# Idle Painter vs Idle Race

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Race at none against Idle Painter's 4. Idle Race also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). Idle Painter's advantage is ratings volume (32K vs 42). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Painter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Race asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Idle Painter against 4.7 for Idle Race. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Painter has 32K ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Idle Painter's written reviews are positive against 67% of Idle Race's.

Idle Painter ships an update every 3 months, Idle Race every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Painter | Idle Race |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (32K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-painter/id1377332371/reviews) | **[4.7 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-race/id1491463364/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **32K** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 283 MB | 165 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [SayGames LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551847165) | [文辉 江](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503883236) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Painter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-painter/id1377332371)

Create your own art studio, upgrade your tools, and master various art styles. Draw countless pictures to become a renowned artist. Enjoy a relaxing and creative drawing simulation experience.

**Highlights:** Build and upgrade art studio, Learn new art styles, Draw numerous pictures, Master art techniques, Creative and relaxing gameplay

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Crystals Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 300 Crystals Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Crystals Mega Pack | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful and creative artwork
- 👍 Relaxing and soothing gameplay
- 🚀 Fast painting process
- 💎 Satisfying to watch pictures come to life

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Limited number of pictures to paint
- 🔍 Repetitive gameplay after completing all pictures
- 🔍 Frequent and unskippable ads
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs causing lost progress

**Reported bugs**

- Paintings not showing up correctly in the top frame
- Inability to watch videos to unlock new paintings
- Game crashing when completing certain quests

**Requested features**

- More pictures and painting options
- Ability to replay favorite paintings
- Option to disable vibration after completing paintings
- Auto-sell feature to continue painting without manual interaction
- Prestige or reset system to provide more long-term progression


### Idle Race

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-race/id1491463364)

Launch tourists into the water to satisfy customers and earn income. Upgrade your gear and use props to enhance the experience. Expand your business by opening new branches in different regions.

**Highlights:** Launch tourists into water, Upgrade equipment, Use various props, Attract more guests, Open multiple branches, Experience different regions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Painter free?

Idle Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Idle Race free?

Idle Race is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Idle Painter or Idle Race?

Idle Race is rated higher. Idle Painter averages 4.7 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Idle Race averages 4.7 from 42 ratings.

### Do Idle Painter or Idle Race have ads?

Idle Painter shows ads; Idle Race does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Painter or Idle Race?

Idle Painter ships an update every 3 months, and Idle Race every 6 weeks. Most recently, Idle Painter was updated on November 10, 2026 and Idle Race on November 3, 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.*