Comparison

Pixel Designer Pro vs Dottie

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Designer Pro

Create pixel art, animations, and game assets with a professional editor. Features include multiple drawing modes, advanced layers, custom palettes, and precision tools. Seamlessly work across devices with cross-platform sync.

Highlights
  • Multiple Drawing Modes (Frame, Tile, Tileset, Sheet)
  • Advanced Layer System
  • Custom Color Palettes
  • Animation Tools with Real-time Preview
  • Precision Drawing Tools
  • Mirror Drawing
  • Flexible Grid Options
  • Professional Export Options (PNG, GIF, etc.)
Features
Read full description

PixelDesigner - Professional Pixel Art Editor Create stunning pixel art, animations, and game assets with PixelDesigner, the powerful native editor built for artists, game developers, and designers. KEY FEATURES =========== Multiple Drawing Modes Switch seamlessly between Frame Mode for animations, Tile Mode for individual game tiles, Tileset Mode with Wang tile support, and Sheet Mode for organizing sprite sheets. Each mode is optimized for specific pixel art workflows. Advanced Layer System Work with multiple layers to build complex compositions. Organize your artwork, separate elements, and maintain full creative control over every pixel. Custom Color Palettes Create and manage your own color palettes for consistent artwork. Import existing palettes or build new ones from scratch to match your project's aesthetic. Animation Tools Preview your animations in real time as you work. Export animations as GIF or PNG sequences with customizable frame rates and timing controls. Precision Drawing Tools Choose from Brush, Eraser, Fill, and Eyedropper tools. Each tool is designed specifically for pixel-perfect artwork with full control over every detail. Mirror Drawing Create perfectly symmetrical designs with horizontal and vertical mirroring. Ideal for character sprites, icons, and architectural elements. Flexible Grid Options Work with multiple grid styles including solid, dashed, dot, checkerboard, and more. Customize your workspace to match your preferred drawing style. Professional Export Options Export your work in multiple formats including PNG, JPEG, GIF, and TIFF. Generate sprite sheets with customizable layouts, export individual tiles, or create animated GIFs with precise control over timing and quality. Wang Tile Support Automatically generate seamless tilesets using Wang tile algorithms. Perfect for creating game environments and repeating patterns that tile perfectly. Document-Based Workflow Save and organize your projects with a native document-based architecture. Open multiple documents simultaneously and switch between projects effortlessly. Native Performance Built from the ground up with SwiftUI for optimal performance on both iOS and macOS. Enjoy a responsive, fluid experience that takes full advantage of your device's capabilities. Cross-Platform Sync Start a project on your Mac and continue on your iPad. PixelDesigner uses a universal file format that works seamlessly across all your devices. Whether you are creating game sprites, animated icons, retro artwork, or detailed pixel illustrations, PixelDesigner provides all the tools you need in a clean, intuitive interface.

About

Dottie

Features
Read full description

Dottie is a pixel art editor for game sprites, small illustrations and short animations. Start from a template, change the colors and make it your own. START WITH A TEMPLATE Choose from 6 original pixel art templates. A short creation guide takes you through choosing a color, drawing and exporting a PNG. Templates and the guide work within the free limits. DRAW AND REFINE Use pencils, fill, shapes and dithering. Keep colors consistent with palettes, then move, copy, flip or rotate a selection. Symmetry and zoom help with the finishing touches. ADD LAYERS AND MOTION Edit backgrounds and characters on separate layers. Duplicate frames, make small changes and play your animation. Onion skin shows the previous frame as a guide. WORK FROM A REFERENCE Import an image and adjust its position, size and rotation. Assign reference images to individual frames to guide poses and compositions. BACK UP AND RESTORE YOUR PROJECTS Back up all projects or just selected ones to a file, then restore them on another device. Review the contents before restoring; existing artwork is kept. Basic backup and restore are free. This is manual file transfer, not automatic cloud sync. Premium purchases are restored separately through the store where you purchased them. EXPORT YOUR ART Export PNG images and editable project files. Premium also includes animated GIF, PNG sequence, sprite sheet and tile image exports. WHAT CAN I MAKE FOR FREE? Create up to 5 projects, with canvases up to 64 × 64 pixels, 3 layers per frame and 3 frames. The free version displays ads. WHEN YOU NEED MORE ROOM Premium is a one-time purchase that removes ads and expands project, canvas, layer and frame limits, plus export options. You can also complete a rewarded ad to try Premium for 24 hours. Purchases and rewarded ads require an internet connection. Device memory and other limits still apply to project size. No account registration is required. Artwork is saved on your device. Keep a backup file of important projects outside the app. Advertising and purchases use external services. Available in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Spanish.

Screenshots

Dottie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixel Designer Pro at none against Dottie's 1. Pixel Designer Pro also leads on ads (none vs shown). Dottie's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 24 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Dottie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pixel Designer Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Designer Pro ships an update every 24 months, Dottie weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pixel Designer Pro versus Dottie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Designer ProDottie
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews38.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 24 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInfinite TokenHiroyuki Yamamoto

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Designer Pro

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dottie

One-time1
  • Dottie Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Pixel Designer Pro free?
Pixel Designer Pro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dottie free?
Dottie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pixel Designer Pro or Dottie have ads?
Dottie shows ads; Pixel Designer Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Designer Pro or Dottie?
Pixel Designer Pro ships an update every 24 months, and Dottie weekly. Most recently, Pixel Designer Pro was updated on October 24, 2026 and Dottie on October 13, 2026.

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