Comparison

TraceArt vs Translucent

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

Head to head
About

TraceArt

Transform your smartphone into a drawing tool. Trace photos and illustrations onto paper with adjustable outline thickness and screen brightness. Perfect for aspiring artists of all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Trace photos and illustrations
  • Adjust outline thickness
  • Adjust image size
  • Screen lock with maximized brightness
  • Save unlimited sketches
Features
Read full description

Anyone can easily draw a good picture!! TraceArt is an app that allows you to trace photos and illustrations on your smartphone. You don't need talent for painting, all you need is a paper and pencil! *How to use the app 1.Select your favorite photo or illustration from the album. 2.Adjust the thickness of the outline and adjust the size of the image. 3. Lock the screen with the screen lock button (At the same time, the screen brightness is maximized) 4. Place the paper on the screen and draw a picture. You can save as many sketches as you like. *Others Use thin, transparent paper as much as possible. Photos and illustrations with clear boundaries are recommended. *Advertisements will be displayed in the free version. ICONS by icons8(https://icons8.com)

About

Translucent

This app transforms your device into a digital light box, offering a premium library of over 220 professional tracing images. It provides advanced camera overlay and drawing tools to help artists of all levels improve their skills and create detailed artwork.

Highlights
  • Premium image library with 222+ curated tracing images
  • Adjustable opacity camera overlay
  • Pinch-to-zoom with 20x capability
  • Grid overlay and filter modes
  • Import own images and reference photos
  • Lifetime access to new images
Features
Read full description

TRACE ANYTHING ONTO REAL PAPER. YOUR PHONE IS THE LIGHT BOX. Hold your phone over a sheet of paper and the drawing appears on the page through the screen. Trace what you see. No printer, no carbon paper, no taping a page to a sunny window. YOUR OWN PHOTOS ARE FREE. FOREVER. Import any picture from your camera roll, set the opacity, trace it. The light box, zoom, rotate and your own photos are not behind a paywall and never will be. That is the whole point of the app. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a drawing from the library, or import a photo of your own. 2. Hold your phone over your paper, or pin the drawing to the page with AR. 3. Trace the lines you see through the screen. 400 DRAWINGS, 104 OF THEM FREE Animals, Anime, Architecture, Cartoon, Fantasy, Food, Nature, Objects, People, Tattoo and Vehicles, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Real line art drawn for tracing, not photos run through a filter. 348 STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS Every lesson is built out of the drawing itself: big shapes first, then structure, then detail. You watch a face or a dragon assemble one stage at a time instead of copying a finished picture and hoping. AR ANCHORING Pin the drawing to your paper and it stays there. Move your phone, tilt it, set it down and pick it up, and the drawing is still exactly where you left it. No more propping your phone against a coffee cup. EVERY TOOL - Opacity, zoom, rotate, pan - Canvas lock, so your palm cannot knock the drawing out of line - Hands-free mode - Grid overlay, flip and mirror - Contrast, brightness and color filters for difficult light - Torch for tracing in the dark - Line art: turn a photo of your own into clean traceable outlines - Layer breakdown: a drawing split into its build-up stages - Strobe: the reference blinks off so you can see your own lines - Practice timer and daily streaks - Time-lapse: record a session and share it - Kid Mode: the whole library, none of the clutter - Works offline. No account, no sign-up. PERFECT FOR Artists learning proportion and perspective. Anime and manga. Tattoo artists transferring flash. Embroidery, quilting and cross-stitch patterns. Calligraphy and hand lettering. Woodworking and pyrography templates. Classroom and homeschool. Kids learning to draw. Anyone who was ever told they cannot draw. Tracing is not cheating. Artists have traced for centuries to study proportion and build the hand-eye coordination freehand drawing needs, which is why the lessons here take a drawing apart instead of just showing you the answer. FREE - The light box: opacity, zoom, rotate, pan, grid, filters, torch - Your own photos, unlimited - 104 drawings - 3 saved projects, 3 guided lessons, 3 strobe sessions - Canvas lock, hands-free, AR anchoring, practice timer - Supported by ads PREMIUM - All 400 drawings and all 348 lessons - Unlimited saved projects - Unlimited line art, layer breakdown and strobe - Time-lapse export with no watermark - No ads Already bought the Premium Library? You keep it, and you will never be asked to pay again. PREMIUM PLANS Premium Weekly - $6.99 per week Premium Yearly - $39.99 per year, after a 3-day free trial Premium Lifetime - $69.99, one payment, does not renew Prices are shown in your own currency before you confirm. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. Manage your subscription or switch off auto-renew in your device Settings after purchase. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://aylan-apps.com/privacy/translucent-tracing/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://aylan-apps.com/privacy/translucent-tracing/privacy-policy

Screenshots

TraceArt3 screens
Translucent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Translucent at 3.6 against TraceArt's 2.1. Translucent also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). TraceArt's advantage is ratings volume (83 vs 24). On price, review sentiment, 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. TraceArt sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Translucent sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Translucent holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 83 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of TraceArt's written reviews are positive against 20% of Translucent's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TraceArt ships an update every 3 months, Translucent every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
TraceArt versus Translucent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTraceArtTranslucent
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (83 ratings)3.6 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews20.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings83 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKENICHI YAMAMOTOmounir tajaouart

Customer experience

TraceArt

All ratings73 ratings
Positive23.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative74.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative82.1%

Translucent

All ratings20 ratings
Positive55.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TraceArt

One-time1
  • Remove ADs$2.99
1 purchases

Translucent

One-time1
  • Premium Library$2.99

Questions

Is TraceArt free?
TraceArt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Translucent free?
Translucent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TraceArt or Translucent?
Translucent is rated higher. TraceArt averages 2.1 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Translucent averages 3.6 from 24 ratings.
Do TraceArt or Translucent have ads?
Both TraceArt and Translucent show ads.
Which is updated more often, TraceArt or Translucent?
TraceArt ships an update every 3 months, and Translucent every 3 weeks. Most recently, TraceArt was updated on October 21, 2026 and Translucent on October 25, 2026.

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