# PainterAR vs Stencil

The clearest difference is rating: Stencil at 4.8 against PainterAR's 4.4. Stencil also leads on review sentiment (42% vs 33%). PainterAR's advantage is ratings volume (663 vs 125). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PainterAR sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and Stencil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stencil holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 663 ratings behind it against 125, 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 42% of Stencil's.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Stencil fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Stencil |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (663 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews) | **[4.8 (125 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stencil-draw-with-guidelines/id1553707162/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **663** | 125 |
| Positive reviews | 32.9% of reviews | **41.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 190 MB | 166 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [Studio Next Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540492736) |

## 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 | $34.99 | 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


### Stencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stencil-draw-with-guidelines/id1553707162)

Enhance your drawing skills with augmented reality guidelines. Customize and overlay guides onto photos or AI-generated images to create hand-drawn art for various projects. Improve your artistic abilities with ease.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality guidelines, Customizable drawing guides, AI image generation, Import photos for tracing, Hand-drawn art creation, Improve drawing skills

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Stencil Plus Quarterly | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Subscription | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Stencil free?

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

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

Stencil is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while Stencil averages 4.8 from 125 ratings.

### Do PainterAR or Stencil have ads?

Neither PainterAR nor Stencil shows ads.

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

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Stencil fortnightly. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on October 14, 2026 and Stencil on October 8, 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.*