Comparison

Artstudio Pro vs Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

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

Head to head
About

Artstudio Pro

This powerful app offers advanced drawing, painting, and photo editing tools for creative professionals and enthusiasts. It features a robust engine, flexible layer system, and an advanced brush engine for realistic strokes. Users can also create animations and import/export various image formats.

Highlights
  • GPU accelerated ArtEngine
  • Unlimited layers and large canvas sizes
  • Advanced brush engine with 150+ brushes
  • Flexible layer system with groups and masks
  • Professional photo editing tools
  • Animation creation and export
  • Import/Export ABR/TPL brush and pattern formats
Features
Read full description

Introducing Artstudio Pro, the most powerful painting and photo editing app available for both iOS and macOS. The successor to our famous ArtStudio app has been redesigned bringing many new features and improvements taking full advantage of the latest technologies Metal, iCloud Drive, Apple Pencil, and optimized for 64-bit multi-core processors to achieve the smoothest possible workflow. Powerful engine App is based on the powerful GPU accelerated ArtEngine developed by Lucky Clan. It allows working with multiple documents, supports large canvas sizes and an unlimited number of layers. Incredible optimization ensures smooth work even with large canvases. • Realistic Color Pigment Blending • Canvas size up to 64Mpix • Unlimited layers • Multiple open documents • 27 tools: Move, Select, Crop, Eyedropper, Paint, Wet Paint, Eraser, Bucket/Pattern/Gradient Fill, Smudge, Dodge, Burn, Sponge, Text, Heal, Clone, and more • Full iCloud integration Flexible layer system Artstudio Pro introduces a new layer system with grouping, non-destructive layer effects, and adjustment layers. • Groups • Masks, clipping masks • Adjustment Layers • 9 layer effects: Bevel/Emboss, Stroke, Inner Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, Color/Gradient/Pattern Overlay, Drop Shadow • Text layers Advanced Brush engine Perfectly optimized, lag free mechanism generating smooth, real looking strokes, making the most of Apple Pencil. • Brush size up to 4000x4000 • 64-bit painting with pattern, double stamp, wet brush, dynamics • Brush editor with over 100 customizable settings • Over 150 built-in brushes divided into multiple groups: Pens, Pencils, Oil Painting, Inking, Charcoals, Airbrushes, Watercolor and many more • Symmetric painting Professional photo editor Photo editing options developed in cooperation with professional photographers. Each feature was tested in several scenarios and light conditions. • 15 adjustments available as non-destructive layer or simple adjustment: Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Curves, Exposure/Gamma, Shadows/Highlights, Vibrance, Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, Temperature/Tint, Black and White, Gradient Map and more • 4 auto adjustments: Auto Contrast, Levels, Lightness, Saturation • Transform: Basic, Perspective, Warp • Dozens of filters with realtime preview and the ability to generate seamless patterns • Inpaint, Elastify (Liquify) • Retouching tools: Heal, Dodge, Burn, Sponge and more • Image resize, Canvas resize • Crop and Trim Animation Create animation from layers or groups and finally export it to one of the most popular animation format • Scrollable timeline view with Play/Pause • Onion skin • Customizable Frame duration • Always visible layers • Export to MP4, HEVC, Animated GIF/PNG Import/Export We have implemented many parsers from the most popular assets/images formats and we are especially proud of our ABR/TPL parser which not only reads brush stamps and patterns, but also most settings which are converted to Artstudio Pro brush engine values. Import • Images - PNG, JPEG, PSD, HEIC, TIFF, GIF, PDF, most raw formats • Brushes - ABR, TPL • Color swatches - ASE, ACO • Patterns - PAT • Gradients - GRD • Fonts - TTF, OTF Export • Images - PNG, JPEG, PSD, TIFF, PDF Other features • Floating panels for Colors, Layers, Brushes etc • Screen recording • Customizable Quick menu • Customizable Shortcuts • Snapping to guidelines, dynamic guidelines, grid • Perspective grid assist • Mirror (flipped) view • Support of iPad Drag and Drop, Split View, Sharing Extension, Open In, Clipboard Free version limitations: • locked Saving • canvas size limited to device screen size • layers count limited to 3 • export only to jpg • locked animation export Minimum System Requirements Artstudio Pro for iOS requires iPhone or iPad running iOS 15.0 or above Privacy policy: https://luckyclan.com/privacy-policy Terms of use: https://luckyclan.com/terms-use

About

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Create professional-quality digital art, comics, and animations with a vast array of brushes, materials, and editing tools. Offers features for beginners and pros, including 3D models for reference and advanced layer management.

Highlights
  • Unlimited brushes with realistic textures
  • Vast library of artist-made materials
  • Advanced coloring tools with Shading Assist
  • 3D models for anatomy and perspective reference
  • Comprehensive comic creation tools
  • Professional animation features
  • Non-destructive editing and layer management
Read full description

