# Photo Widget vs Paintastica

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paintastica at none against Photo Widget's 31. Paintastica also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Photo Widget's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#137 vs unranked). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Photo Widget sells 29 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Paintastica asks for nothing beyond the download.

Photo Widget ships an update weekly, Paintastica monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Photo Widget | Paintastica |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (169K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-widget-theme-wallpapers/id1530149106/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **169K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#137** | — |
| Size | 462 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Photo Widget Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542069599) | [PIARK TECH PRIVATE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1405976483) |

## What reviewers say

### Photo Widget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-widget-theme-wallpapers/id1530149106)

**Currently charting:** #137 Top Free · Graphics & Design, #193 Top Grossing · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Easily personalize your iPhone and iPad with custom wallpapers, widgets, and app icons. Create unique themes, design DIY wallpapers with AI assistance, and sync your entire Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** All-in-One Home & Lock Screen Customization, Stylish and functional widgets, Complete themes with one-tap application, DIY wallpaper creation with AI, iPad and Apple Watch support, Weekly content updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (29)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| foto for 1 artist | $3.99 | per month |
| foto 1 artist | $4.99 | per month |
| Weekly Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PhotoWidget Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| foto for 2 artists | $7.95 | per month |
| foto 2 artists | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| foto for 3 artists | $11.95 | per month |
| foto 3 artists | $14.95 | per month |
| foto for 4 artists | $15.95 | per month |
| foto 4 artists | $19.95 | per month |
| foto for 5 artists | $19.95 | per month |
| foto for 6 artists | $23.90 | per month |
| foto 5 artists | $24.95 | per month |
| PhotoWidget Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $24.99 | per year |
| foto for 7 artists | $27.90 | per month |
| foto for 8 artists | $31.90 | per month |
| foto for 9 artists | $35.90 | per month |
| foto for 10 artists | $39.90 | per month |
| foto for 13 artists | $51.00 | per month |
| foto for 14 artists | $55.00 | per month |
| item purchase - basic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Simple Goods | $0.99 | one-time |
| theme purchase - basic | $1.49 | one-time |
| Basic Goods | $1.69 | one-time |
| Plus Goods | $2.39 | one-time |
| Special Goods | $3.09 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐️ Excellent free app with no in-app purchases
- 🤩 Highly customizable home screen and widgets
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Wide variety of free themes and designs
- 📷 Ability to use own photos for widgets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Limited search functionality, only by color
- 🔒 Account required to save custom settings
- 🔁 Widgets sometimes display the same photo repeatedly
- 🤯 Confusing process to hide original app icons

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not showing up in list to add to home screen
- Widgets randomly turning black or not loading properly
- App icons disappearing after customization

**Requested features**

- Add a search bar to find themes/widgets by name
- Allow custom naming of widgets
- Implement a dark mode option
- Add more free premium-quality themes and designs
- Improve widget customization options (e.g. cropping, resizing)


### Paintastica

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintastica/id6747704751)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Photo Widget free?

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

### Is Paintastica free?

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

### Do Photo Widget or Paintastica have ads?

Photo Widget shows ads; Paintastica does not.

### Which is updated more often, Photo Widget or Paintastica?

Photo Widget ships an update weekly, and Paintastica monthly. Most recently, Photo Widget was updated on November 3, 2026 and Paintastica on October 28, 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.*