Comparison

Letterforms vs DotShake Brush Studio

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

Head to head
About

Letterforms

Design unique variable fonts from sketches to screen with professional typography tools. This app offers a touch-first vector drawing experience and seamless syncing across Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Variable font creation
  • Touch-first vector drawing
  • Professional typography tools
  • Scan sketches to vector
  • Cross-device sync
  • Clean font preview
Read full description

Make Your Own Creative Variable Fonts. From Sketch to Screen. Letterforms is a professional font design app for iOS and Mac. Craft unique variable fonts from the ground up with a precise and intuitive set of tools. Key Features: True Font Creation:​ Design, interpolate, and export professional-quality variable fonts as TTF/OTF files. Touch-First Design:​ A vector drawing tool built for your fingers. Edit glyphs with precision on any device. Professional Typography Tools:​ Fine-tune kerning, font metrics, guides, composite glyphs, and anchors. Scan to Vector:​ Turn your paper sketches into editable, refined vector paths in seconds. Seamless Workflow:​ Sync projects across your Apple devices. Copy and paste paths between Letterforms and your favorite design apps.* Clean Preview:​ Instantly visualize your font with a beautiful, uncluttered preview pane. Unlock the full creative potential of Letterforms with a subscription. Manage your subscription easily through your App Store account settings. For more details on subscription terms, privacy, and data handling, please visit our full policy page. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DotShake Brush Studio

Features
Read full description

DotShake Brush Studio is where DotShake's brushes are made. Start from a brush that already exists, tune it until it feels right, and save it as your own. A CABINET OF BRUSHES, EACH SHOWING ITS OWN STROKE Every row draws a real stroke, so you never have to open a brush to find out what it looks like. The categories are on the row too: Line, Dab, Airbrush, Oil Paint, Palette Knife, Liquid, Optical Glass, Liquid Metal, Halftone, Particles, Noise, Volumetric, Dynamic Field — and a whole family of type that runs along the stroke. NOT JUST LINES Pencil, charcoal, marker, calligraphy, impasto, gouache and fan brush for the traditional hand. Then glass, liquid chrome, meteor and flame — and butterflies, moths, clouds and maple leaves that chase the stroke. TYPE THAT FOLLOWS THE STROKE Kinetic type, pop type, glass type, falling poems, and leader brushes that trail a small shape behind them. EVERY BRUSH IS EDITABLE • Size and opacity, with the preview updating as you go • Customise the pressure curve so the tip answers to your hand • Enough parameters that there is a search field for them • Preview in light or dark, and reset in one tap • Save as a copy — the original stays as it was IMPORT AND EXPORT Export the brushes you make, and import the ones other people made. Requires DotShake.

Screenshots

Letterforms4 screens
DotShake Brush Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Letterforms at Free against DotShake Brush Studio's $0.99. Letterforms also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). DotShake Brush Studio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On ads 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

Letterforms is free to download; DotShake Brush Studio costs $0.99 up front. Letterforms sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. DotShake Brush Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Letterforms ships an update weekly, DotShake Brush Studio every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Letterforms versus DotShake Brush Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLetterformsDotShake Brush Studio
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.7 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB108 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer久乔 魏Zhen Chen

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Letterforms

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription7 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Legacy purchase$49.99
None

DotShake Brush Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Letterforms free?
Letterforms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DotShake Brush Studio free?
DotShake Brush Studio costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Letterforms or DotShake Brush Studio have ads?
Neither Letterforms nor DotShake Brush Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Letterforms or DotShake Brush Studio?
Letterforms ships an update weekly, and DotShake Brush Studio every 3 days. Most recently, Letterforms was updated on September 23, 2026 and DotShake Brush Studio on September 30, 2026.

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