Comparison

Super Simple Draw vs Charcoal

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

Head to head
About

Super Simple Draw

A minimalist drawing application designed for quick sketches and notes, offering seamless integration with Apple Pencil and widgets. It supports various iPad features and standard iOS sharing, making it as easy to use as a physical whiteboard.

Highlights
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Pencil gesture support
  • iPad multitasking
  • Grid and lined backgrounds
  • Draw on images
  • Save for Instagram
  • Undo/redo functionality
Features
Read full description

Minimalist drawing app. Supports Apple Pencil (new & old), widgets, both portrait & landscape, iPad multitasking, standard iOS share, the latest devices. Pick up & use. Like a white board or scratch paper. Features: • Widget to show case the latest or favorite drawing on the home screen • Apple Pencil gesture support • Multi-window and multitasking support on iPadOS • Original Apple Pencil support • Grid background and lined background • Draw on top of another picture • Save square images for Instagram submission • Draw in either landscape or portrait • Undo and redo • Standard iOS share/action button (copy, save, send to other messaging/social apps) Perfect for: • Jotting down notes • Illustrate something to friends/coworkers through drawing • Draw/sketch something casually • Tell stories to kids with quick illustrations • Play quick random games with friends (e.g. draw and guess, or any simple board game you just invented) • Practice some basic drawing skills (drawing straight line, parallel lines, circles, faces, etc) Draw for a better world: Super Simple Draw started as a way to reduce the use of papers because we believe that the current environmental degradation and the climate change are pressing issues that demand urgent actions. Now we took a step further: for every ~2000 lines you draw, we plant a tree through a partnership with Trees for the Future. More than ten thousand trees have been planted so far. Learn more at https://trees.theiosapp.com

About

Charcoal

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Simple sketching interface
  • Rich drawing tools
  • Beautiful color palettes
  • Export sketches
  • Multiple window support
  • Dark mode
Features
Read full description

• Charcoal is incredibly easy to use: Just create or open a sketch and start sketching. There are no layers or confusing settings. Instead, Charcoal features rich tools and beautiful color palettes. • Charcoal allows you to export a sketch to use it in your favorite graphics program. • Charcoal supports modern iOS and iPadOS features like multiple windows and dark mode: use it at night or open multiple sketches, even side by side.

Screenshots

Super Simple Draw4 screens
Charcoal3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Charcoal at none against Super Simple Draw's 1. Charcoal also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (4 vs 2). Super Simple Draw's advantage is ratings volume (4K vs 143). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Super Simple Draw sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Charcoal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Super Simple Draw holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Super Simple Draw has 4K ratings behind it against 143, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Super Simple Draw's written reviews are positive against 77% of Charcoal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Super Simple Draw ships an update every 5 weeks, Charcoal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Super Simple Draw versus Charcoal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSuper Simple DrawCharcoal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4K ratings) — better4.5 (143 ratings)
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews — better76.9% of reviews
Number of ratings4K — better143
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBao LeiLars Augustin

Customer experience

Super Simple Draw

All ratings4,001 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral9.0%
Negative9.0%

Charcoal

All ratings141 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral13.7%
Negative9.4%

User reviews

Super Simple Draw

From 4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Good color selection
  • 💡 Simple and straightforward
  • 🎨 Supports Apple Pencil
  • 🎨 Great for quick sketching and drawing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional lag or delay in line drawing
  • 🔍 Lack of zoom or detail features
  • 🎨 Limited brush/tool options
  • 🎨 Could use more color options

Charcoal

From 143 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and intuitive
  • 👍 Great for quick sketching
  • 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
  • 💰 Free with no ads

Room to improve

  • 🎨 Limited color palette
  • 🎨 Lack of customization options
  • 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

Bugs and requests

Super Simple Draw

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • In-app purchase issues with ads still showing
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add zoom and pan functionality
  • Implement more brush/tool options
  • Expand color palette
  • Add ability to save and load drawings

Charcoal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Saved sketches lose quality
  • Palette colors change unexpectedly
  • Freezing when opening color palette

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to change brush/pen size
  • Layers and blending tools
  • Color wheel and custom color selection
  • Import/export options

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Super Simple Draw

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Charcoal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Super Simple Draw free?
Super Simple Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Charcoal free?
Charcoal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Super Simple Draw or Charcoal?
Super Simple Draw is rated higher. Super Simple Draw averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while Charcoal averages 4.5 from 143 ratings.
Do Super Simple Draw or Charcoal have ads?
Super Simple Draw shows ads; Charcoal does not.
Which is updated more often, Super Simple Draw or Charcoal?
Super Simple Draw ships an update every 5 weeks, and Charcoal every 2 months. Most recently, Super Simple Draw was updated on September 23, 2026 and Charcoal on September 8, 2026.

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