# ShadowDraw vs Masstone

The clearest difference is price: ShadowDraw at Free against Masstone's $8.99. ShadowDraw also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Masstone's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 2).

ShadowDraw is free to download; Masstone costs $8.99 up front. ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Masstone asks for nothing beyond the download.

Masstone holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShadowDraw has 1.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, Masstone every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShadowDraw | Masstone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowdraw-learn-how-to-draw/id1223507083/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masstone/id6798410457/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#55** |
| Size | 820 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Draw](https://appshunter.io/developer/1223507082) | [Chady Kassouf](https://appshunter.io/developer/427475502) |

## What reviewers say

### ShadowDraw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowdraw-learn-how-to-draw/id1223507083)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ShadowDraw: Monthly Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| ShadowDraw: Yearly Plan | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Masstone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/masstone/id6798410457)

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app provides paint mixing recipes based on the colors you own. It helps artists achieve specific hues by suggesting pigment combinations and proportions, accounting for subtractive color mixing principles.

**Highlights:** Color mixing recipes from owned paints, Subtractive color mixing simulation, Customizable paint box inventory, Step-by-step mixing instructions, Alternative recipe suggestions, Pigment information and substitutions, Color comparison and history

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShadowDraw free?

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

### Is Masstone free?

Masstone costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ShadowDraw or Masstone?

Masstone is rated higher. ShadowDraw averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Masstone averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ShadowDraw or Masstone have ads?

ShadowDraw shows ads; Masstone does not.

### Which is updated more often, ShadowDraw or Masstone?

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, and Masstone every 6 days. Most recently, ShadowDraw was updated on November 6, 2026 and Masstone on November 6, 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.*