Comparison

ShadowDraw vs DrawBuddy

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

Head to head
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.

About

DrawBuddy

Learn to draw with step-by-step tutorials and guides designed for artists of all levels. Enhance your digital art skills using Apple Pencil with a variety of drawing categories. Practice on the go with quick draw options and create masterpieces.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step drawing tutorials
  • Digital art creation
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Quick draw practice
  • Multiple drawing categories
  • Skill enhancement for beginners and professionals
Features
Read full description

This drawing app for iPad is the perfect tool for artists of all the levels to create a stunning digital art. With the use of the Apple Pencil, users can easily learn how to draw and develop their skills with the help of the art drawing tutorials and step-by-step guides. The app also features quick draw options for those who want to practice their skills on the go. Drawing lessons are available for users to improve their techniques and create masterpieces. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, this digital drawing app will provide everything you need to enhance your artistic abilities. The app offers a range of categories for drawing, including: • Architecture • Home Interior • Celebrities • People • Artists • Animals • Landscapes • Nature • Dinosaurs • Children • And others Download our drawing app for iPad and don’t forget to share it with your friends on social media or messengers. The app contains the following subscription options: • A 1-month membership costs from $6.99 • A 3-month membership costs from $12.99. • A 1-year membership costs from $29.99 after a 7-day free trial. The price is for US customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency, depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged to the iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period and will identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. • Privacy Policy: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/privacy-policy • EULA: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/eula • Terms of use: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/terms-of-use

Screenshots

DrawBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShadowDraw at 59% against DrawBuddy's 19%. ShadowDraw also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 481). DrawBuddy's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and DrawBuddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DrawBuddy holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 481 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of ShadowDraw's written reviews are positive against 19% of DrawBuddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, DrawBuddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ShadowDraw versus DrawBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowDrawDrawBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (1.8K ratings)4.4 (481 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.4% of reviews — better19.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better481
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size820 MB42 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperShadow DrawBohdan Hlushko

Customer experience

ShadowDraw

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

DrawBuddy

All ratings479 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive19.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative71.4%

User reviews

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

DrawBuddy

From 481 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Amazing drawings
  • 👍 Good app for drawing
  • 👍 Great app potential

Room to improve

  • 💰 Requires payment for basic features
  • 💰 Free trial issues
  • 💰 Unexpected charges
  • 💰 App not free
  • 💰 Expensive subscription

Bugs and requests

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

DrawBuddy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Video not playing during free trial
  • Payment pop-ups prevent drawing
  • Charged full month instead of trial

Requested features

4 requests
  • More drawing options
  • More pictures/drawings
  • Make the app free
  • Add pencil tool back

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ShadowDraw

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

DrawBuddy

Subscriptions10
  • Weekly subscription$6.997 Days
  • Monthly subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Weekly subscription3 Days trial$9.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Monthly subscription$12.991 Month
  • Three month subscription7 Days trial$19.993 Months
  • Monthly subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Annual subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Annual subscription$39.991 Year
  • Annual subscription7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Annual subscription14 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlimited Access$79.99

Questions

Is ShadowDraw free?
ShadowDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DrawBuddy free?
DrawBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ShadowDraw or DrawBuddy?
DrawBuddy is rated higher. ShadowDraw averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while DrawBuddy averages 4.4 from 481 ratings.
Do ShadowDraw or DrawBuddy have ads?
ShadowDraw shows ads; DrawBuddy does not.
Which is updated more often, ShadowDraw or DrawBuddy?
ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, and DrawBuddy every 3 weeks. Most recently, ShadowDraw was updated on October 27, 2026 and DrawBuddy on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons