Calca app vs GridArt
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Calca app
This app allows you to project any image from your device or camera onto a surface for drawing or tracing. It offers customization options for fonts and colors, and can even capture web pages. Tutorials are available to help users get the most out of its features.
- Image projection for drawing
- Camera lucida functionality
- Customizable fonts (1550+)
- Web page capture
- 3D effect option
- Multicultural language support
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CalcaApp: Your Customizable Tool for Transferring Images to Paper Welcome to the latest CalcaApp update! Overview: CalcaApp is an innovative, customizable tool that allows you to transfer any image from your device or captured with your camera to paper, acting as a camera lucida or projector. With a wide selection of features and tools, CalcaApp is designed to inspire you and facilitate your artistic creations. You can draw on a table on a paper yes, but you can also make a small mural on the wall if you hold your phone upright and looking through it at the image you have chosen on the wall. 3D effect: You can use a basic stand to support the device with a 45 degree tilt or those you choose, and you can make a 3D effect on the drawing. examples with videos and images at CalcaApp.com. Free for Everyone: I'm excited to announce that CalcaApp is now completely free for all its users - enjoy all the features at no cost! Earn Points, Remove Ads: Coming soon, you'll have options that will require more than ten points. With an active subscription, you'll have access to everything unlocked at the same special price. Annual Subscription: If you've noticed that CalcaApp is continually developing and implementing new features, you'll now have access to everything unlocked at the same price. Multicultural Languages: We've added new languages, including Italian, plus Russian, French, Indonesian, German, Arabic, English, Spanish and Portuguese, so you can enjoy CalcaApp in your preferred language. Customize with 1550+ Fonts: Choose from a wide selection of over 1550 fonts to give a unique touch to your texts and designs. In addition, CalcaApp is customizable in various colors for easy inspiration when using the app. Improved Web Capture: Now, capturing web pages is easier than ever. Turn your favorite websites into images with just one tap. Learn with Our Tutorials: Explore our tutorials on CalcaApp.Com to get the most out of all the features and tools available. Follow me on the Networks: Ask us for new features from our social networks and get to know them on ApliArte.Com. Recommended supports: Use supports recommended by CalcaApp or, failing that, something suitable, such as a glass, a jar or a box, to hold the device horizontally or vertically depending on where you want to make the drawing, but it is important that the device is fixed. Tips and Recommendations: Consider using a stand recommended by CalcaApp for a better experience. Consider choosing a color of your liking for a better user experience. Consider using relaxing music and make sure you have enough lighting to enjoy the experience. Remember that CalcaApp is not magic and requires practice. You can find demonstration videos on our website for best results. IMPORTANT: -You must give permission to the camera of your device, to be able to see through it, the image chosen or captured in the area where you are about to draw. -This app is not magic (It needs practice, there are demonstration videos to see results). -Your device MUST FOCUS ON THE DRAWING AREA, whether it is paper, wall, floor, etc... FOR ITS CORRECT FUNCTIONING. -You can search with the app from the web for any drawing to color and thus start practicing. -You can remove advertising with a point system and at no cost. -It does not project the image (For this you need a projector). -To avoid autofocus you have to prevent the hand from passing under the camera (It is explained with images in CalcaApp.com). -You do not need to register in the app. -This app is under continuous development, we appreciate and value your comments and suggestions at erbolamm.com or apliarte.com. Is there anything else I can help you with?
GridArt
This app helps artists accurately sketch or replicate images using the grid drawing technique. It overlays customizable grids on any image, offering features like sketch filters and measurement-based setup to streamline the artistic process.
- Drawing grid overlay on images
- Diagonal grid option
- Customizable grid color and opacity
- Sketch filter for image simplification
- Measurement-based grid setup
- Zoom functionality
- Convert images to black and white
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With precision and confidence using GridArt – a powerful tool that helps artists accurately sketch or replicate images using the classic grid drawing technique. Whether you're an aspiring artist or a seasoned professional, GridArt streamlines the process of transferring images to your canvas by guiding you square by square. With a range of customization options, GridArt makes it easier than ever to overlay grids, adjust cell sizes, apply sketch filters, and prepare reference images for drawing, painting, or other artistic work. Key Features: * Drawing grid overlay on any image * Diagonal grid option for improved outline accuracy * Multiple grid label styles * Customizable grid color, opacity, and text size * Sketch filter to simplify image details * Measurement-based grid setup (mm, cm, inch) * Zoom functionality for detailed viewing * Adjustable cell and page sizes * Convert images to black and white * Crop images to specific aspect ratios * Enable or disable row-column labels with customizable formatting Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://chief-cheque-627.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-23e6adfdb3748140a9e5f78e9ce25995
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GridArt at 4.5 against Calca app's 4.0. Calca app's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (48% vs 35%). On price, ratings volume, 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. Calca app sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and GridArt sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GridArt holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 201 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Calca app's written reviews are positive against 35% of GridArt's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Calca app ships an update fortnightly, GridArt every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Calca app | GridArt |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (88 ratings) | 4.5 (201 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.0% of reviews — better | 34.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 88 | 201 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Francisco Mateo Marquez | Vaghani Keyur |
Customer experience
Calca app
GridArt
In-app purchases
Calca app
- One-year subscription$2.991 Year
- Monthly Advanced Founder Plan2 Months trial$4.991 Month
- Yearly Basic Founder Plan1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- Permanent License$149.99
GridArt
- GridArt Weekly Premium$3.997 Days
- GridArt Monthly Premium3 Days trial$12.991 Month









