# Stencil vs DrawPad

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DrawPad at 100% against Stencil's 42%. DrawPad also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Stencil's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Stencil is free to download; DrawPad costs $0.99 up front. Stencil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and DrawPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Stencil ships an update fortnightly, DrawPad every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stencil | DrawPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (125 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stencil-draw-with-guidelines/id1553707162/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **125** | — |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 166 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Studio Next Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540492736) | [Opticell Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883824295) |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $8.99 | per month |
| Stencil Plus Quarterly | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Subscription | $44.99 | per year |


### DrawPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawpad/id6760317949)

This drawing app offers a variety of brushes, colors, and creative tools like stencils and stickers. It's designed with a kid-friendly interface, ensuring a safe and fun artistic experience for young users. The app works offline and prioritizes privacy with no ads or data collection.

**Highlights:** 11 brush types, Rainbow mode, 24 color palette, Stencil shapes, Sticker collection, Layer system, Symmetry mode, Undo/redo functionality

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Colouring Pages | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mandalas | $1.99 | one-time |
| Learning | $1.99 | one-time |
| Dot-to-Dot | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stencil free?

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

### Is DrawPad free?

DrawPad costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do Stencil or DrawPad have ads?

Neither Stencil nor DrawPad shows ads.

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

Stencil ships an update fortnightly, and DrawPad every 5 days. Most recently, Stencil was updated on October 14, 2026 and DrawPad on October 16, 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.*