Comparison

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet vs Drawing Apps

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

Head to head
About

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Transform your iPad into a professional wireless drawing tablet for demanding creative work. Enjoy customizable workspaces, gesture shortcuts, and high-speed connectivity for efficient digital art creation on Mac and PC.

Highlights
  • Wireless or USB connectivity
  • Customizable gesture shortcuts
  • Keyboard support
  • Pressure curve customization
  • Second display functionality
  • Optimized for Apple Pencil
Features
Read full description

Go beyond a drawing tablet with Astropad Studio. Start a free 14-day trial today! Astropad Studio is the ultimate wireless drawing tablet, designed for the most demanding creative work. With complete workspace customization, Studio allows artists to work faster and more efficiently, with the freedom to work in the studio, at home, or on-the-go. Built for creative professionals with features like: · Wifi or USB connectivity · Built in 2nd display · Crystal clear & ultra-fast · Gesture shortcut customization · Keyboard support · Customizable pressure curves · Magic Gestures: Create your own gesture shortcuts with touch-Pencil combinations · Shortcut Sets: Sidebar shortcuts automatically adapt to match whatever Mac app you’re working in · Unlimited upgrades · Works on Mac and PC $14.99 monthly or $79.99 annually ___ STREAMLINED PRODUCTIVITY · Pinch to Zoom: Pinch to zoom and pan in Mac or PC Apps · Liquid Extreme: Up to 5x faster than baseline Liquid · Wifi & USB: Use your iPad as a drawing tablet plugged in or wirelessly · Keyboard Support: Access our built-in keyboard or use your own Bluetooth keyboard · Velocity Control: Analyzes network conditions dozens of times per second to balance image quality and latency COMPLETE CUSTOMIZATION · Magic Gestures: Create your own gesture shortcuts with touch-Pencil combinations · Shortcut Sets: Sidebar shortcuts automatically adapt to match whatever Mac app you’re working in BUILT FOR CREATIVES · Apple Pencil Optimized: Designed exclusively for the precision of Apple Pencil · Color Corrected: True to your source material with color corrected output and retina resolution ___ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS · Mac: OS X 10.14 or later · PC: Windows 10 64-bit, build 1809 or later · iPad iOS 13.1 or later: iPad Mini 4 (2015+), iPad Air (2014+), iPad Pro (2016+), iPad 5th generation (2017+) · Optimized for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil SUBSCRIPTION TERMS · $14.99 monthly or $79.99 annually · Price may vary by location. ___ Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card using your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. ___ MORE RESOURCES Download the free desktop companion app: astropad.com/downloads FAQ: astropad.com/faq Support: support@astropad.com Twitter: @astropad Instagram: @astropadco Facebook: facebook.com/astropadco ___ Privacy Policy: http://astropad.com/studio/privacy.html Terms of Use: http://astropad.com/studio/terms.html

About

Drawing Apps

Create digital art with a powerful painting engine and advanced tools. This app offers realistic brushes, layers, blend modes, and various editing capabilities for sketching, painting, and transforming images. Import and export your creations in multiple formats.

Highlights
  • Advanced painting engine with 40+ natural brush presets
  • Realistic brush interaction with paper textures
  • Layers and Photoshop blend modes
  • Selection and clipping masks
  • Transform multiple layers and use transform tool
  • Import and export drawings in JPEG and PNG formats
Features
Read full description

Superior brushes - The most advanced painting engine on tablets • 40+ natural brush presets • Brushes interact realistically with paper textures Superior tools - A place for everything • Layers and Photoshop blend modes • Selection and clipping masks Superior interface - Everything in its place • It’s simple. It’s organized. It’s out of the way. • Organized workflows: Paint - Sketch, Paint, and Blend Clone - Turn a photo into a painting Edit - Adjust color, Liquify, Pattern, Crop, or add a filter • Move your favorite tools to the top bar for quicker access Advanced features • Transform multiple layers simultaneously • Transform tool: Scale, Rotate, Flip, Distort, and Skew • Create seamless patterns with the Pattern tool • Gradient and Pattern Fill • Import images • Rotate and flip the canvas Import and export • Import and export drawings • Add images from Gallery, Camera, or search the web • Export images as JPEG, PNG. Get Drawing Apps Premium – weekly subscription for $2.99 USD. OR monthly subscription (which comes with a 3-day free trial) for $4.99 USD. OR yearly subscription for $9.99 USD • Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel your subscription or free trial in the iTunes settings at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. • Please note: any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. • Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to 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. • Privacy Policy: https://drawingpad.me/privacy-policy.html • Terms: https://drawingpad.me/terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

Drawing Apps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drawing Apps at free with in-app purchases against Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet's subscription. Drawing Apps also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 46%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Drawing Apps sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.8K and 5.2K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 46% of Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet's written reviews are positive against 63% of Drawing Apps's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet ships an update every 3 months, Drawing Apps monthly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet versus Drawing Apps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstropad Studio Drawing TabletDrawing Apps
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.8K ratings) — better4.4 (5.2K ratings)
Positive reviews46.4% of reviews62.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.8K5.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB163 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAstro HQGang Ji

Customer experience

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

All ratings3,772 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews606 reviews
Positive46.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative46.4%

Drawing Apps

All ratings5,150 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.7%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews392 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral11.5%
Negative26.0%

User reviews

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

From 3.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works great
  • 🚀 Fantastic drawing experience
  • 🚀 Seamless integration with desktop apps
  • 👍 Customizable shortcuts and gestures
  • 👍 Pressure sensitivity and cursor preview

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Crashes and connection issues
  • 🐛 Laggy performance, especially over Wi-Fi
  • 💡 Lacks dual-screen functionality

Drawing Apps

From 5.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Allows users to draw anything they want
  • 💡 Provides a creative outlet for young artists
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Good for quick creative ideas
  • 👍 Satisfying drawing experience

Room to improve

  • 💰 Requires payment for many features and tools
  • 🤖 Excessive pop-ups and ads
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g., random layer deletion, screen freezing)
  • 🔍 Limited free brushes and tools
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive controls

Bugs and requests

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and disconnects
  • Compatibility issues with certain apps
  • Unresponsive or glitchy input

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to use iPad as a secondary display
  • More affordable one-time purchase option
  • Improved stability and performance

Drawing Apps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and app closures
  • Layers not working as expected
  • Drawing tools not responsive or accurate
  • Difficulty navigating the app

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Ability to save and export drawings
  • Undo/redo functionality improvements
  • Color customization options
  • Tracing feature for photos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Subscriptions3
  • Subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Subscription14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Astropad Studio Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
15 purchases

Drawing Apps

Subscriptions9
  • DrawingApps Premium - Weekly$2.997 Days
  • DrawingApps Gold - Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Drawing App Black Friday Offer3 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • DrawingAppsPremium Trial Month3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Premium - Monthly$7.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Gold Trial Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Gold - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Premium - Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • DrawingApps Gold - Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time6
  • 300 Coins$5.99
  • 900 Coins$14.99
  • 1200 Coins$19.99
Show 3 more
  • Lifetime Lite Drawing Pass$49.99
  • 5000 Coins$59.99
  • Lifetime PRO Drawing Pass$69.99

Questions

Is Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet free?
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drawing Apps free?
Drawing Apps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet or Drawing Apps?
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet is rated higher. Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Drawing Apps averages 4.4 from 5.2K ratings.
Do Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet or Drawing Apps have ads?
Neither Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet nor Drawing Apps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet or Drawing Apps?
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet ships an update every 3 months, and Drawing Apps monthly. Most recently, Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet was updated on October 16, 2026 and Drawing Apps on October 16, 2026.

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