Comparison

Tayasui Calligraphy vs Simple Sketchbook

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

Head to head
About

Tayasui Calligraphy

Create beautiful calligraphy with realistic ink pens and brushes on your device. This app offers precise customization of drawing tools and an intuitive interface for elegant line work. Optimized for stylus input, it provides a smooth and detailed artistic experience.

Highlights
  • Realistic ink pens and brushes
  • Customizable tool settings
  • Intuitive and minimal interface
  • Optimized for stylus input
  • Elegant line and curve drawing
Features
Read full description

The most beautiful calligraphy ink pen and brush is available on any devices. Drawing harmonious curves and elegant lines has never been easier. With all our knowledge developed over the past 8 years on Tayasui Sketches, we crafted the most delicate and realistic pens and ink brushes. Featuring a very intuitive, slick and minimal interface. Pens, brushes and erasers can be customised very precisely in inclination, texture and size for a remarkable result. Tayasui Calligraphy is fully optimised for Apple Pencil, for even more accurate and detailed results. Subscribe to access to premium app features; subscription details are the following: - Length: monthly, yearly - Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase - You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase - Your subscription will renew automatically, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period - The cost of renewal will be charged to your account in the 24 hours prior to the end of the current period - When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the current subscription will not be refunded - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Simple Sketchbook

A digital sketchbook for iPad and iPhone that offers a clean, fast drawing experience without distractions. Create multiple sketchbooks with various paper styles, utilize layers, and import reference images. Export your work as high-resolution PNGs, PDFs, or timelapse videos.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free drawing interface
  • Multiple sketchbooks with custom paper styles
  • Multi-layer support with opacity and blend modes
  • Import reference images
  • Export pages as PNG or PDF
  • Generate timelapse videos of drawings
  • Face ID/Touch ID sketchbook lock
Features
Read full description

App Description Simple Sketchbook is a distraction-free sketchbook for iPad, designed around the Apple Pencil but will also work with your finger. No subscription. No social features. Just a clean, fast place to draw. Create as many sketchbooks as you like, each with its own paper style — blank, lined, grid, dotted, or a range of specialty templates. Every sketchbook fills your screen edge to edge, and the canvas stays fixed in space when you rotate your iPad, so your drawing never moves out from under your hand. There is no zoom by design on iPad (iPhone users can double-tap to zoom), just a regular sketchbook page in digital space. Layers, done simply Each page supports multiple layers with individual opacity, blend mode, and visibility controls. Bring in photos from your library or drag and drop images directly onto the canvas to use as reference or compose with your work. Reposition, scale, and rotate images freely before committing them to the page. Export your work Export any page as a high-resolution PNG — with or without the background — or export an entire sketchbook as a PDF. Generate a timelapse video of your drawing process, perfect for sharing how a piece came together. Your sketchbooks, backed up Back up any sketchbook to a single file and restore it on any of your iPads. Backups scale automatically to fit the screen, so moving from an iPad mini to an iPad Pro keeps everything looking right. Lock individual sketchbooks with Face ID or Touch ID. Simple Sketchbook is a distraction-free drawing notebook for iPad and iPhone, built for the feel of putting pencil to paper, with just enough digital magic to make every page more useful than a physical one. Draw naturally A slim, always-out-of-the-way tool strip puts your pen, sizes, opacity and colours one tap away, no picker popovers, no hunting through menus. Double-tap or squeeze your Apple Pencil to switch tools instantly, or rest two fingers on the page to pull up the full tool grid without ever putting your pencil down. Layer it up Sketch, ink, and shade on separate layers. Drop in a photo and arrange it (move, scale, rotate) right on the canvas. Add a storyboard frame template for comic panels and animatics. Blend, reorder, and merge layers exactly like a design tool, but built for a sketchbook workflow. Paper that feels right Choose plain, lined, grid, dotted, or textured paper for every notebook, whatever the page is for, to structured notes. Watch your drawing come to life Every stroke is quietly recorded as you draw. Export a timelapse video of any page, or a whole run of pages, and watch a sketch build itself from first line to finished piece. Say what you're thinking Record a voice reflection on any page, your process, your intent, what you'd change next time, and Simple Sketchbook transcribes it on-device, completely privately. Reflections play back alongside your timelapse, or export as Markdown for a portfolio or journal. Yours, and only yours Lock any notebook with Face ID or Touch ID. Back up and restore your entire sketchbook library whenever you like. Nothing leaves your device unless you choose to share it. Whether you're a student building a visual journal, an artist studying your own process, or just someone who likes to draw — Simple Sketchbook gets out of your way and lets the page do the work.

