# PainterAR vs TraceAR

The clearest difference is rating: PainterAR at 4.4 against TraceAR's 1.0. PainterAR also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and ratings volume (662 vs 3). TraceAR's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PainterAR sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and TraceAR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PainterAR holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 662 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of PainterAR's written reviews are positive against 0% of TraceAR's.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, TraceAR daily. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | TraceAR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (662 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews)** | [1.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracear/id1512800198/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **662** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **33.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 188 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [DavidsonAHW](https://appshunter.io/developer/463893642) |

## What reviewers say

### PainterAR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657)

Transform your paper sketches into digital art with augmented reality projection and advanced tracing tools. This app offers a complete workflow from initial drawing to digital inking and coloring, with professional layering and a curated inspiration library.

**Highlights:** AR drawing with stable projection, Advanced AR anchor mode for free movement, Smart plane detection for instant surface recognition, Import sketches for digital inking, 30+ professional brushes, Infinite layers system for complex edits, Curated inspiration library and courses

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PainterAR-PRO | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| First 3-Day Free | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Painter PRO | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| PainterAR-PRO | $9.99 | per month |
| 1 Month | $9.99 | per month |
| PainterAR-PRO | $9.99 | per month |
| PainterAR PRO | $29.99 | per 3 months |
| Special Offer | $29.99 | per year |
| 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| PainterAR-PRO | $29.99 | per year |
| First 3-Day Free | $39.99 | per year |
| PainterAR PRO | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Helpful for drawing and improving art skills
- ⏱️ Saves time in the drawing process
- 📚 Provides useful tutorials and guides

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overly restrictive free trial and paywall for full features
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs that disrupt the drawing process
- 🔍 Difficult to use own photos without paying
- 🤖 AR mode is not very responsive or accurate

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently during use
- Issues with loading own photos and images
- AR mode is unreliable and hard to control

**Requested features**

- Add more free drawing options and templates
- Improve the ability to use own photos and images
- Provide better instructions and tutorials for new users
- Fix crashes and stability issues


### TraceAR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracear/id1512800198)

Transform photos into outlines and use augmented reality to project them onto paper for tracing via your device's camera. A demo is included, with an in-app purchase to unlock your personal photo library.

**Highlights:** Photo to outline conversion, Augmented reality projection, Trace images with device camera, Demo image for testing, Unlock personal photo library via IAP

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Photo Library | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is TraceAR free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PainterAR or TraceAR?

PainterAR is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 662 ratings, while TraceAR averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do PainterAR or TraceAR have ads?

Neither PainterAR nor TraceAR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PainterAR or TraceAR?

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and TraceAR daily. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on September 30, 2026 and TraceAR on September 19, 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.*