# PainterAR vs Painter Eye

PainterAR and Painter Eye both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Painter Eye's written reviews are positive against 33% of PainterAR's. Painter Eye also leads on ratings volume (6.2K vs 662). PainterAR's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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 Painter Eye sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Painter Eye holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Painter Eye has 6.2K ratings behind it against 662, 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 75% of Painter Eye's.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Painter Eye every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Painter Eye |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (662 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews) | **[4.6 (6.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painter-eye-ar-drawing-app/id1555476303/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 662 | **6.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **74.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 188 MB | 142 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [Ivan Hulidau](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497112883) |

## 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


### Painter Eye

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painter-eye-ar-drawing-app/id1555476303)

This app transforms your iPhone into a drawing canvas, offering a variety of brushes and stencils. It utilizes augmented reality to let you trace real-world images directly on your screen, making complex drawing accessible and portable.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality tracing, Built-in brushes and canvases, Image parameter adjustment (rotation, size, transparency), Color and style customization, Monochrome masterpiece creation, Stencil creation from photos

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month | $6.99 | per month |
| 3 Months | $16.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year | $24.99 | per year |
| 1 Year | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Excellent app
- 🎨 Great drawing tools
- 🆓 Free to use
- 🤩 Awesome features
- 🖌️ Helps improve drawing skills

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🔌 Requires internet connection
- 🕹️ Difficult to use without a stand
- 🔧 Some bugs and glitches
- 💸 Ads can be intrusive

**Reported bugs**

- Drawing screen appears black
- Tracing feature is not working as expected
- App crashes or freezes occasionally

**Requested features**

- Add more drawing templates and options
- Implement a search feature
- Improve offline functionality
- Provide more customization options
- Enhance the drawing tools and precision


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Painter Eye free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PainterAR or Painter Eye?

Painter Eye is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 662 ratings, while Painter Eye averages 4.6 from 6.2K ratings.

### Do PainterAR or Painter Eye have ads?

Painter Eye shows ads; PainterAR does not.

### Which is updated more often, PainterAR or Painter Eye?

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Painter Eye every 4 days. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on September 25, 2026 and Painter Eye on September 27, 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.*