Draw with unlimited features for free for 30 hours monthly with no ads! Now with new, powerful features! Clip Studio Paint makes drawing a piece of cake, in any style! Whether you are a beginner or a pro, Clip Studio Paint will improve every aspect of your art experience, while helping you grow as an artist. Unlimited amount of brushes at your fingertips to recreate any style - Use brushes with the same textures as real art materials - Adjust details such as brush shape and paper quality to your liking - Make unique colors with realistic color mixing, like traditional paints - Draw with transparency to erase, so no need to switch brushes Countless artist-made materials - Level up your art with free materials, for backgrounds and more - Discover community-made brushes from creators worldwide - Add details with materials like frills and more Coloring made easy - Easily color even with line gaps using the magnetic lasso tool - Lock transparency to paint over layers without affecting other areas - Set light source and shadow position with Shading Assist - Instantly reference and apply colors from an image to your art using Color Match - Enhance your art with filters like Chromatic Aberration, Retro Film, Pencil, and more Learn alongside other creators - Loads of official tutorials and creator tips available - Watch tutorials on the Clip Studio Paint YouTube channel, for step-by-step advice - Ask questions on the Clip Studio Ask community Create the perfect reference with 3D models - Use 3D drawing figures to help out your anatomy - Customize character face and body models with beginner-friendly tools - Attach 3D objects like hats and shoes to characters for more specific references - Use 3D shapes to draw perspective Adjust after you draw - Liquify to make adjustments to the balance of your illustrations - Mesh Transformation allows you to transform to different shapes - Change up the poses of your character drawings with Puppet warp - Non-destructive color adjustment layers to get your art just right - Gradient maps give color to your grayscale illustrations Stress-free layer features - Assign colors and make multiple columns of layers to browse them at a glance - Enjoy the freedom of masking and clipping on multiple layers to edit and move your work - Add various effects to apply to the layer in a non-destructive way The ultimate comic creation app - All the tools you need for comic creation, from sketches to finishing touches - Panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines, and screen tones in an instant - Make high-resolution print data (6 GB+ memory recommended) - Manage multi-page projects Professional animation, on any device - Use all the same tools as animation studios - Unique features allow you to draw your frames as you like - Expand your drawings to 4K resolution without losing quality by saving it as vector data ●Grade features ・FREE: 30 hours/month ・PRO: All the tools you need to create stunning illustrations & short animations ・EX: All the above + multi-page functionality for comic/manga artists and unlimited animation frames *Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan. ● Target Devices and Specifications ・Minimum free storage space: 3GB, 4GB recommended ・Recommended display size: 5.5"+ Please see the following for supported devices. https://support.clip-studio.com/en-us/faq/articles/20200154 You can use the app fully for free for up to 30 hours each month. After this free period has ended, please purchase a plan to: - Save your canvas - Export your data in various file formats on iPhone and more Smartphone plan: PRO: US$0.99 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! EX: US$2.49 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! Clip Studio Paint End User License Agreement https://www.celsys.com/en/information/csp/ https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Artstudio Pro4 screens
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone4 screens

Verdict

The call

Artstudio Pro and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Artstudio Pro's written reviews are positive against 36% of Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's. Artstudio Pro also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's advantage is chart position (#104 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Artstudio Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Artstudio Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.1K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Artstudio Pro's written reviews are positive against 36% of Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Artstudio Pro ships an update monthly, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Artstudio Pro versus Clip Studio Paint for iPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArtstudio ProClip Studio Paint for iPhone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (4.1K ratings) — better4.4 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews — better35.9% of reviews
Number of ratings4.1K — better1.8K
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#104 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size385 MB561 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLucky ClanCELSYS,Inc.

Customer experience

Artstudio Pro

All ratings4,037 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews1,199 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral8.6%
Negative17.3%

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

All ratings1,811 ratings
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral16.8%
Negative47.4%

User reviews

Artstudio Pro

From 4.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and feature-rich
  • 👍 Familiar Photoshop-like interface
  • 💡 Supports Photoshop brushes
  • 🎨 Excellent brush engine and painting experience
  • 🔍 Robust selection and adjustment tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve
  • 🔀 Confusing UI and navigation
  • 🖌️ Inconsistent palm rejection and input issues
  • 💾 Unreliable saving and file management

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Great for digital art
  • 👍 Smooth drawing experience
  • 💡 Useful 3D model integration
  • 🎨 Powerful drawing tools

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Restrictive time limit for free users
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

Artstudio Pro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Gradient tool not working as expected
  • Brush settings not saving properly
  • Unexpected canvas resizing and cropping
  • Layers disappearing or not rendering correctly

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add custom brush creation
  • Improve canvas resizing and previewing
  • Implement better layer and mask management
  • Add more blending and color adjustment tools
  • Introduce keyboard shortcuts and gesture support
Show 1 more
  • Provide a comprehensive user manual or tutorials

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account issues
  • Unresponsive brushes and tools
  • Inability to access purchased content
  • Drawings not saving properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save and continue drawings across sessions
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Improved mobile optimization
  • Perpetual license option for mobile

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Artstudio Pro

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$3.491 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime License$14.99
10 purchases

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Subscriptions10
  • PRO Monthly Smartphone Plan$0.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Smartphone Plan$2.491 Month
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$4.891 Month
Show 7 more
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$4.891 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$7.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$13.491 Month

Questions

Is Artstudio Pro free?
Artstudio Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clip Studio Paint for iPhone free?
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Artstudio Pro or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
Artstudio Pro is rated higher. Artstudio Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while Clip Studio Paint for iPhone averages 4.4 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Artstudio Pro or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone have ads?
Neither Artstudio Pro nor Clip Studio Paint for iPhone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Artstudio Pro or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
Artstudio Pro ships an update monthly, and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone every 3 weeks. Most recently, Artstudio Pro was updated on November 8, 2026 and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone on November 7, 2026.

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