Comparison

Simple Trace Pro vs Dot Canvas

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

Head to head
About

Simple Trace Pro

Practice drawing and illustration by tracing photos and images. Load pictures from your camera roll and use Apple Pencil to refine your line work. Save your traced creations as JPGs or transparent PNGs.

Highlights
  • Trace photos and pictures
  • Practice illustration and painting
  • Load images from camera roll
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Adjustable transmittance
  • Zoom functionality
  • Save as JPG or transparent PNG
Features
Read full description

Simple Trace makes it easy to trace photos and pictures by hand. The concept is to be able to practice painting. Once you've loaded the image from your camera roll, it's easy to get started with Apple Pencil. By tracing the original picture, you can practice basic drawing such as how to draw lines in the illustration. Feature - Change of transmittance - Zoom in and out of the drawing area - Images can be saved as jpg, