Comparison

Pixel Studio vs Turtle

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Studio

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.

Highlights
  • 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
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

Turtle

Design unique pixel art characters with a variety of customization options. Choose base characters, skin tones, facial features, and outfits to create personalized avatars. Save and share your creations easily.

Highlights
  • Boy or girl base character selection
  • Customizable skin tones
  • Detailed facial feature design
  • Wide range of outfits and accessories
  • Save and share character exports
  • Paid subscription for premium style options
Features
Read full description

Create Your Own Pixel Style Character. Bring your imagination to life with our pixel art character creator. Whether you're designing a playful avatar or a unique profile icon, this app gives you all the tools you need to create one-of-a-kind pixel characters in just a few taps. Features: • Choose Your Character: Start by selecting either a boy or girl base character. • Customize Skin Tone: Select from a variety of skin colors to make your character truly your own. • Design Every Detail: Mix and match different face shapes, eyes, noses, mouths, hairstyles, lashes, and brows to craft a character that fits your style. • Style Your Character: Pick from a collection of outfits, shoes, and accessories. Add the perfect finishing touch with eyeglasses or sunglasses. You will require a paid subscription to choose some style options. • Save and Share: Once your pixel character is ready, export it directly to your Photo Library and use it anywhere you like. Whether you're a casual creator or a pixel art enthusiast, this app makes it fun and easy to design expressive pixel-style characters. Download now and start creating! Terms and Conditions: https://twinstarcreatives.com/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://twinstarcreatives.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Pixel Studio4 screens
Turtle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pixel Studio at 94% against Turtle's 20%. Pixel Studio also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (6.1K vs 5). Turtle's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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 Turtle sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $199.99 per year. 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 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Studio has 6.1K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Pixel Studio's written reviews are positive against 20% of Turtle's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, Turtle daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pixel Studio versus Turtle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel StudioTurtle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.1K ratings) — better2.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews93.7% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6.1K — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size144 MB9 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFarida YarullinaTwinstar Creatives

Customer experience

Pixel Studio

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

Turtle

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%

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

Turtle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
1 purchases

Turtle

Subscriptions1
  • Turtle Pro Yearly3 Days trial$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Pixel Studio free?
Pixel Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Turtle free?
Turtle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Studio or Turtle?
Pixel Studio is rated higher. Pixel Studio averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Turtle averages 2.2 from 5 ratings.
Do Pixel Studio or Turtle have ads?
Pixel Studio shows ads; Turtle does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Studio or Turtle?
Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, and Turtle daily. Most recently, Pixel Studio was updated on November 5, 2026 and Turtle on October 31, 2026.

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