Comparison

Pixel Studio vs Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Studio

Create pixel art, animated sprites, and game assets with a comprehensive suite of drawing, animation, and color tools. Supports layers, frame-by-frame animation, and various export formats. Offers Apple Pencil support and a customizable workspace for efficient design.

Highlights
  • Layer-based pixel art drawing
  • Frame-by-frame sprite animation
  • Onion skinning for animation
  • Customizable brushes and tools
  • Palette creation and management
  • Export as GIF, MP4, and sprite sheets
  • Apple Pencil support
Features
Read full description

Create pixel art, animated sprites and game assets on iPhone and iPad. Draw with layers, animate frame by frame, and export your work as images, GIFs or sprite sheets. Start with a small character or build a detailed scene. Pixel Studio brings drawing, animation and color tools together, with Apple Pencil support and a customizable workspace. DRAW PIXEL ART • Work with layers, built-in and custom brushes, shapes and gradients • Draw symmetrically and add shading with the Dithering Pen • Use Dot Pen for precise drawing with a cursor • Customize your grid, background and toolbar • Resize and rotate your canvas, with pixel art scaling and rotation tools ANIMATE YOUR SPRITES • Create frame-by-frame animations with Onion Skin • Export animations as GIFs or sprite sheets • Add music and export videos to MP4 WORK WITH COLOR • Create your own palettes or use built-in palettes and palettes from Lospec • Pick colors with RGBA and HSV controls • Extract palettes from images and apply palettes to your artwork SAVE AND SHARE • Use autosave and backups to help protect your projects • Work with PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TGA and Pixel Studio Project files • Import Aseprite files • Share your artwork with the Pixel Network community UPGRADE TO PRO PRO is a one-time purchase. It removes ads and unlocks Google Drive sync, a dark theme, 256-color palettes, seamless texture tile mode, larger projects, unlimited color adjustments and MP4 exports, additional format support and extended Pixel Network storage. Google Drive sync requires PRO. Some export options and advanced features also require PRO. Sample images by lorddkno, Redshrike, Calciumtrice, Buch and Tomoe Mami are used under CC BY 3.0. Privacy Policy: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/Privacy-Policy Terms of Use: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/EULA

About

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Create professional-quality digital art, comics, and animations with a vast array of brushes, materials, and editing tools. Offers features for beginners and pros, including 3D models for reference and advanced layer management.

Highlights
  • Unlimited brushes with realistic textures
  • Vast library of artist-made materials
  • Advanced coloring tools with Shading Assist
  • 3D models for anatomy and perspective reference
  • Comprehensive comic creation tools
  • Professional animation features
  • Non-destructive editing and layer management
Read full description

