MapScribe vs ArtGen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MapScribe
Easily create antique-styled maps on your iPad or iPhone. Utilize a variety of "brushes" to paint features like mountains, trees, and towns. Export your creations in multiple resolutions.
- Draw antique-styled maps
- Finger swipe and tap interface
- Variety of map feature "brushes"
- Multiple map resolutions
- Selectable fonts for text
- Color brushes for terrain
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MapScribe is an IOS App that lets you draw maps on your IPad or IPhone. It has an easy to use interface that lets you quickly "paint" antique styled maps with finger swipes and taps using its map feature "brushes", such as mountains and trees. Are you an author who needs to create a map for your fantasy novel? Perhaps you are a video game designer who needs to create a map for players to use to navigate through your game? Or maybe you are an artist looking to create a unique kind of decor? ...AND You want to do it on your IPad or IPhone Then, MapScribe is for you. --Map Resolutions-- MapScribe let's you create maps as jpg files with the following resolutions both vertically(portrait) and horzontally(landscape) oriented: • 500 x 700 • 800 x 1000 • 850 x 1100 • 900 x 1200 • 1100 x 1400 • 1200 x 1600 --Fonts-- MapScribe let's you write on your maps with the following fonts: • Ariel • Bradley Hand • Noteworthy • Papyrus • Snell Roundhand • Zapfino --Brushes-- These brushes allow you to paint features on your map Mountains Hills Trees Fir Trees Palm Trees Dead Trees Bridge Castle Town House Swamp Dunes Water Compass Sea Monster Volcano 3 Kinds of grasses Roads Tower Shop Classic Building Mine Jail Tavern Mill City Hall Church Townhouse Arena - Color Brushes - Green (for grass) Blue (for water) White (for snow) Snow capped Mountains Green Hills Green Trees Green Fir Trees
ArtGen
This app helps artists, writers, and creatives overcome creative blocks by generating randomized character concepts. Customize word pools with themed packs and reroll or manually edit attributes. Save your generated characters and attach your artwork, with all data stored locally or privately via iCloud.
- Randomized character concept generation
- Customizable themed word packs
- Reroll or manually edit attributes
- Save generated characters
- Attach artwork to saved characters
- Local and private iCloud sync
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ArtGen is a character idea generator built for artists, writers, and creatives to help push past art/idea blocks. Choose from themed packs to customize your word pool. Tap generate to get a randomized character concept instantly. Reroll any attribute until it feels right, or manually make it your own. When you're done randomizing, save your character and attach your finished artwork. No AI, accounts. or data collection. Everything stays on your device or syncs privately through your personal iCloud. Your ideas belong to you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ArtGen at Free against MapScribe's $2.99. ArtGen also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (63% vs 50%). MapScribe's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#185 vs unranked). On rating, 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
ArtGen is free to download; MapScribe costs $2.99 up front. ArtGen sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. MapScribe asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for MapScribe against 3.2 for ArtGen. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 46 and 216 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of MapScribe's written reviews are positive against 63% of ArtGen's.
MapScribe ships an update every 3 months, ArtGen every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MapScribe | ArtGen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.3 (46 ratings) — better | 3.2 (216 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 63.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 46 | 216 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #185 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Daniel Eskridge | LIONBYTE LLC |
Customer experience
MapScribe
ArtGen
Bugs and requests
MapScribe
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ArtGen
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes when opening edited character
- App closes when scrolling down character profile
- Cannot delete characters
- Cannot edit character pictures
- App crashes when editing characters
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- App closes when scrolling
- Purchased packs not showing up
- App closes when trying to restore purchases
- App keeps exiting when opening
- Application suddenly shuts down
- Bought packs and nothing happened
- Scrolling is glitched
- Profile glitched after removing writing
- Black screen on launch
Requested features
19 requests- Grid view selection
- More detail options
- Ability to delete characters
- Ability to re-roll existing character details
- More powers/attributes
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- Add own attributes
- Sort characters into folders
- Add cover images to characters
- Option to choose selections instead of random
- Ability to choose own choices/type in traits
- Subcatalog by specific works
- More realism in generation
- More attributes (hair, eye color, age, traits)
- Add own character characteristics to generator
- Option to insert image or character creation look
- Additional questions (favorite color, zodiac sign)
- Sections/dividers for organizing characters
- Restore purchases button
- See all characters at once (icon mode)
In-app purchases
MapScribe
No in-app purchases
ArtGen
- Realistic PackFree
- Fantasy Pack$0.99
- Space Pack$0.99
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- Historical Pack$0.99
- Comic Book Pack$0.99
- Unlock All Packs$2.99








