Comparison

PainterAR vs Tracing projector & Lightbox

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PainterAR

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
Read full description

Experience the ultimate "Paper-to-Digital" creative companion. Unlike simple tracing apps, PainterAR creates a complete loop from "Paper Sketch" to "Digital Art". Whether you are a beginner building confidence or a comic enthusiast pursuing professional results, you will find the perfect solution here. 【KEY FEATURES】 1. AR Drawing: Perfect Proportions Technology makes observation intuitive. • Stand Mode: Stable projection with zero latency. The ideal way for beginners to master hand-eye coordination. • Advanced AR Anchor Mode: Lock your virtual art to the paper by snapping a custom anchor (e.g., a doodle or card). Move your phone freely to check details without drift—ideal for easels or detailed desk work. • Smart Plane Detection: Instantly detects surfaces without markers. Start creating anywhere, anytime. 2. Digital Inking & Coloring Classic digital art workflow made easy. • Import & Inking: One-tap import of pencil sketches as a reference layer. • Pro Brush Library: 30+ selected brushes (pencils, ink pens, markers, etc.) for any style. 3. Infinite Layers System Modify without fear. • Professional Layering: Manage line art, base colors, and shadows on separate layers to keep even complex works organized. • Non-Destructive Workflow: Change color schemes anytime without ruining your original line art. 4. Curated Inspiration Library Quality over quantity. • Exclusive Originals: Explore themes from "Fantasy Props" to "Cat Girl" and "Mystic Elf Theatre". • Progressive Courses: From beginner "Playful Shape Friends" to advanced "Fan Art". Every lesson blends storytelling with skills, helping you create stylish art immediately. 【WHO IS IT FOR?】 • Comic Fans: Master the "Sketch -> Import -> Color" workflow. • Beginners: Use AR to fix proportions and build confidence. • Pros: Visual aid for anatomy and perspective. 【AWARDS】 ▶ Microsoft “Imagine Cup” – Top 3 ▶ 13th “Challenge Cup” – 1st Place ▶ 2nd “Internet+” Innovation Competition – 1st Place ▶ 4th College Innovation Competition – 1st Place Privacy Policy: https://painterar.com/Privacy.aspx Terms of Use: https://painterar.com/Terms.aspx Download PainterAR now. Turn your sketchbook into a digital studio! Contact: support@painterar.com

About

Tracing projector & Lightbox

Easily learn to draw by tracing images from your phone onto paper. Superimpose any picture from the app's catalog or your gallery onto your camera view, adjust transparency, and redraw with augmented reality. Perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike.

Highlights
  • Image tracing via smartphone camera
  • App catalog and phone gallery image import
  • Adjustable image transparency
  • Augmented reality drawing effect
  • Combine multiple images on one canvas
  • Save and share drawings
Features
Read full description

Application's functionality resembles transferring an image to paper with the help of tracing paper or carbon paper. We can say that this is a digital carbon copy of the modern world. Camera Lucida and Camera Obscura are also great for explaining the principle of the operation of the application. To start drawing, point your smartphone camera at a piece of paper. Choose a picture you like from the application catalog or your own phone gallery, it will be superimposed on top of the camera image. Set the necessary transparency and get creative! This app is for you if: • You want to learn how to draw as a professional artist, but you have little experience • Just starting the path of creativity and experiencing problems with the proportion of the image • Do not get smooth beautiful lines in the picture • You want to draw something beautiful but there are few ideas for creativity • You want to surprise your friends with a beautiful drawing • You need to copy the image exactly from the original to paper without a printer • You need to redraw the original image at a different scale Everyone will find something to their liking, install the app and start your journey of the artist now! You will be able to learn how to draw by copying any images and achieve really impressive results in a short time. The application catalog has a large selection of the images on various topics: cute animals, beautiful calligraphic fonts, nature, superheroes, comics and much more. You can select your image from the phone gallery. The drawing you want to draw is superimposed on the image coming from the smartphone camera, forming an augmented reality effect. Adjust the parameters of the drawing location, turn on the "ripple" mode of transparency of the original image and start drawing. Save the result, share it with your friends and enjoy the process. Place your smartphone on a mug, a stack of books, or place it on a tripod over a piece of paper or a notepad for a better result. Application functions: • Many categories and a large selection of images in the catalog • Select an image from the catalog or the gallery of your smartphone • Add your favourite images to favourites to hone your skills • When starting to draw, change the size of the image, the angle of rotation and the position of the drawing • Choose a comfortable transparency of the image, for a clearer display on top of the smartphone camera • You can turn on a "ripple" mode of image transparency, this will help to achieve a better result when redrawing • Enjoy the drawing process! • You can combine several images on one canvas by drawing them sequentially, creating unique drawings • When you finish drawing - save the result and share it with your friends Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PainterAR4 screens
Tracing projector & Lightbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PainterAR at 4.4 against Tracing projector & Lightbox's 2.0. PainterAR also leads on ratings volume (663 vs 11) and review sentiment (33% vs 12%). Tracing projector & Lightbox's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PainterAR sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days and Tracing projector & Lightbox sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PainterAR holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 663 ratings behind it against 11, 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 12% of Tracing projector & Lightbox's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Tracing projector & Lightbox every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PainterAR versus Tracing projector & Lightbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPainterARTracing projector & Lightbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (663 ratings) — better2.0 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews32.9% of reviews — better12.0% of reviews
Number of ratings663 — better11
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPainter AR Ltd.Alexey Goryachev

Customer experience

PainterAR

All ratings663 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative14.0%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive32.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative62.0%

Tracing projector & Lightbox

All ratings11 ratings
Positive27.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.7%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive12.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative84.0%

Bugs and requests

PainterAR

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes frequently during use
  • Issues with loading own photos and images
  • AR mode is unreliable and hard to control

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

Tracing projector & Lightbox

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

PainterAR

Subscriptions11
  • PainterAR-PRO7 Days trial$8.997 Days
  • First 3-Day Free3 Days trial$8.997 Days
  • Painter PRO$8.997 Days
Show 8 more
  • PainterAR-PRO7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 1 Month$9.991 Month
  • PainterAR-PRO1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • PainterAR PRO$29.993 Months
  • Special Offer$29.991 Year
  • 1 Year1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • PainterAR-PRO7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • First 3-Day Free3 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • PainterAR PRO$79.99
5 purchases

Tracing projector & Lightbox

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$3.497 Days
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription3 Months trial$9.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium+$199.99

Questions

Is PainterAR free?
PainterAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tracing projector & Lightbox free?
Tracing projector & Lightbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PainterAR or Tracing projector & Lightbox?
PainterAR is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 663 ratings, while Tracing projector & Lightbox averages 2.0 from 11 ratings.
Do PainterAR or Tracing projector & Lightbox have ads?
Neither PainterAR nor Tracing projector & Lightbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PainterAR or Tracing projector & Lightbox?
PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Tracing projector & Lightbox every 2 weeks. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on October 24, 2026 and Tracing projector & Lightbox on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons