# Stencil vs Calligraphy

The clearest difference is rating: Stencil at 4.8 against Calligraphy's 2.9. Stencil also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (125 vs 25). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Stencil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Calligraphy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stencil holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stencil has 125 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Stencil's written reviews are positive against 33% of Calligraphy's.

Stencil ships an update fortnightly, Calligraphy every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stencil | Calligraphy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (125 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stencil-draw-with-guidelines/id1553707162/reviews)** | [2.9 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calligraphy-cursive-writing/id1564585371/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **125** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | **41.7% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 167 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Studio Next Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540492736) | [Vladislava Rudetskaia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526739266) |

## What reviewers say

### Stencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stencil-draw-with-guidelines/id1553707162)

Enhance your drawing skills with augmented reality guidelines. Customize and overlay guides onto photos or AI-generated images to create hand-drawn art for various projects. Improve your artistic abilities with ease.

**Highlights:** Augmented reality guidelines, Customizable drawing guides, AI image generation, Import photos for tracing, Hand-drawn art creation, Improve drawing skills

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stencil Plus Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Stencil Plus Quarterly | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Stencil Plus Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


### Calligraphy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calligraphy-cursive-writing/id1564585371)

Learn the art of beautiful handwriting with this comprehensive course. It offers theoretical and practical lessons to develop your penmanship skills and master letter shapes. Practice on a digital pad or print exercises for paper practice.

**Highlights:** Theoretical and practical lessons, Hand muscle development, Letter shape mastery, Digital training pad, Printable exercises, Guideline sheet customization

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Access Weekly Sale | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Full Access Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Full Access | $3.99 | per month |
| Full Access Monthly Family | $7.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stencil free?

Stencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Calligraphy free?

Calligraphy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Stencil or Calligraphy?

Stencil is rated higher. Stencil averages 4.8 out of 5 from 125 ratings, while Calligraphy averages 2.9 from 25 ratings.

### Do Stencil or Calligraphy have ads?

Neither Stencil nor Calligraphy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stencil or Calligraphy?

Stencil ships an update fortnightly, and Calligraphy every 5 weeks. Most recently, Stencil was updated on November 3, 2026 and Calligraphy on November 3, 2026.

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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.*