# Pixel Studio vs Turtle

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Studio | Turtle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-studio-pixel-art-editor/id1404203859/reviews)** | [2.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle-pixel-characters/id6744418985/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.1K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **93.7% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 144 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Farida Yarullina](https://appshunter.io/developer/846630437) | [Twinstar Creatives](https://appshunter.io/developer/1378171714) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-studio-pixel-art-editor/id1404203859)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PREMIUM subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Sprite collection | $0.99 | one-time |
| PROMOTION IN PIXEL NETWORK | $0.99 | one-time |
| Disable Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| PRO -50%! | $5.99 | one-time |
| PRO PROMO -50% | $5.99 | one-time |
| PRO CROSS -50%! | $8.99 | one-time |
| PRO CROSS GIFT -50%! | $8.99 | one-time |
| PRO | $12.99 | one-time |
| PRO CROSS | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Add custom brush options
- Improve layer management
- Implement a color wheel
- Add canvas resizing capabilities
- Introduce mirroring/symmetry tools


### Turtle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle-pixel-characters/id6744418985)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turtle Pro Yearly | $199.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*