# PainterAR vs Simple Trace

The clearest difference is rating: PainterAR at 4.4 against Simple Trace's 1.5. PainterAR also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (663 vs 2). Simple Trace's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PainterAR sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Simple Trace asks for nothing beyond the download.

PainterAR holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 663 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 33% and 33% positive.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Simple Trace every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Simple Trace |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (663 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews)** | [1.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-trace/id1585591190/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **663** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 32.9% of reviews | **33.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 190 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.2** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [Kazuaki Matsuda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560179759) |

## 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


### Simple Trace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-trace/id1585591190)

This app helps beginners practice drawing and painting by allowing them to trace over photos and images. Load pictures from your camera roll and use a stylus to learn basic line drawing techniques. Save your traced creations as JPG files.

**Highlights:** Trace photos and pictures, Practice drawing and painting, Load images from camera roll, Adjust image transmittance, Zoom in and out, Save drawings as JPG

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Simple Trace free?

Simple Trace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PainterAR or Simple Trace?

PainterAR is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while Simple Trace averages 1.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do PainterAR or Simple Trace have ads?

Simple Trace shows ads; PainterAR does not.

### Which is updated more often, PainterAR or Simple Trace?

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Simple Trace every 2 weeks. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on October 14, 2026 and Simple Trace 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.*