Comparison

Pixel Designer vs Pixel Art Maker

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Designer

Features
Read full description

Pixel Designer is a no nonsense easy to use editor for pixel art. The main goal of Pixel Designer is to provide an easy to use and intuitive pixel art application to use whenever inspiration strikes you. All you need is to have your phone at hand. It does not offer a full tool focus on the most relevant, such as pencil, brush, bucket and color picker. Features: - Save and export your designs as editable lossless matrix images (LMI) - Export your art as either pixel accurate PNG or as shown on the screen - Zoom x5 - Quick color select - Custom canvas size - Import Lossless Matrix Images and edit them - Access your designs using finder when attached to your computer Other apps that support import or export of Lossless Matrix Images are BeadMaster (+pro) and Led Picture Frame

About

Pixel Art Maker

Create original pixel art from scratch or transform photos into pixelated images. Offers tools for drawing, editing, and customizing canvas size and colors. Save your creations directly to your device.

Highlights
  • Create pixel art from scratch
  • Import photos for pixel effect
  • Adjust pixel density
  • Customizable canvas size and colors
  • Eraser tool
  • Save artwork to Photos
Features
Read full description

Pixel Canvas is a simple, focused pixel art maker for creating original pixel drawings and transforming photos into pixel-style artwork. Start with a blank pixel board, choose your canvas size, pick your colors, and draw pixel by pixel. Customize the board color, switch to the eraser, show or hide grid lines, invert grid line colors, and clear the board when you want to start fresh. You can also import a photo and instantly apply a pixel effect. Choose from multiple pixel density levels to control the final look, from chunky retro blocks to more detailed pixelated images. When your artwork is ready, export a clean image directly to your photo library. Features: - Create pixel art from scratch - Choose from multiple board sizes - Draw with custom pixel colors - Change the board background color - Use an eraser tool for quick edits - Show, hide, or invert grid lines - Clear the board and start over - Import photos and apply a pixel effect - Adjust pixel density for different styles - Save finished artwork to Photos Pixel Canvas is designed for quick creative sessions, retro-style image making, profile art, icons, stickers, game-inspired visuals, and anyone who enjoys the clean charm of pixel art. ### Subscription Details - Payment: Charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. - Auto-renewal: Subscription renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Renewal charge: Your account is charged within 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Manage subscription: You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal in Account Settings after purchase. - Cancellation and refunds: Managed directly by the store. - Free trial: Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited after purchase. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.kai7.app/p/privacy-policy-no-tracking.html

Screenshots

Pixel Designer4 screens
Pixel Art Maker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixel Designer at none against Pixel Art Maker's 2. Pixel Designer also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Pixel Art Maker's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 16 months). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Maker sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Pixel Designer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Designer ships an update every 16 months, Pixel Art Maker every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on May 16, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 4 level
Pixel Designer versus Pixel Art Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel DesignerPixel Art Maker
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 16 monthsEvery 11 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
Monetizationโ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size1 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonatan YdeKai Chi Tsao

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Designer

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Pixel Art Maker

Subscriptions1
  • Premium 1 year7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Pixel Designer free?
Pixel Designer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixel Art Maker free?
Pixel Art Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pixel Designer or Pixel Art Maker have ads?
Neither Pixel Designer nor Pixel Art Maker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Designer or Pixel Art Maker?
Pixel Designer ships an update every 16 months, and Pixel Art Maker every 11 days. Most recently, Pixel Designer was updated on May 16, 2026 and Pixel Art Maker on September 20, 2026.

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