Sandbox vs Pixel Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sandbox
Engage in a pixel art coloring experience with a vast library of images. This app offers a fun and educational activity for children and families, promoting creativity and skill development. Turn your own photos into pixel art or explore a free drawing mode.
- Pixel art coloring by number
- Photo to pixel art conversion
- Free drawing mode
- Searchable art library
- Magic Round Button for similar art
- Art collections
- Hints for interesting art
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Welcome to the Sandbox Coloring Universe and be ready to become a lover of the coloring of tiny pixel art. Four facts about Sandbox: • Children feel how light, sweet and funny Sandbox is and that it's made just for them. It’s like cartoons, but they can participate in the performance, not only watch. • Parents know it’s a great way for the whole family to spend time together. No Ads. Only safe art. • Specialists know Sandbox is a great opportunity to work on your children’s or parents’ drawing and motor skills. • Teachers know Sandbox is a great way to teach their kids or students basic number recognition and how to use a legend. Features available for all: • Search whatever you want, fruits, lips, gadgets, cats or maybe easy art. Handy search feature filters all content for you. • Magic Round Button helps you to find similar art. Just try it and you'll love it. • Collections give you an opportunity to organize all your art in the app. • Free Drawing Mode lets you practice drawing pixel art. The best art will be featured. • Turning your photos from the gallery into pixel art. No words needed. • Hints highlight the most interesting art especially for you. The Sandbox membership gives you an access to all the tiny pixel art in the application. Try the 7 day trial period and if you enjoy Sandbox, do nothing and your membership automatically continues for as long as you choose to remain a member. The base subscription fee will be 2.99$/week after the 7 day trial period or 7.99$/month or 39.99$/year. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. An account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of your selected plan. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings on the device. Terms of Service: https://sandbox.love/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://sandbox.love/privacy.html Best regards, Sandbox Team [with love]
Pixel Buddy
Engage in a relaxing pixel art coloring experience with a vast collection of cute and simple drawings. Transform photos into pixel art, explore various categories, and even paint masterpieces by famous artists. Share your creations and enjoy a stress-free creative outlet.
- Vast collection of pixel art drawings
- Transform photos into pixel art
- Explore artworks by category
- Paint masterpieces by famous artists
- Share time-lapse videos of coloring process
- New paintings added weekly
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Relax and have fun with coloring cute and simple pixel art! Pixel Buddy is a relaxing pixel art coloring game that offers a simple and satisfying pixel painting experience. Whether you are taking a break from work or study, want to relieve boredom or anxiety, or just want to express your artistic creativity, this is a great passtime filled with cute pixel drawings. A thoughtfully curated collection of original, visually pleasing artwork. A simple, intuitive, and relaxing pixel painting experience with no mistakes or stress. Helps redirect your attention and brings you to a peaceful and stress-free place. Great color by number for adults and kids alike. All artwork is family-friendly and safe—perfect color by number game for kids. Great if you are looking for a kawaii pixel art coloring game. Just relax and keep coloring numbers! Features: Filter and explore artworks in categories of Portraits, Nature, Animals, Patterns, and Fantasy. You can find artworks in different styles in a wide range of size, complexity, and detail, and start coloring numbers. Share time-lapse videos that show your painting process with your friends and family. Transform photos on your phone into pixel art paintings. Add pictures to your favorites to color them at a later time. Paint masterpieces from famous artists such as da Vinci and Van Gogh. Learn about famous artworks and get artistic inspiration! Go into extra relaxation mode by painting gradients, spirals, and other cute colorful pixel patterns. Express your creativity by modifying the pixel colors in paintings as you like, either before or after completing your painting. Relaxing coloring through various achievements and levels. Pixel Buddy saves all your completed and in-progress artworks. You can scroll through and look at your completed paintings in your coloring book. You can also access your account and download your completed paintings from any device. New paintings to color every week and special pixel art on holidays. Premium membership removes all ads, unlocks more artwork, and lets you share gifs of your coloring process. Happy and relaxing pixel coloring! Contact: chunkytofustudios@gmail.com Privacy Policy: https://chunkytofustudios.com/pixel-buddy/privacy-policy/ Terms & Conditions: https://chunkytofustudios.com/pixel-buddy/terms-and-conditions/ Indonesia IGRS Rating: 13+
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Pixel Buddy at free with in-app purchases against Sandbox's subscription. Pixel Buddy also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 71%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Sandbox's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (978K vs 39). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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. Sandbox sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Pixel Buddy sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Sandbox against 4.7 for Pixel Buddy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandbox has 978K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Sandbox's written reviews are positive against 93% of Pixel Buddy's.
Sandbox ships an update every 2 days, Pixel Buddy every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sandbox | Pixel Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (978K ratings) — better | 4.7 (39 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.8% of reviews | 92.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 978K — better | 39 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 152 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexey Grigorkin | Chunky Tofu Studios LLC |
Customer experience
Sandbox
Pixel Buddy
Bugs and requests
Sandbox
Reported bugs
3 issues- Palette not showing completed colors correctly
- Zooming and panning issues
- Offline mode issues
Requested features
6 requests- Add search bar to find specific pictures
- Separate completed pictures from unfinished ones
- Ability to import and color own photos
- Progressive difficulty levels
- Collaborative coloring with friends
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- Tracking stats like total pictures colored
Pixel Buddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sandbox
- Gorgeous Sandbox7 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Monthly Sandbox.$3.491 Month
- Pandy's Sandbox$7.991 Month
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- Annual Sandbox.$19.491 Year
- Handsome Sandbox$39.991 Year
Pixel Buddy
- Pixel Buddy Premium (weekly)$0.997 Days
- Pixel Buddy Premium (weekly)$2.997 Days
- Pixel Buddy Premium (monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Pixel Buddy Premium (monthly)3 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Pixel Buddy Premium (yearly)7 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Pixel Buddy Premium (yearly)7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- 20 Canvases$1.99
- Remove Ads Permanently$4.99
Questions
Is Sandbox free?
Is Pixel Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, Sandbox or Pixel Buddy?
Do Sandbox or Pixel Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sandbox or Pixel Buddy?
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