# PainterAR vs Camera Lucida

The clearest difference is rating: PainterAR at 4.4 against Camera Lucida's 1.0. PainterAR also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 4%) and ratings volume (662 vs 3). 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 Camera Lucida sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. 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 4% of Camera Lucida's.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Camera Lucida every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Camera Lucida |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/camera-lucida-tracing-app/id1546453560/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **662** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **33.3% of reviews** | 4.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 188 MB | 207 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [Ilya Koryakin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1341649240) |

## 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


### Camera Lucida

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/camera-lucida-tracing-app/id1546453560)

Transform your phone into a tracing projector using augmented reality. Overlay any image onto a surface and draw it with ease. Perfect for artists and hobbyists looking to enhance their drawing skills.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality drawing, Trace images onto paper, Intuitive user interface, AR tracing templates, Accurate perspective rendering

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lucida Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly subscription | $6.99 | per year |
| Lucida Premium | $9.99 | per year |
| Lucida Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Lucida Premium | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Camera Lucida free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PainterAR or Camera Lucida?

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

### Do PainterAR or Camera Lucida have ads?

Neither PainterAR nor Camera Lucida shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PainterAR or Camera Lucida?

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Camera Lucida every 6 weeks. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on September 25, 2026 and Camera Lucida on September 22, 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.*