# Tracing Buddy vs GridArt

Tracing Buddy and GridArt both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 63% of Tracing Buddy's written reviews are positive against 33% of GridArt's. Tracing Buddy also leads on ratings volume (956 vs 222). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tracing Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and GridArt sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Tracing Buddy against 4.5 for GridArt. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 956 and 222 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Tracing Buddy's written reviews are positive against 33% of GridArt's.

Tracing Buddy ships an update every 6 weeks, GridArt every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tracing Buddy | GridArt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (956 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracing-buddy-drawing-grid/id1470174296/reviews)** | [4.5 (222 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gridart-drawing-grid/id6474590995/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **956** | 222 |
| Positive reviews | **63.5% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [La Fáppbrica](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470174145) | [Vaghani Keyur](https://appshunter.io/developer/1164464860) |

## What reviewers say

### Tracing Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracing-buddy-drawing-grid/id1470174296)

Easily transfer images to a drawing surface using a grid system. Create drawing illusions with perspective distortion and anamorphic images. Offers various image filters and grid customization options.

**Highlights:** Drawing grid with customizable lines and subdivisions, Perspective distortion for anamorphic illusions, Image filters: line art, black & white, background removal, AR-guided distortion process, Manual distortion control, Save grid settings in projects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $0.49 | per month |
| Yearly subscription | $3.99 | per year |
| Premium Features | $9.99 | one-time |
| Premium Features | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Versatile and easy to use
- 👍 Cheap and has just the perfect amount of help
- 👍 Awesome app for pencil drawing and watercolor

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Zoom feature not working
- 🐛 Grid feature not working as expected
- 🐛 Lock feature not working properly
- 🐛 Instructions and customer support not helpful
- 🐛 Ads cover drawing area

**Reported bugs**

- Zoom feature not working
- Grid feature not working as expected
- Lock feature not working properly
- App only works once, can't reuse

**Requested features**

- Ability to crop photo inside the app
- Easier way to start a new drawing
- Ability to rotate image
- Grid with numbered overlay and adjustable starting point
- Grid size based on specific measurements


### GridArt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gridart-drawing-grid/id6474590995)

This app helps artists accurately sketch or replicate images using the grid drawing technique. It overlays customizable grids on any image, offering features like sketch filters and measurement-based setup to streamline the artistic process.

**Highlights:** Drawing grid overlay on images, Diagonal grid option, Customizable grid color and opacity, Sketch filter for image simplification, Measurement-based grid setup, Zoom functionality, Convert images to black and white

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GridArt Weekly Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| GridArt Monthly Premium | $12.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tracing Buddy free?

Tracing Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is GridArt free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tracing Buddy or GridArt?

Tracing Buddy is rated higher. Tracing Buddy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 956 ratings, while GridArt averages 4.5 from 222 ratings.

### Do Tracing Buddy or GridArt have ads?

Both Tracing Buddy and GridArt show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tracing Buddy or GridArt?

Tracing Buddy ships an update every 6 weeks, and GridArt every 2 months. Most recently, Tracing Buddy was updated on October 26, 2026 and GridArt on October 25, 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.*