Super Simple Draw vs Charcoal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Home screen widgets
- Apple Pencil gesture support
- iPad multitasking
- Grid and lined backgrounds
- Draw on images
- Save for Instagram
- Undo/redo functionality
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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
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.
- Simple sketching interface
- Rich drawing tools
- Beautiful color palettes
- Export sketches
- Multiple window support
- Dark mode
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• 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Super Simple Draw sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Charcoal asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Super Simple Draw | Charcoal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (4K ratings) — better | 4.5 (143 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.0% of reviews — better | 76.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4K — better | 143 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bao Lei | Lars Augustin |
Customer experience
Super Simple Draw
Charcoal
User reviews
Super Simple Draw
From 4K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Super Simple Draw
- Remove Ads$0.99
Charcoal
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Super Simple Draw free?
Is Charcoal free?
Which has better reviews, Super Simple Draw or Charcoal?
Do Super Simple Draw or Charcoal have ads?
Which is updated more often, Super Simple Draw or Charcoal?
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