# Zen Brush 3 vs Valence 3D

The clearest difference is price: Zen Brush 3 at $4.99 against Valence 3D's $19.99. Zen Brush 3 also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Valence 3D's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Zen Brush 3 costs $4.99 and Valence 3D $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Zen Brush 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 58 and 121 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 60% and 61% positive.

Zen Brush 3 ships an update every 3 months, Valence 3D weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zen Brush 3 | Valence 3D |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$4.99** | $19.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (58 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-brush-3/id1531841731/reviews)** | [4.2 (121 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/valence-3d/id6450967410/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 58 | **121** |
| Positive reviews | 59.8% of reviews | **60.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #90 | **#33** |
| Size | 226 MB | 196 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PSOFT](https://appshunter.io/developer/373752450) | [Hi-Rez, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584901634) |

## What reviewers say

### Zen Brush 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-brush-3/id1531841731)

**Currently charting:** #90 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app allows users to create beautiful East Asian ink art, including calligraphy and painting. It simulates an ink brush with adjustable water and color features, offering a rich expressive range for both beginners and experienced artists. Easily share and edit your creations with various export options and background templates.

**Highlights:** Simulated 3D ink brush drawing, Adjustable water and color effects, Layer functionality for flexible editing, Import photos for tracing or backgrounds, Rich background and paper templates, Export to JPEG, PNG, and transparent PNG

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Realistic brush simulation and ink blending
- 💧 Innovative water simulation and wet ink effects
- 🎯 Natural brush stroke behavior and responsiveness
- 🌈 Color palette addition in version 3
- 📄 Multiple paper textures and backgrounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔄 Significant downgrade from version 2 in brush feel
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app instability
- 🔋 Excessive battery drain and device heating
- ❌ Limited undo functionality (only 5 levels)
- 🎨 Mushy brush strokes at default resolution

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when setting maximum resolution
- Crashes when adding layers or importing images
- Crashes during high-resolution JPEG export
- iPad Pro M2 overheating and battery drain
- Apple Pencil input not recognized

**Requested features**

- Canvas rotation with two-finger gestures
- Increased undo/redo levels (more than 5)
- Grid or guide line display for practice
- Custom color wheel/palette picker
- Instant erase without animations


### Valence 3D

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/valence-3d/id6450967410)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app is a powerful yet user-friendly 3D modeling and design tool for iPad and iPhone. It offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating, importing, editing, and exporting 3D models, suitable for both beginners and professionals across various industries.

**Highlights:** Extensive primitive shapes library, Import and export various 3D file formats, Advanced modeling and mesh operations, Non-destructive mesh modifiers, Intuitive navigation and context-aware tools, Automatic saving and iCloud syncing

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great start
- 👍 Intuitive UI
- 💡 Powerful features
- 🚀 Frequent updates
- 👍 Clean and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 File loading/saving problems
- 🐛 Unreliable selection and navigation
- 🐛 Mesh corruption and data loss
- 🐛 Lack of key modeling tools (boolean, curve, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch
- Saved files not loading properly
- Unreliable vertex/edge/face selection
- Mesh corruption and data loss
- Gizmo and navigation issues

**Requested features**

- Add boolean operations
- Improve selection and navigation tools
- Implement curve/spline primitives
- Add more modeling modifiers (bevel, subdivision, etc.)
- Provide more detailed documentation and tutorials


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zen Brush 3 free?

Zen Brush 3 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Valence 3D free?

Valence 3D costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zen Brush 3 or Valence 3D?

Zen Brush 3 is rated higher. Zen Brush 3 averages 4.4 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while Valence 3D averages 4.2 from 121 ratings.

### Do Zen Brush 3 or Valence 3D have ads?

Neither Zen Brush 3 nor Valence 3D shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zen Brush 3 or Valence 3D?

Zen Brush 3 ships an update every 3 months, and Valence 3D weekly. Most recently, Zen Brush 3 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Valence 3D on October 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Zen Brush 3 or Valence 3D?

Zen Brush 3 currently peaks at #90 in the App Store charts, and Valence 3D at #33. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*