# Tiny Paint vs Dear Bear

The clearest difference is monetization model: Dear Bear at free with in-app purchases against Tiny Paint's subscription. Dear Bear also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Tiny Paint's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (526 vs 101). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tiny Paint sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 6 months and Dear Bear sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Tiny Paint against 4.4 for Dear Bear. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tiny Paint has 526 ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Tiny Paint's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dear Bear's.

Tiny Paint ships an update monthly, Dear Bear every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tiny Paint | Dear Bear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (526 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-paint-draw-doodle-art/id1376425610/reviews) | **[4.4 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dear-bear-drawing-app/id1635095759/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **526** | 101 |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 336 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [80 Degree Photo Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1376425609) | [受杰 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634142370) |

## What reviewers say

### Tiny Paint

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-paint-draw-doodle-art/id1376425610)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating, drawing, and editing images. It supports layers, a wide variety of brushes, and advanced selection tools for precise edits. Users can also remove unwanted objects and apply numerous filters and color adjustments.

**Highlights:** Unlimited layers with blend modes, Over 450 high-quality brushes, 60+ photo enhancement filters, Intelligent selection tools, Raster and vector graphics editing, Object removal (Inpaint), Extensive resources (stickers, textures)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UNLIMITED ACCESS | $14.99 | per 6 months |
| Unlock 450+ Paint Brushes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Elements & Filters | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Great for drawing and editing
- 💡 Lots of features and tools
- 🎨 Useful for beginners and professionals
- 🚀 Smooth performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 💰 Paywall for many features
- 🔒 Limited functionality without subscription
- 🎨 Difficult to navigate for some users
- 🐛 Laggy and buggy at times

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to save drawings
- Brush settings reset unexpectedly
- Layers disappear after exiting the app
- Frequent freezes and lags when using certain tools

**Requested features**

- Add direct line tool
- Improve layer management
- Allow importing/exporting of PSD files
- Provide a free version with fewer limitations
- Improve overall stability and reduce crashes


### Dear Bear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dear-bear-drawing-app/id1635095759)

Unleash your creativity with a user-friendly drawing application. Offers a variety of brushes, layers, and import options for both finger and Apple Pencil use. Perfect for sketching everyday wonders.

**Highlights:** Variety of brushes, Customizable layers, Image import function, Finger and Apple Pencil support, Professional drawing tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $1.99 | per month |
| Plus Version Quarterly | $3.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tiny Paint free?

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

### Is Dear Bear free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tiny Paint or Dear Bear?

Dear Bear is rated higher. Tiny Paint averages 4.4 out of 5 from 526 ratings, while Dear Bear averages 4.4 from 101 ratings.

### Do Tiny Paint or Dear Bear have ads?

Dear Bear shows ads; Tiny Paint does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tiny Paint or Dear Bear?

Tiny Paint ships an update monthly, and Dear Bear every 2 months. Most recently, Tiny Paint was updated on October 28, 2026 and Dear Bear on October 22, 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.*