Comparison

Tagtool SE vs Light Strokes

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

Head to head
About

Tagtool SE

Transform your iPad into a live visual instrument for painting with light and creating spontaneous animations. Ideal for performances, storytelling, and collaborative art, this app enables educators to distribute Pro licenses for institutional use.

Highlights
  • Live visual instrument
  • Paint with light
  • Create spontaneous animations
  • Multiplayer jams
  • Guerilla interventions
  • Educational license distribution
Features
Read full description

Tagtool transforms your iPad into a visual live instrument. Connect a projector to paint with light, draw expressive animations, or tell improvised stories. Jam with friends on a shared canvas, perform live shows, or create pop-up street art. From classrooms and workshops to galleries and live stages, Tagtool fills any space with colorful art, created together. Whether you're a VJ, artist, educator, or just curious — discover a new universe of digital art! Tagtool SE ("School Edition") is equivalent to the standard Tagtool App with the Pro upgrade. It enables educational institutions to distribute Tagtool Pro licenses using Apple School Manager.

About

Light Strokes

Features
Read full description

This is the only app that lets you paint with whatever your iPad’s video camera sees. Create artwork instantly by aiming it at people, pets, flowers dancing in the wind, whatever. With Light Strokes, the world is your paintbrush! FEATURES & BENEFITS: • Adjust the camera settings (exposure, zoom, etc.) to paint with just what you want • Choose colors and set transparency, so that paint builds up at the speed you’d like • Blend colors along your “brush”, or use its edges to add texture, or do both at once • Turn on dissolve, so that you can keep on painting without ever filling the screen • Turn on mirroring to give symmetry to everything you paint • Swipe right to pause painting while you line up your next shot • Save your pictures or share them directly from the app EXTRA FEATURES available with in-app purchase or free trial: • Save combinations of colors and effects for quick and easy retrieval later • Automatically make small random color adjustments, to add variety • Import photos or other images to paint on • Undo painted strokes made in error, or redo them DEMO: • See a demonstration of the app (with and without special hardware for more natural painting) at https://youtu.be/S-s2kmsSa9w SUPPORT: • See the user guide at https://lightstrokes.com/Light Strokes for iPad User Guide v3.pdf • Send email to help@lightstrokes.com

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Strokes at Free against Tagtool SE's $17.99. Tagtool SE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Light Strokes is free to download; Tagtool SE costs $17.99 up front. Light Strokes sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Tagtool SE asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tagtool SE ships an update every 7 months, Light Strokes every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Tagtool SE versus Light Strokes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTagtool SELight Strokes
Price$17.99Free — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size141 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOMA InternationalRichard Greene

In-app purchases

None

Tagtool SE

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Light Strokes

One-time2
  • 14-Day Trial of All FeaturesFree
  • Unlock All Features$4.99

Questions

Is Tagtool SE free?
Tagtool SE costs $17.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Strokes free?
Light Strokes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tagtool SE or Light Strokes have ads?
Neither Tagtool SE nor Light Strokes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tagtool SE or Light Strokes?
Tagtool SE ships an update every 7 months, and Light Strokes every 10 months. Most recently, Tagtool SE was updated on November 3, 2026 and Light Strokes on November 7, 2026.

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