# Drawing Pad vs Simple Sketchbook

Drawing Pad and Simple Sketchbook both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Simple Sketchbook's written reviews are positive against 44% of Drawing Pad's. Simple Sketchbook also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and chart position (#84 vs unranked). Drawing Pad's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and ratings volume (99K vs 3). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Drawing Pad is free to download; Simple Sketchbook costs $1.99 up front. Drawing Pad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Simple Sketchbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Drawing Pad against 4.3 for Simple Sketchbook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drawing Pad has 99K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Drawing Pad's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simple Sketchbook's.

Drawing Pad ships an update weekly, Simple Sketchbook every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drawing Pad | Simple Sketchbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.3 (99K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad/id1169413062/reviews) | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-sketchbook/id6761445903/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **99K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 43.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#84** |
| Size | 417 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Sunny Side Hurricane LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1467213449) | [Duncan Pollock](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886679285) |

## What reviewers say

### Drawing Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad/id1169413062)

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:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Lite Weekly Trial | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly Offer | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Drawing Pad Subscriptions | $8.99 | per month |
| Pro Weekly Trial | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Lite Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Lite Yearly | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Drawings not saving properly
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Unresponsive touch controls

**Requested features**

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


### Simple Sketchbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-sketchbook/id6761445903)

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

A digital sketchbook designed for intuitive drawing on iPad and iPhone. Offers a clean, distraction-free interface with features like layers, custom paper styles, and easy export options for your creations. Includes private voice note transcription for process reflection.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free drawing interface, Multiple layers with opacity and blend modes, Customizable paper styles (lined, grid, dotted), High-resolution PNG and PDF export, Timelapse video generation of drawing process, On-device voice note transcription, Face ID/Touch ID sketchbook locking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drawing Pad free?

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

### Is Simple Sketchbook free?

Simple Sketchbook costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drawing Pad or Simple Sketchbook?

Simple Sketchbook is rated higher. Drawing Pad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 99K ratings, while Simple Sketchbook averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Drawing Pad or Simple Sketchbook have ads?

Neither Drawing Pad nor Simple Sketchbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drawing Pad or Simple Sketchbook?

Drawing Pad ships an update weekly, and Simple Sketchbook every 10 days. Most recently, Drawing Pad was updated on November 13, 2026 and Simple Sketchbook on November 9, 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.*