ShadowDraw vs Vortex Diagrams
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Vortex Diagrams
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Nikola Tesla circled the block three times before entering a building. He chose hotel rooms divisible by three. He believed the numbers 3, 6 and 9 held a key to the universe, and he wasn't entirely wrong about where to look. Double a number, add its digits, and repeat: 1, 2, 4, 8, 7, 5… forever. Three, six and nine never appear. They orbit alone: 3 and 6 trading places, 9 always returning to itself. This is the famous "vortex" pattern, and hidden inside it is something real: the same quiet arithmetic that shapes flower petals, spiral shells, and the rhythm of anything that repeats. Vortex lets you see it. Two dials, a circle of points, and the pattern draws itself before your eyes: hearts, flowers, spirals, webs of light. Change one number and watch an entire universe reorganise. Watch patterns bloom and morph in real time as you turn the dials Start from Tesla's own vortex, or roll the dice into the unknown Five colour worlds, from rainbow to ember to ocean Keep the patterns that speak to you, and give them names Export any pattern as a wallpaper or poster-quality file Beautiful in light and dark Whether you see sacred geometry or simply mathematics drawn honestly, one thing is true: the pattern was always there. Now you can hold it. No accounts. No ads. No data collected.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vortex Diagrams at none against ShadowDraw's 2. Vortex Diagrams also leads on ads (none vs shown). ShadowDraw's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price and device support 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
Both are free to download. ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Vortex Diagrams asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | ShadowDraw | Vortex Diagrams |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (1.8K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 58.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 820 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shadow Draw | Precious Madubuike |
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
Vortex Diagrams
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ShadowDraw
- ShadowDraw: Monthly Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- ShadowDraw: Yearly Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Vortex Diagrams
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ShadowDraw free?
Is Vortex Diagrams free?
Do ShadowDraw or Vortex Diagrams have ads?
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