# Pixel Studio vs PxPad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PxPad at none against Pixel Studio's 10. PxPad also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Pixel Studio's advantage is ratings volume (6.1K vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.5). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Studio sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. PxPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

PxPad holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Studio has 6.1K ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of PxPad's.

Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, PxPad fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Studio | PxPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-studio-pixel-art-editor/id1404203859/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pxpad-pixel-art-maker-studio/id6747214858/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 93.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 144 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Farida Yarullina](https://appshunter.io/developer/846630437) | [Andrew Moloney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263277493) |

## 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


### PxPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pxpad-pixel-art-maker-studio/id6747214858)

Create pixel art and game sprites with a powerful native editor for iOS. Offers a full suite of tools, layers, and export options for retro art enthusiasts and game developers.

**Highlights:** Brush, eraser, fill, select, move, eyedropper tools, Layers and undo/redo functionality, Zoom, pan, and rotate gestures, Image import and export (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, ICO, PX), iCloud integration and Files app previews, Dark mode and left-handed mode

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Studio free?

Pixel Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PxPad free?

PxPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pixel Studio or PxPad?

PxPad is rated higher. Pixel Studio averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while PxPad averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pixel Studio or PxPad have ads?

Pixel Studio shows ads; PxPad does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Studio or PxPad?

Pixel Studio ships an update monthly, and PxPad fortnightly. Most recently, Pixel Studio was updated on November 12, 2026 and PxPad on October 30, 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.*