Comparison

iPencil vs GHOSTLINE

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

Head to head
About

iPencil

Create sophisticated vector graphics on your iPad with unlimited layers, powerful editing tools, and extensive import/export options. Customize your workspace with light, dark, or tinted themes.

Highlights
  • Unlimited layers
  • Path and text manipulation
  • Gradient fills
  • Boolean operations
  • Color wheel and swatch library
  • SVG, PDF, PNG, JPEG import/export
Features
Read full description

iPencil is a vector illustration app designed from scratch for the iPad . It supports paths, compound paths, text, text on a path, images, groups, masks, gradient fills, and an unlimited number of layers. * Take control with unlimited layers. Feel free to add as many or as few elements in each layer to organise your drawings. Rename, rearrange, delete, hide and lock layers as you draw. Isolate the active layer for easy editing. Adjust each layers transparency independently to get your ideal composition. * Powerful editing at your fingertips. Easily manipulate single or multiple elements with powerful scale and rotate tools. Associate individual elements into groups. Interactively edit gradient fills on the canvas. Perform a range of Boolean operations on paths, including Unite, Intersect, Exclude and Subtract Front. * Colors to match your imagination. Picking the perfect color is easy with the freedom of the expressive color wheel. Or modify colors using RGB and HSB sliders. Enter the hexadecimal value to precisely match existing artwork colors. Sample colors using the dropper. Store and recall colors from the swatch library. * Import, export and sharing. Import drawings from desktop vector applications as SVG and include photos directly from your camera roll, or import PNG and JPEG images from cloud services. Export your drawings for sharing or importing into other apps as SVG, PDF, PNG and JPEG to all cloud storage services. Send drawings as photos directly to your camera roll. * Light, dark or tinted themes. Choose between the light and dark monochrome themes or the classic Inkpad with user interface tints. The light and dark themes make minimal use of color so that tints in the user interface do not distract from or influence your artwork color choices. Geti Pencil Premium. Unlimited access to the tools during the subscription period. The subscriptions are $0.99 week with 3 day trial period, $2.99 for 1 Months or equal to the same price tier as Apple App Store Matrix, determined as the equivalent of subscription price in USD. You may cancel a subscription or free-trial anytime via the subscription setting through your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the free trial or subscription period to avoid being charged. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a Sketch Pad Unlimited subscription. Terms & Conditions : http://ipencilpro.com/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy : http://ipencilpro.com/privacy-policy.html

About

GHOSTLINE

This app helps tattoo artists create perfect stencils quickly and efficiently. It offers AI-driven tools to upscale, sharpen, and customize artwork, eliminating the need for manual tracing. Print stencils at any size with advanced layout technology, saving valuable time for artists.

Highlights
  • AI-driven stencil generation
  • Artwork upscaling and sharpening
  • Customizable stencil details
  • Print-scale technology for any size
  • Reference tool for visualization
  • Editing tools (pen, eraser, ruler)
Features
Read full description

