drawing * Birds & Butterflies * Coloring & Simple Shading * Holiday & Seasonal Art * Warm-Ups & Foundations * Sketching Basics
 With over 2,000 guided tutorials, there’s always something inspiring to draw. PRACTICE YOUR WAY
 ShadowDraw offers two flexible learning modes: Art Teacher Mode
 We pick brushes and colors so beginners can focus on fundamentals. Sketch My Way
 Choose your own tools and colors for creative freedom. BUILD A DAILY DRAWING HABIT 
Short, approachable lessons help you build confidence and stay consistent. ShadowDraw makes daily practice easy, fun, and motivating—even for busy beginners. RECOGNIZED BY APPLE & TRUSTED WORLDWIDE 
ShadowDraw has been featured in the App Store collections, including: * Incredible iPad Apps * Great with Apple Pencil * Apple Pencil Starter Kit * Better with Apple Pencil * The Best Drawing Apps * The Best Apps for Creatives ShadowDraw has also ranked as the #1 Drawing App in its category. Apple writes: 
“With over 1,500 hand-drawn lessons developed by real artists, ShadowDraw is a drawing app for beginners who want to improve their skills through daily step-by-step exercises.” PRAISED BY THE PRESS
 The New York Times
“ShadowDraw… teaches drawing forms by having you follow along the animated pen strokes of another artist in an updated take on the ‘copying the masters’ approach.” MacBreak Weekly — Pick of the Week
“…the next generation of step-by-step.” Also featured by CNET and Creative Bloq. LEARN TOGETHER WITH SHADOWDRAW+
 A ShadowDraw+ membership unlocks the full library and supports Family Sharing, so everyone in your household can learn to draw at their own pace. WE’RE HERE TO HELP 
Need support or have feedback? Contact us anytime through in-app Chat Support. Email: support@shadowdrawapp.com
 Website: shadowdrawapp.com 
Instagram: @shadowdraw For our EULA agreement, please visit: 
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ShadowDraw® and Shadow Draw™ are trademarks of Shadow Draw Inc.

Screenshots

Drawing Pad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Drawing Pad at none against ShadowDraw's shown. Drawing Pad also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (99K vs 1.8K). ShadowDraw's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 44%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Drawing Pad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drawing Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drawing Pad has 99K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Drawing Pad's written reviews are positive against 59% of ShadowDraw's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drawing Pad ships an update weekly, ShadowDraw every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Drawing Pad versus ShadowDraw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrawing PadShadowDraw
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (99K ratings) — better4.2 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews43.6% of reviews59.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings99K — better1.8K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size413 MB820 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSunny Side Hurricane LLCShadow Draw

Customer experience

Drawing Pad

All ratings99,270 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews932 reviews
Positive43.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative51.6%

ShadowDraw

All ratings1,622 ratings
Positive77.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews483 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral13.0%
Negative27.5%

User reviews

Drawing Pad

From 99K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and easy to use
  • 🎨 Good for basic drawing and doodling
  • 👍 Helpful for improving drawing skills
  • 🎨 Provides a variety of brushes and tools

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Requires subscription to access full features
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Frequent pop-ups and ads
  • 🐛 Laggy performance and glitches
  • 🔒 Limited functionality without subscription

ShadowDraw

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for beginners
  • 🎨 Variety of drawing topics
  • 👍 Intuitive step-by-step guidance
  • 💡 Relaxing and therapeutic experience
  • 🤖 Responsive customer support

Room to improve

  • 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy at times
  • 🤔 Tracing-focused approach may not teach drawing fundamentals
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding purchased content
  • 🔀 Jumping between steps too quickly

Bugs and requests

Drawing Pad

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Drawings not saving properly
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Unresponsive touch controls

Requested features

4 requests
  • More drawing tools and customization options
  • Ability to save and export drawings
  • Smoother performance and fewer bugs
  • More affordable pricing model

ShadowDraw

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Drawings disappearing after completion
  • App crashing on launch for some users
  • Eraser tool not working properly with coloring feature

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free drawing content
  • Canvas rotation and reference image positioning
  • Ability to save progress on drawings
  • Clearer visual indicators for brush/pen changes
  • Side-by-side drawing mode to practice without tracing

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Drawing Pad

Subscriptions10
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Lite Weekly Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Pro Weekly Offer3 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Drawing Pad Subscriptions3 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Pro Weekly Trial3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Pro Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Lite Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • Yearly subscription3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Lite Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

ShadowDraw

Subscriptions2
  • ShadowDraw: Monthly Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • ShadowDraw: Yearly Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Drawing Pad free?
Drawing Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShadowDraw free?
ShadowDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drawing Pad or ShadowDraw?
Drawing Pad is rated higher. Drawing Pad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 99K ratings, while ShadowDraw averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Drawing Pad or ShadowDraw have ads?
ShadowDraw shows ads; Drawing Pad does not.
Which is updated more often, Drawing Pad or ShadowDraw?
Drawing Pad ships an update weekly, and ShadowDraw every 6 weeks. Most recently, Drawing Pad was updated on November 9, 2026 and ShadowDraw on November 6, 2026.

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