Screenshots

Tayasui Calligraphy4 screens
Simple Sketchbook2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tayasui Calligraphy at Free against Simple Sketchbook's $1.99. Tayasui Calligraphy also leads on ratings volume (261 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Simple Sketchbook's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On rating and device support 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

Tayasui Calligraphy is free to download; Simple Sketchbook costs $1.99 up front. Tayasui Calligraphy sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Simple Sketchbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Tayasui Calligraphy against 4.3 for Simple Sketchbook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tayasui Calligraphy has 261 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Tayasui Calligraphy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simple Sketchbook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tayasui Calligraphy ships an update monthly, Simple Sketchbook every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Tayasui Calligraphy versus Simple Sketchbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTayasui CalligraphySimple Sketchbook
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.3 (261 ratings)4.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings261 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank—#74 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSKETCHES SRLDuncan Pollock

Customer experience

Tayasui Calligraphy

All ratings251 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative13.1%
Written reviews148 reviews
Positive56.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative31.8%

Simple Sketchbook

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Tayasui Calligraphy

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • Accidentally undoing when moving canvas
  • App freezes with an error
  • Default pen size is impractically large
  • Difficulty panning without accidentally undoing
  • No way to configure pen to only write
Show 17 more
  • Accidentally delete all layers and app gets stuck
  • App freezes when selecting new paper
  • Lost all calligraphy drawings after reinstall
  • Lost custom colors
  • iCloud backup not working
  • End swish/mark never thins out
  • Auto orientation issues
  • Saves portrait work as landscape
  • Crashes every now and then
  • Lag on iPad 7th Gen
  • No option to add layers
  • Loses work if left app for a few minutes
  • App restarts when returning
  • Bad lag
  • Hand triggers brush unintentionally
  • Zooming is buggy
  • App crashes when editing pen settings

Requested features

22 requests
  • Add photos/files for tracing
  • Turn off gestures
  • Resize canvas
  • Import image as a layer or background
  • Select, move, copy & paste letterforms
Show 17 more
  • Drop shadows
  • Two or three color gradient brushes
  • Metallic looking inks
  • Apply and change colors/effects after drawing
  • Animation layers/timeline
  • More lessons on calligraphy
  • Duplication of drawings
  • More options to adjust brushes
  • Move canvas like Procreate
  • More papers, guides, and snapping
  • Stamping and rake of brush
  • Cut and paste functionality
  • Selection tool
  • More Apple Pencil compatibility (double-tap)
  • Pressure sensitivity on black letter brush
  • Save to camera roll
  • Clean white background option

Simple Sketchbook

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Tayasui Calligraphy

Subscriptions10
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Weekly premium$2.997 Days
  • Monthly premium$2.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Monthly premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Weekly premium7 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Weekly premium$3.997 Days
  • Yearly premium$9.991 Year
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Yearly premium$69.991 Year
  • Yearly premium7 Days trial$69.991 Year
None

Simple Sketchbook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tayasui Calligraphy free?
Tayasui Calligraphy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Sketchbook free?
Simple Sketchbook costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tayasui Calligraphy or Simple Sketchbook?
Simple Sketchbook is rated higher. Tayasui Calligraphy averages 4.3 out of 5 from 261 ratings, while Simple Sketchbook averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Tayasui Calligraphy or Simple Sketchbook have ads?
Tayasui Calligraphy shows ads; Simple Sketchbook does not.
Which is updated more often, Tayasui Calligraphy or Simple Sketchbook?
Tayasui Calligraphy ships an update monthly, and Simple Sketchbook every 9 days. Most recently, Tayasui Calligraphy was updated on October 29, 2026 and Simple Sketchbook on October 25, 2026.

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