Comparison

Sketchbook vs Paint by Code

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

Head to head
About

Sketchbook

This app provides a versatile and user-friendly digital art creation experience for mobile devices. It offers a professional-grade toolset with customizable brushes and layers, allowing users to sketch, paint, and illustrate with ease. Perfect for both beginners and experienced artists looking to bring their ideas to life on the go.

Highlights
  • 60+ realistic brushes and tools
  • Multiple layers with settings
  • Import photos for reference
  • Shape draw assist and rulers
  • Customizable color wheel
  • Undo/Redo functionality
  • Instant sharing
Features
Read full description

SketchBook is the most practical, versatile and user-friendly sketching app designed for mobile gadgets. This exhaustive artist's toolbox helps users create dazzling sketches, cheerful paintings and smashing illustrations on the go. A reflexive way to produce a custom drawing! Whether you want to create graffiti or you want to create a doodle, or you want to learn to paint and draw, SketchBook is your tool of choice. Sketchbook is an award-winning sketching, artwork, and drawing app for anyone who loves to draw. Artists and illustrators love Sketchbook for its professional-grade characteristic set and highly customizable mechanisms. Everyone loves Sketchbook for its elegant interface and natural drawing experience, free of distractions so you can focus on capturing and articulating your idea. FEATURES - Shape draw assist - Paint. Draw, Sketch. Repeat - Draw smoothly like never before on iPad or iPhone with super realistic brushes. - Draw creative sketches using 60 brushes and tools - Enhance your drawing by importing pictures and photos - Zoom to paint fine details - Share instantly - Import photos for Reference - Ruler - 16 Shape Rulers - Color Palette - Custom Color Wheel - Multiple Layers drawings - Layer settings - Undo - Redo steps - Hard and soft Eraser with opacity settings Beautiful tools make beautiful drawings, we endlessly refined SketchBook brushes to create the most realistic drawing tools. List of BRUSH tools - Basic - Texture Essentials - Copic - Pen Brush - Synthetic Paint - Traditional - Texture - Shape - Splatter - Designer - Artist - Pastel - Eraser - Cutter - Smudge tool Create amazing drawing ideas to life. Use SketchBook state-of-the-art brushes and tools to sketch, type, paint, and draw. Take your drawing creations to wherever your thoughts want to go! Unlimited access to all the premium features and future updates during the subscription period. The subscriptions are $6.99 per month with 3 days trial period and $24.99 yearly or equal to the same price tier as Apple App Store Matrix, determined as the equivalent of subscription price in $USD. You may cancel a subscription or free-trial anytime via the subscription setting through your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the free trial or subscription period to avoid being charged. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a SketchBook Premium Features subscription. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use : https://www.loyal.app/privacy-policy

About

Paint by Code

Features
Read full description

Paint by Code turns your favorite photos into beautiful paint-by-numbers canvases — ready to color in the app or print at home. HOW IT WORKS 1. Add a photo from your library or camera 2. Choose your style — 8 to 24 colors, detail level, and canvas format 3. Generate your numbered canvas with a matching color legend 4. Paint in the app with Apple Pencil, or export to print FEATURES • Smart region detection — clear, paintable areas • Numbered canvas with color legend matched to your palette • Paint mode with Apple Pencil support • Colored pencil matching — see which real pencil matches each color • Export & print — A4, Letter, or square format • Save canvases locally on your device PERFECT FOR • Creative relaxation and mindfulness • Personalized gifts from your own photos • Family projects and rainy-day activities • Artists who love paint-by-numbers Everything runs on your device. Your photos stay private — no account needed, no cloud required. Start with any photo. Finish with something you made.

Screenshots

Sketchbook4 screens
Paint by Code1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sketchbook at Free against Paint by Code's $3.99. Sketchbook also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.2). Paint by Code's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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

Sketchbook is free to download; Paint by Code costs $3.99 up front. Sketchbook sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Paint by Code asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sketchbook ships an update fortnightly, Paint by Code every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sketchbook versus Paint by Code: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSketchbookPaint by Code
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.9 (1.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews20.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.3K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLoyal Foundry, Inc.Tom Paape

Bugs and requests

Sketchbook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Drawings not saving properly
  • Unreliable performance

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add undo/redo functionality
  • Improve brush quality and customization
  • Implement a true free version

Paint by Code

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Sketchbook

Subscriptions12
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Premium Features - One Week$4.997 Days
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$5.997 Days
Show 9 more
  • Premium Features - One Month$8.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Premium Access$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Annually Subscription$24.991 Year
  • Yearly Subscription1 Month trial$24.991 Year
  • Premium Features - One Year3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annually Subscription3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Appsgonefree Deal$4.99
  • Lifetime Deal - Limited Period$35.99
None

Paint by Code

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sketchbook free?
Sketchbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paint by Code free?
Paint by Code costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sketchbook or Paint by Code have ads?
Sketchbook shows ads; Paint by Code does not.
Which is updated more often, Sketchbook or Paint by Code?
Sketchbook ships an update fortnightly, and Paint by Code every 10 days. Most recently, Sketchbook was updated on November 3, 2026 and Paint by Code on October 31, 2026.

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