Pixel Studio for pixel art vs ISD Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixel Studio for pixel art
This app is a powerful yet simple pixel art editor designed for artists and game developers. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating detailed pixel art, including layers, animations, and advanced color manipulation. Sync your work across devices and share it with a vibrant community.
- Layers for advanced pixel art
- Frame-by-frame animations
- Export animations to GIF, MP4, or sprite sheets
- Google Drive sync for cross-device use
- Customizable palettes and color picker
- Support for various popular image formats
- Pixel art scaling and rotation tools
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pixel Studio is a new pixel art editor for artists and game developers. Simple, fast and portable. No matter whether you are a beginner or a professional. Create amazing pixel art anywhere and anytime! We support layers and animations and have a ton of useful tools - all you need to create cool projects. Add music to your animations and export videos to MP4. Use Google Drive to sync your work between different devices. Join Pixel Network™ - our new pixel art community! Don't doubt, just try it and make sure you've chosen the best pixel art tool ever! Over 5.000.000 downloads around the world, translated to 23 languages! Features: • It's super simple, intuitive and user friendly • Use it on mobile and desktop with Google Drive sync • Use layers for advanced pixel art • Create frame-by-frame animations • Save animations to GIF or sprite sheets • Extend animations with music and export videos to MP4 • Share arts with friends and Pixel Network community • Create custom palettes, use built-in or download palettes from Lospec • Advanced color picker with RGBA and HSV modes • Simple zoom and move with gestures and joysticks • Use Portrait mode for mobile and Landscape for tablets and PC • Customizable toolbar and a lot of other settings • We support Apple Pencil! • We support all popular formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TGA, PSP (Pixel Studio Project), PSD (Adobe Photoshop), EXR • Autosave and backup - don't lose your work! • Discover a ton of other useful tools and features! More features: • Shape Tool for primitives • Gradient Tool • Built-in and custom brushes • Sprite Library for your image patterns • Tile Mode for brushes • Symmetry drawing (X, Y, X+Y) • Dot Pen for precise drawing with a cursor • Text Tool with different fonts • Dithering Pen for shadows and flares • Pixel art rotation with Fast RotSprite algorithm • Pixel art scaler (Scale2x/AdvMAME2x, Scale3x/AdvMAME3x) • Onion Skin for advanced animation • Apply palettes to images • Grab palettes from images • Mini-map and Pixel Perfect preview • Unlimited canvas size • Canvas resizing and rotation • Customizable background color • Customizable grid • Multithreaded image processing • JASC Palette (PAL) format support • Aseprite files support (import only) You can support us by purchasing PRO (it's one-time purchase): • No ads • Google Drive sync • Dark Theme • 256-color palettes • Tile mode for making seamless textures • Extended max project size • Extra formats support: AI, EPS, HEIC, PDF, SVG, WEBP (cloud read only) and PSD (cloud read/write) • Unlimited color adjustment (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) • Unlimited export to MP4 • Extended storage in Pixel Network System requirements: • 2GB+ of RAM for large projects and animations • Powerful CPU (AnTuTu score 100.000+) Sample images made by lorddkno, Redshrike, Calciumtrice, Buch, Tomoe Mami are used under CC BY 3.0 license. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Privacy Policy: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/Privacy-Policy Terms of Use: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/EULA
ISD Buddy
Read full descriptionHide full description
A conversational front-end of ISD Studio 3D. You answer a series of questions and the app opens ISD Studio 3D filled with a completed 3D model with its skeleton and a sample motion. You can also watch a sample animation and open ISD Studio 3D filled with the character's model and its skeleton to export the character as an avatar.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ISD Buddy at none against Pixel Studio for pixel art's 11. ISD Buddy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Pixel Studio for pixel art sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ISD Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pixel Studio for pixel art ships an update every 4 weeks, ISD Buddy every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixel Studio for pixel art | ISD Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (6.1K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Farida Yarullina | Lilysoft LLC |
Bugs and requests
Pixel Studio for pixel art
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 moreShow fewer
- Enhance the animation workflow
- Provide a more intuitive file management system
ISD Buddy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pixel Studio for pixel art
- PREMIUM subscription$3.991 Month
- Sprite collection$0.99
- PROMOTION IN PIXEL NETWORK$0.99
- Disable Ads$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- EXTRA STORAGE IN PIXEL NETWORK$3.99
- 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
ISD Buddy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pixel Studio for pixel art free?
Is ISD Buddy free?
Do Pixel Studio for pixel art or ISD Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pixel Studio for pixel art or ISD Buddy?
Other comparisons