Draw with unlimited features for free for 30 hours monthly with no ads! Now with new, powerful features! Clip Studio Paint makes drawing a piece of cake, in any style! Whether you are a beginner or a pro, Clip Studio Paint will improve every aspect of your art experience, while helping you grow as an artist. Unlimited amount of brushes at your fingertips to recreate any style - Use brushes with the same textures as real art materials - Adjust details such as brush shape and paper quality to your liking - Make unique colors with realistic color mixing, like traditional paints - Draw with transparency to erase, so no need to switch brushes Countless artist-made materials - Level up your art with free materials, for backgrounds and more - Discover community-made brushes from creators worldwide - Add details with materials like frills and more Coloring made easy - Easily color even with line gaps using the magnetic lasso tool - Lock transparency to paint over layers without affecting other areas - Set light source and shadow position with Shading Assist - Instantly reference and apply colors from an image to your art using Color Match - Enhance your art with filters like Chromatic Aberration, Retro Film, Pencil, and more Learn alongside other creators - Loads of official tutorials and creator tips available - Watch tutorials on the Clip Studio Paint YouTube channel, for step-by-step advice - Ask questions on the Clip Studio Ask community Create the perfect reference with 3D models - Use 3D drawing figures to help out your anatomy - Customize character face and body models with beginner-friendly tools - Attach 3D objects like hats and shoes to characters for more specific references - Use 3D shapes to draw perspective Adjust after you draw - Liquify to make adjustments to the balance of your illustrations - Mesh Transformation allows you to transform to different shapes - Change up the poses of your character drawings with Puppet warp - Non-destructive color adjustment layers to get your art just right - Gradient maps give color to your grayscale illustrations Stress-free layer features - Assign colors and make multiple columns of layers to browse them at a glance - Enjoy the freedom of masking and clipping on multiple layers to edit and move your work - Add various effects to apply to the layer in a non-destructive way The ultimate comic creation app - All the tools you need for comic creation, from sketches to finishing touches - Panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines, and screen tones in an instant - Make high-resolution print data (6 GB+ memory recommended) - Manage multi-page projects Professional animation, on any device - Use all the same tools as animation studios - Unique features allow you to draw your frames as you like - Expand your drawings to 4K resolution without losing quality by saving it as vector data ●Grade features ・FREE: 30 hours/month ・PRO: All the tools you need to create stunning illustrations & short animations ・EX: All the above + multi-page functionality for comic/manga artists and unlimited animation frames *Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan. ● Target Devices and Specifications ・Minimum free storage space: 3GB, 4GB recommended ・Recommended display size: 5.5"+ Please see the following for supported devices. https://support.clip-studio.com/en-us/faq/articles/20200154 You can use the app fully for free for up to 30 hours each month. After this free period has ended, please purchase a plan to: - Save your canvas - Export your data in various file formats on iPhone and more Smartphone plan: PRO: US$0.99 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! EX: US$2.49 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! Clip Studio Paint End User License Agreement https://www.celsys.com/en/information/csp/ https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pixel Studio4 screens
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pixel Studio at 94% against Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's 36%. Pixel Studio also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and device support (3 vs 1). Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Pixel Studio sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel Studio holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.1K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Pixel Studio's written reviews are positive against 36% of Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Pixel Studio versus Clip Studio Paint for iPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel StudioClip Studio Paint for iPhone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.1K ratings) — better4.4 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews — better35.9% of reviews
Number of ratings6.1K — better1.8K
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#101 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB561 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFarida YarullinaCELSYS,Inc.

Customer experience

Pixel Studio

All ratings6,087 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews2,329 reviews
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.8%

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

All ratings1,811 ratings
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral16.8%
Negative47.4%

User reviews

Pixel Studio

From 6.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Great tools for pixel art
  • 💡 Helpful tutorials
  • 🔍 Detailed features
  • 🌟 High-quality app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🔀 Confusing navigation
  • 🔍 Difficult to find certain features
  • 🖌️ Brush size issues
  • 🎨 Limited color palette options

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Great for digital art
  • 👍 Smooth drawing experience
  • 💡 Useful 3D model integration
  • 🎨 Powerful drawing tools

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Restrictive time limit for free users
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

Pixel Studio

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Exporting animations not working as expected
  • Unexpected behavior when merging layers
  • Inconsistent performance on larger canvases
  • Glitches with the reference image feature

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add custom brush options
  • Improve layer management
  • Implement a color wheel
  • Add canvas resizing capabilities
  • Introduce mirroring/symmetry tools
Show 2 more
  • Enhance the animation workflow
  • Provide a more intuitive file management system

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account issues
  • Unresponsive brushes and tools
  • Inability to access purchased content
  • Drawings not saving properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save and continue drawings across sessions
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Improved mobile optimization
  • Perpetual license option for mobile

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Pixel Studio

Subscriptions1
  • PREMIUM subscription$3.991 Month
One-time9
  • Sprite collection$0.99
  • PROMOTION IN PIXEL NETWORK$0.99
  • Disable Ads$1.99
Show 6 more
  • PRO -50%!$5.99
  • PRO PROMO -50%$5.99
  • PRO CROSS -50%!$8.99
  • PRO CROSS GIFT -50%!$8.99
  • PRO$12.99
  • PRO CROSS$17.99
10 purchases

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Subscriptions10
  • PRO Monthly Smartphone Plan$0.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Smartphone Plan$2.491 Month
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$4.891 Month
Show 7 more
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$4.891 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$7.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$13.491 Month

Questions

Is Pixel Studio free?
Pixel Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clip Studio Paint for iPhone free?
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Studio or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
Pixel Studio is rated higher. Pixel Studio averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Clip Studio Paint for iPhone averages 4.4 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Pixel Studio or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone have ads?
Pixel Studio shows ads; Clip Studio Paint for iPhone does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Studio or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pixel Studio was updated on November 6, 2026 and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons