# PainterAR vs Flowly

The clearest difference is rating: PainterAR at 4.4 against Flowly's 4.1. PainterAR also leads on ratings volume (662 vs 54) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Flowly's advantage is review sentiment (42% vs 33%). 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 Flowly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PainterAR holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 662 ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of PainterAR's written reviews are positive against 42% of Flowly's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Flowly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Flowly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (662 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews)** | [4.1 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flowly-ar-projector-drawing/id1556511974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **662** | 54 |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **41.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 188 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [Flowly LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1556511977) |

## 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


### Flowly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flowly-ar-projector-drawing/id1556511974)

This app allows you to trace images and text onto a surface using your mobile device's camera. It offers free fonts and shapes, with a pro version unlocking custom uploads and advanced features.

**Highlights:** Camera-based tracing, Free fonts and shapes, Upload custom images, Access exclusive designs, Unlimited preset layers, AR drawing capabilities

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Flowly Pro Features | $3.99 | per month |
| Flowly Pro Features | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Flowly free?

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

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

PainterAR is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 662 ratings, while Flowly averages 4.1 from 54 ratings.

### Do PainterAR or Flowly have ads?

Neither PainterAR nor Flowly shows ads.

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

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Flowly every 3 weeks. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on September 25, 2026 and Flowly on September 6, 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.*