# ShadowDraw vs Arf Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arf Studio at none against ShadowDraw's 2. Arf Studio also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Arf Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, Arf Studio every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShadowDraw | Arf Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowdraw-learn-how-to-draw/id1223507083/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 820 MB | 232 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Draw](https://appshunter.io/developer/1223507082) | [ZUBIN DENG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894014145) |

## 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


### Arf Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arf-studio/id6804559960)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShadowDraw free?

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

### Is Arf Studio free?

Arf Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ShadowDraw or Arf Studio have ads?

ShadowDraw shows ads; Arf Studio does not.

### Which is updated more often, ShadowDraw or Arf Studio?

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, and Arf Studio every 2 days. Most recently, ShadowDraw was updated on November 1, 2026 and Arf Studio on October 31, 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.*