Comparison

TraceArt vs Papercopy

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

Papercopy

Transform your device into a precision tracing tool. Import any image to use as a drawing guide, adjusting its visibility and position to sketch and improve your artistic skills with ease.

Highlights
  • Import images for tracing
  • Adjust brightness and contrast
  • Rotate and position references
  • Customize outline colors
  • Intuitive user interface
Features
Read full description

Turn your phone into a tracing lightbox. Open any image, lock the screen, put paper on top, and draw. Papercopy makes it easy to copy a picture from your screen to paper with a pencil or pen. No printer, no lightbox, no special tools — just your phone or tablet and a sheet of paper. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick an image from your gallery, camera, or the built-in Explore library 2. Zoom, rotate, and move it until it sits exactly where you want 3. Lock the canvas so the screen doesn't shift while you draw 4. Place your paper over the display and trace the lines through it FEATURES - Lock screen – blocks touches so the image stays put under the paper - Precise zoom, rotate and pan – size the image to fit your paper - Brightness and contrast controls – makes lines visible through thicker paper - AI trace-ready images – describe what you want and get a clean outline to trace - Explore – hundreds of ready-made drawings, animals, characters, patterns and lettering - Works on phones and tablets WHO USES PAPERCOPY - Kids learning to draw and parents who want an easy, screen-light activity - Artists and illustrators transferring sketches, references and outlines - Hand-lettering, calligraphy and tattoo stencils - Teachers, crafters, embroidery, woodworking and cake decorating templates - Anyone who wants to copy a photo, logo or drawing to paper quickly Tracing is one of the oldest ways to learn to draw — it trains your hand and eye before you draw freehand. Papercopy just removes the friction. Have a suggestion or a problem? Email us from the app and we'll reply. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://papercopy.web.app/policy

Screenshots

TraceArt3 screens
Papercopy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Papercopy at 2.8 against TraceArt's 2.1. Papercopy also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). TraceArt's advantage is ratings volume (83 vs 4) and review sentiment (14% vs 0%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 Papercopy sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Papercopy holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TraceArt has 83 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of TraceArt's written reviews are positive against 0% of Papercopy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TraceArt ships an update every 3 months, Papercopy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TraceArt versus Papercopy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTraceArtPapercopy
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (83 ratings)2.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings83 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.2 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKENICHI YAMAMOTOMilos Micunovic

Customer experience

TraceArt

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

Papercopy

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral14.3%
Negative85.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TraceArt

One-time1
  • Remove ADs$2.99
8 purchases

Papercopy

Subscriptions3
  • AI Studio Starter$3.991 Month
  • AI Studio Pro$9.991 Month
  • AI Studio Ultimate$29.991 Month
One-time5
  • 10 Credits$2.49
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • 30 Credits$4.99
Show 2 more
  • 100 Credits$12.99
  • 500 Credits$49.99

Questions

Is TraceArt free?
TraceArt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Papercopy free?
Papercopy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TraceArt or Papercopy?
Papercopy is rated higher. TraceArt averages 2.1 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Papercopy averages 2.8 from 4 ratings.
Do TraceArt or Papercopy have ads?
Both TraceArt and Papercopy show ads.
Which is updated more often, TraceArt or Papercopy?
TraceArt ships an update every 3 months, and Papercopy every 5 days. Most recently, TraceArt was updated on October 21, 2026 and Papercopy on October 30, 2026.

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