# PainterAR vs Ricalko

The clearest difference is price: PainterAR at Free against Ricalko's $5.99. PainterAR also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 12 months). Ricalko's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and chart position (#130 vs unranked). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

PainterAR is free to download; Ricalko costs $5.99 up front. PainterAR sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per 7 days. Ricalko asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for PainterAR against 4.3 for Ricalko. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PainterAR has 662 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of PainterAR's written reviews are positive against 0% of Ricalko's.

PainterAR ships an update weekly, Ricalko every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PainterAR | Ricalko |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $5.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (662 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/painterar-ar-trace-drawing/id1491111657/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ricalko-camera-lucida-drawing/id1634436263/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **662** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **33.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#130** |
| Size | 188 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Painter AR Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896290460) | [GENOVA Softworks](https://appshunter.io/developer/954347533) |

## 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


### Ricalko

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ricalko-camera-lucida-drawing/id1634436263)

**Currently charting:** #130 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app projects photos onto any surface, allowing you to trace them with your own hands. It's designed for both beginners learning to draw and experienced artists looking to refine their skills. Features include layer separation, creative filters, and AR projection.

**Highlights:** Project photos onto surfaces, Trace images with your hand, Layer separation for learning, Creative filters, Perspective mode for angled projection, Augmented Reality (AR) mode, Zoom for precision

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PainterAR free?

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

### Is Ricalko free?

Ricalko costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

PainterAR is rated higher. PainterAR averages 4.4 out of 5 from 662 ratings, while Ricalko averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do PainterAR or Ricalko have ads?

Neither PainterAR nor Ricalko shows ads.

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

PainterAR ships an update weekly, and Ricalko every 12 months. Most recently, PainterAR was updated on September 25, 2026 and Ricalko on September 26, 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.*