Comparison

Clip Studio Paint vs Pixel Designer Pro

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

Head to head
About

Clip Studio Paint

Create digital art with a vast array of brushes, textures, and colors. This app offers tools for drawing, painting, comic creation, and animation, with features like 3D models for reference and advanced layer options. It provides a free trial and subscription plans for full access.

Highlights
  • Unlimited custom brushes
  • Realistic color mixing
  • Artist-made materials
  • 3D model references
  • Comic creation tools
  • Animation features
  • Advanced layer editing
Read full description

Start drawing and painting in a free 30-day trial. ・Up to 3 months free with your first plan ・Subscribe for the time you want to use it. Get all the latest features, materials, and cloud storage (10 GB)! *Please note that after your trial, you will need to make an in-app payment to save and export. 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 your creative experience while helping you grow. Now with new, powerful features! 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 our 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 with drawing 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 storyboard to finishing touches - Panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines, and screen tones in an instant - Make data for prints, web comics, manga, or webtoons (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 - Enjoy a pencil and paper look and feel, but digitally - Expand your drawings to 4K resolution without losing quality by saving it as vector data ●Grade features ・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: 10.5"+ Please see the following for supported devices. https://support.clip-studio.com/en-us/faq/articles/20200153 Supported pressure-sensitive pens ・Apple Pencil ● In-app purchases ・Required to save the canvas and export it to various file formats on iPad. Note: You will be charged to the Apple ID used for subscription. Terms of Service https://www.celsys.com/en/information/csp/ https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pixel Designer Pro

Create pixel art, animations, and game assets with a professional editor. Features include multiple drawing modes, advanced layers, custom palettes, and precision tools. Seamlessly work across devices with cross-platform sync.

Highlights
  • Multiple Drawing Modes (Frame, Tile, Tileset, Sheet)
  • Advanced Layer System
  • Custom Color Palettes
  • Animation Tools with Real-time Preview
  • Precision Drawing Tools
  • Mirror Drawing
  • Flexible Grid Options
  • Professional Export Options (PNG, GIF, etc.)
Features
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PixelDesigner - Professional Pixel Art Editor Create stunning pixel art, animations, and game assets with PixelDesigner, the powerful native editor built for artists, game developers, and designers. KEY FEATURES =========== Multiple Drawing Modes Switch seamlessly between Frame Mode for animations, Tile Mode for individual game tiles, Tileset Mode with Wang tile support, and Sheet Mode for organizing sprite sheets. Each mode is optimized for specific pixel art workflows. Advanced Layer System Work with multiple layers to build complex compositions. Organize your artwork, separate elements, and maintain full creative control over every pixel. Custom Color Palettes Create and manage your own color palettes for consistent artwork. Import existing palettes or build new ones from scratch to match your project's aesthetic. Animation Tools Preview your animations in real time as you work. Export animations as GIF or PNG sequences with customizable frame rates and timing controls. Precision Drawing Tools Choose from Brush, Eraser, Fill, and Eyedropper tools. Each tool is designed specifically for pixel-perfect artwork with full control over every detail. Mirror Drawing Create perfectly symmetrical designs with horizontal and vertical mirroring. Ideal for character sprites, icons, and architectural elements. Flexible Grid Options Work with multiple grid styles including solid, dashed, dot, checkerboard, and more. Customize your workspace to match your preferred drawing style. Professional Export Options Export your work in multiple formats including PNG, JPEG, GIF, and TIFF. Generate sprite sheets with customizable layouts, export individual tiles, or create animated GIFs with precise control over timing and quality. Wang Tile Support Automatically generate seamless tilesets using Wang tile algorithms. Perfect for creating game environments and repeating patterns that tile perfectly. Document-Based Workflow Save and organize your projects with a native document-based architecture. Open multiple documents simultaneously and switch between projects effortlessly. Native Performance Built from the ground up with SwiftUI for optimal performance on both iOS and macOS. Enjoy a responsive, fluid experience that takes full advantage of your device's capabilities. Cross-Platform Sync Start a project on your Mac and continue on your iPad. PixelDesigner uses a universal file format that works seamlessly across all your devices. Whether you are creating game sprites, animated icons, retro artwork, or detailed pixel illustrations, PixelDesigner provides all the tools you need in a clean, intuitive interface.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Clip Studio Paint at 4.7 against Pixel Designer Pro's 3.3. Clip Studio Paint also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 24 months) and ratings volume (14K vs 3). Pixel Designer Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Clip Studio Paint sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.89 per month. Pixel Designer Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Clip Studio Paint holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clip Studio Paint has 14K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Clip Studio Paint's written reviews are positive against 38% of Pixel Designer Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clip Studio Paint ships an update every 3 weeks, Pixel Designer Pro every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Clip Studio Paint versus Pixel Designer Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClip Studio PaintPixel Designer Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (14K ratings) — better3.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews45.7% of reviews — better38.5% of reviews
Number of ratings14K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size583 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCELSYS,Inc.Infinite Token

Customer experience

Clip Studio Paint

All ratings13,919 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews923 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral11.8%
Negative42.5%

Pixel Designer Pro

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative53.8%

Bugs and requests

Clip Studio Paint

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to save work without subscription
  • Laggy performance with large files
  • Unreliable auto-save and recovery
  • Issues with brush and tool responsiveness

Requested features

4 requests
  • One-time purchase option
  • Improved file management and cloud integration
  • Simplified interface for casual users
  • More animation and 3D tools

Pixel Designer Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Clip Studio Paint

Subscriptions11
  • PRO Monthly$4.891 Month
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$4.891 Month
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$4.891 Month
Show 8 more
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • EX Monthly3 Months trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • PRO Annual$28.901 Year
  • PRO Annual Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$28.901 Year
  • PRO Annual Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$28.901 Year
None

Pixel Designer Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Clip Studio Paint free?
Clip Studio Paint is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixel Designer Pro free?
Pixel Designer Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Clip Studio Paint or Pixel Designer Pro?
Clip Studio Paint is rated higher. Clip Studio Paint averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Pixel Designer Pro averages 3.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Clip Studio Paint or Pixel Designer Pro have ads?
Neither Clip Studio Paint nor Pixel Designer Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Clip Studio Paint or Pixel Designer Pro?
Clip Studio Paint ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pixel Designer Pro every 24 months. Most recently, Clip Studio Paint was updated on September 25, 2026 and Pixel Designer Pro on June 5, 2026.

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