Comparison

Painter Eye vs Painter Tools

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

Head to head
About

Painter Eye

This app transforms your iPhone into a drawing canvas, offering a variety of brushes and stencils. It utilizes augmented reality to let you trace real-world images directly on your screen, making complex drawing accessible and portable.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality tracing
  • Built-in brushes and canvases
  • Image parameter adjustment (rotation, size, transparency)
  • Color and style customization
  • Monochrome masterpiece creation
  • Stencil creation from photos
Features
Read full description

Turn any photo into art on real paper with Painter Eye — your AR art projector and portable tracing studio for iPhone and iPad. HOW IT WORKS Painter Eye works like an art projector, light box, and AR tracing tool in one. Open your reference, point your camera at paper or canvas, and see the image overlaid with accurate proportions. Prop your phone on a glass, tripod, or stack of books — then adjust size, rotation, and transparency with intuitive sliders at the bottom of the screen. Trace with pencil, pen, or brush on real surfaces, not only on the display. FOUR CREATIVE MODES • Camera — live-camera tracing: move and resize your reference while you draw • AR — track an anchor image on a real object so your sketch stays aligned when you move the phone • Board — sketch on a digital canvas with built-in brushes and tools • Paint — color and finish your artwork SKETCHING & TEMPLATES Import photos from your library or explore stencils and categories inside the app. Apply filters, turn pictures into outlines, build compositions step by step, and transform portraits into expressive sketches. Painter Eye: Canvas Creator adds colors, drawing styles, and monochrome looks for both on-screen and on-paper workflows. AI & MORE Create line-ready references faster, browse templates, and go from idea to finished sketch in minutes — whether you love anime, portraits, or everyday subjects. WHO IT'S FOR Beginners learning proportions, hobbyists, students, and artists who want accurate tracing on real paper with their own photos — without expensive projector equipment. Experience the joy of artistic expression where augmented reality and creativity meet. Terms of Use - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy - https://www.notion.so/Privacy-Policy-371324c3d26880a5961eea460064aa99?source=copy_link

About

Painter Tools

This drawing application offers a range of brushes and background editing tools for both beginners and professionals. Create sketches or complex designs, save your work, and share it with others.

Highlights
  • Multiple brushes
  • Background editing
  • Add images
  • Save drawings
  • Share creations
Read full description

Painter Tools - multifunctional and simple tools to bring your fantasies to life. Our drawing application will appeal to both beginners who make simple sketches and professionals who create complex drawings. Many useful features and tools such as: different brushes, changing the background, adding pictures and different backgrounds will please you and your friends. Save your drawings and share them with your loved ones.

Screenshots

Painter Eye4 screens
Painter Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Painter Eye at 4.6 against Painter Tools's 3.8. Painter Eye also leads on ratings volume (6.2K vs 5). Painter Tools's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Painter Eye sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Painter Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Painter Eye holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Painter Eye has 6.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Painter Eye versus Painter Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPainter EyePainter Tools
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (6.2K ratings) — better3.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews74.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.2K — better5
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIvan HulidauArtem Chuvilin

Customer experience

Painter Eye

All ratings6,173 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews636 reviews
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative18.1%

Painter Tools

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

Painter Eye

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Drawing screen appears black
  • Tracing feature is not working as expected
  • App crashes or freezes occasionally

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more drawing templates and options
  • Implement a search feature
  • Improve offline functionality
  • Provide more customization options
  • Enhance the drawing tools and precision

Painter Tools

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Painter Eye

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Month3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • 3 Months$16.993 Months
  • 1 Year$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 1 Year$39.991 Year
None

Painter Tools

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Painter Eye free?
Painter Eye is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Painter Tools free?
Painter Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Painter Eye or Painter Tools?
Painter Eye is rated higher. Painter Eye averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.2K ratings, while Painter Tools averages 3.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Painter Eye or Painter Tools have ads?
Both Painter Eye and Painter Tools show ads.
Which is updated more often, Painter Eye or Painter Tools?
Painter Eye ships an update every 5 days, and Painter Tools every 5 days. Most recently, Painter Eye was updated on September 25, 2026 and Painter Tools on July 28, 2026.

Other comparisons