Calligraphy vs DrawBuddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Calligraphy
Learn the art of elegant script with a comprehensive course on calligraphy and cursive handwriting. Develop fine motor skills and master letter formation through theoretical and practical lessons. Unlock your artistic potential in writing.
- Theoretical and hands-on lessons
- Develop writing muscle control
- Master letter shapes
- Practice on a digital pad
- Printable exercises and guidelines
- Full course access with subscription
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Dive into the enchanting universe of calligraphy, a place where every mark bears witness to the sophistication of script. More than just penmanship, calligraphy is a visual concert of alphabets, assembled with delicacy and symmetry, capturing the individuality of each creator. This discipline elevates writing beyond mundane communication, turning it into a unique artistic statement. Becoming proficient in calligraphy is a path filled with ongoing education and practice. The Cursive Writing App serves as a manual for effective cursive handwriting, offering a series of successive theoretical and hands-on lessons. Upon completing this course, you will acquire the necessary writing abilities, develop mastery over the hand's writing muscles, and learn how to practically apply these skills to the shapes of letters. The free version without a subscription includes lessons on basic principles in writing, the first two lessons of more advanced stages, and limited writing on the training pad. With the subscription, you'll get access to all theoretical and practical lessons of the course plus an ability to write on the training pad. You can also print all exercises in the "Practice" section, as well as tune and print a guidelines sheet for practicing on paper. *Calligraphy Course Subscription* • Calligraphy Course requires a subscription to access all books' content. • Once your purchase is confirmed, you will be charged through your iTunes account. • The subscription will automatically renew. • You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in your App Store account, but at least 24 hrs before the end of the current period. • If you chose an offered trial period and would like not to proceed with subscribing, you have to cancel your subscription at least 24 hrs before the end of the Trial, otherwise, you will be charged for the first billing period. Terms of use: https://penmanship.eu/penman-book/termsofuse/ Privacy policy: https://penmanship.eu/penman-book/privacy/
DrawBuddy
Learn to draw with step-by-step tutorials and guides designed for artists of all levels. Enhance your digital art skills using Apple Pencil with a variety of drawing categories. Practice on the go with quick draw options and create masterpieces.
- Step-by-step drawing tutorials
- Digital art creation
- Apple Pencil support
- Quick draw practice
- Multiple drawing categories
- Skill enhancement for beginners and professionals
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This drawing app for iPad is the perfect tool for artists of all the levels to create a stunning digital art. With the use of the Apple Pencil, users can easily learn how to draw and develop their skills with the help of the art drawing tutorials and step-by-step guides. The app also features quick draw options for those who want to practice their skills on the go. Drawing lessons are available for users to improve their techniques and create masterpieces. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, this digital drawing app will provide everything you need to enhance your artistic abilities. The app offers a range of categories for drawing, including: • Architecture • Home Interior • Celebrities • People • Artists • Animals • Landscapes • Nature • Dinosaurs • Children • And others Download our drawing app for iPad and don’t forget to share it with your friends on social media or messengers. The app contains the following subscription options: • A 1-month membership costs from $6.99 • A 3-month membership costs from $12.99. • A 1-year membership costs from $29.99 after a 7-day free trial. The price is for US customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency, depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged to the iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period and will identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. • Privacy Policy: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/privacy-policy • EULA: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/eula • Terms of use: https://tappa.tech/drawbuddy/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DrawBuddy at 4.4 against Calligraphy's 2.9. DrawBuddy also leads on ratings volume (479 vs 24). Calligraphy's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and review sentiment (33% vs 19%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Calligraphy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and DrawBuddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
DrawBuddy holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DrawBuddy has 479 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Calligraphy's written reviews are positive against 19% of DrawBuddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Calligraphy ships an update every 5 weeks, DrawBuddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calligraphy | DrawBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (24 ratings) | 4.4 (479 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better | 19.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 24 | 479 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vladislava Rudetskaia | Bohdan Hlushko |
Customer experience
Calligraphy
DrawBuddy
Bugs and requests
Calligraphy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
DrawBuddy
Reported bugs
3 issues- Video not playing during free trial
- Payment pop-ups prevent drawing
- Charged full month instead of trial
Requested features
4 requests- More drawing options
- More pictures/drawings
- Make the app free
- Add pencil tool back
In-app purchases
Calligraphy
- Full Access Weekly Sale$0.997 Days
- Full Access Weekly$1.997 Days
- Full Access$3.991 Month
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- Full Access Monthly Family$7.991 Month
DrawBuddy
- Weekly subscription$6.997 Days
- Monthly subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Weekly subscription3 Days trial$9.997 Days
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- Monthly subscription$12.991 Month
- Three month subscription7 Days trial$19.993 Months
- Monthly subscription1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- Annual subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Annual subscription$39.991 Year
- Annual subscription7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Annual subscription14 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Unlimited Access$79.99
Questions
Is Calligraphy free?
Is DrawBuddy free?
Which has better reviews, Calligraphy or DrawBuddy?
Do Calligraphy or DrawBuddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Calligraphy or DrawBuddy?
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