GHOSTLINE WAS CREATED BY TATTOO ARTISTS, FOR TATTOO ARTISTS. GHOSTLINE is a subscription based application for the tattoo industry. GHOSTLINE can quickly generate perfect, customizable stencils, upscale & sharpen your artwork, and provides the industry’s first print-scale technology so you can print your stencils at any size you need. GHOSTLINE was created to help you SAVE TIME. The AI-driven functionality of GHOSTLINE allows you to optimize your workflow and spend more time doing what you love most; making tattoos that you are proud of. THE FUTURE OF TATTOOING IS HERE. UPSCALE // -ENHANCE YOUR ARTWORK & TURN YOUR PHOTOS IN TO PICTURE PERFECT REFERENCE -USE HSV CONVERSION TO CREATE SMOOTH GRADIENTS FOR SHARP, RENDERED STENCILS -TURN OLD, BLURRY PHOTOS IN TO PERFECT REFERENCE SHARPEN // -SHARPEN YOUR ARTWORK TO ACHIEVE BETTER QUALITY STENCILS -SHARPEN YOUR REFERENCE SO YOU CAN CREATE BETTER TATTOOS CLASSIC STENCIL // -GENERATE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE STENCILS IN SECONDS -ADJUST THE DETAIL AND INTENSITY TO YOUR LIKING -CREATE LINE-BASED STENCILS, 3D VALUE-BASED STENCILS, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN PRO STENCIL // -CLEANEST POSSIBLE STENCILS USING BRAND NEW GHOSTLINE TECH -ADJUST DETAIL LEVEL, CONTOURS, AND TAILOR OUTPUT FOR THERMOFAX OR INKJET -NEVER HAND STENCIL AGAIN EDIT // -USE THE PEN TOOL TO DRAW EXTRA LINES OR MAKE AREAS MORE BOLD -USE THE ERASER TOOL TO REMOVE ANY UNWANTED INFORMATION -USE THE RULER TOOL TO DRAW PERFECTLY STRAIGHT LINES TO YOUR STENCIL REFERENCE // -USE THE REFERENCE TOOL TO VISUALIZE YOUR STENCIL, AS AN ADJUSTABLE LAYER, DURING THE TATTOO PROCESS -ADJUST THE OPACITY OF THE STENCIL -ADJUST THE TRANSPARENCY OF YOUR ARTWORK -CHOOSE DIFFERENT COLORS A BETTER VISUAL GUIDE PRINTING // -USE THE INDUSTRY’S FIRST MULTI-PAGE LAYOUT PRINTING TECHNOLOGY TO PRINT AS LARGE AS YOU WANT, ONE ONE PIECE OF PAPER OR 16 PIECES -PINCH/ZOOM TO SIZE YOUR STENCIL TO ANY SIZE ON THE PAPER, WHETHER YOU’RE WORKING ON A MICRO TATTOO OR A BACK PIECE -ROTATE OR FLIP YOUR STENCIL TO FIT YOUR PRINTING NEEDS -CHOOSE PAPER SIZE AND PAPER ORIENTATION EXPORT // -EXPORT/SAVE YOUR STENCIL, AT ANY STAGE, STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHOTO LIBRARY -GENERATE AS MANY STENCILS AS YOU NEED GHOSTLINE WILL SAVE YOU HOURS OF TRACING TIME, EVERY WEEK, SO YOU CAN FOCUS MORE ENERGY ON CREATING TATTOOS THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME. Terms of Use - https://www.ghostline.app/terms Privacy Policy - https://www.ghostline.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

GHOSTLINE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: GHOSTLINE at 67% against iPencil's 0%. GHOSTLINE also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (348 vs 4). iPencil's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. iPencil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and GHOSTLINE sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GHOSTLINE holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GHOSTLINE has 348 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of iPencil's written reviews are positive against 67% of GHOSTLINE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPencil ships an update every 3 weeks, GHOSTLINE monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iPencil versus GHOSTLINE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPencilGHOSTLINE
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (4 ratings)4.6 (348 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews67.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4348 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB113 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBon TranGhostline, Inc.

Customer experience

iPencil

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

GHOSTLINE

All ratings348 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral6.1%
Negative26.5%

Bugs and requests

iPencil

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

GHOSTLINE

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Quarter inch gaps appearing in stencil output
  • App loses important design details in conversion
  • Emphasizes irrelevant details over important ones
  • Inconsistent stencil quality on complex designs
  • Limited customization options for stencil output

Requested features

12 requests
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Lower subscription pricing ($6/month considered too high)
  • Lifetime subscription option under $100
  • JPEG file format export option
  • Save reference image as separate file
Show 7 more
  • Reference overlay in edit mode to see original design
  • Pinch zoom in/out functionality
  • Redo button for edits
  • Bookmark pen sizes for quick toggling
  • Background removal tool
  • Ruler/grid overlay option
  • Ability to remove white background from images

In-app purchases

4 purchases

iPencil

Subscriptions4
  • Activity tools in a week$0.997 Days
  • Activity tools in month$3.491 Month
  • Activity tools in 3 month$6.493 Months
Show 1 more
  • Activity tools in year1 Year trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

GHOSTLINE

Subscriptions2
  • Ghostline Unlimited Access7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Ghostline Unlimited Access$59.991 Year

Questions

Is iPencil free?
iPencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GHOSTLINE free?
GHOSTLINE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iPencil or GHOSTLINE?
GHOSTLINE is rated higher. iPencil averages 3.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while GHOSTLINE averages 4.6 from 348 ratings.
Do iPencil or GHOSTLINE have ads?
Neither iPencil nor GHOSTLINE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPencil or GHOSTLINE?
iPencil ships an update every 3 weeks, and GHOSTLINE monthly. Most recently, iPencil was updated on June 1, 2026 and GHOSTLINE on September 30, 2026.

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