# Tracing Buddy vs String Art Color

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tracing Buddy at 63% against String Art Color's 0%. Tracing Buddy also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (935 vs 1). String Art Color's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tracing Buddy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and String Art Color sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tracing Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tracing Buddy has 935 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Tracing Buddy's written reviews are positive against 0% of String Art Color's.

Tracing Buddy ships an update every 6 weeks, String Art Color every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tracing Buddy | String Art Color |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (935 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracing-buddy-drawing-grid/id1470174296/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/string-art-color-pin-thread/id6738639803/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **935** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **63.5% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [La Fáppbrica](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470174145) | [Kiem Pham Dinh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1657129722) |

## 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


### String Art Color

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/string-art-color-pin-thread/id6738639803)

Easily transform any image into intricate string art. Plan and create beautiful pin and thread drawings with step-by-step guidance, adapting to your creative vision with monochrome, color, and dark modes. Save and load your projects to continue your artistic journey.

**Highlights:** Image to string art conversion, Monochrome, color, and dark modes, Circular and square canvas options, Step-by-step threading guidance, Algorithm save and load functionality, High-resolution output

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tracing Buddy free?

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

### Is String Art Color free?

String Art Color is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Tracing Buddy or String Art Color?

Tracing Buddy is rated higher. Tracing Buddy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 935 ratings, while String Art Color averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Tracing Buddy or String Art Color have ads?

Tracing Buddy shows ads; String Art Color does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tracing Buddy or String Art Color?

Tracing Buddy ships an update every 6 weeks, and String Art Color every 5 weeks. Most recently, Tracing Buddy was updated on September 26, 2026 and String Art Color on September 12, 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.*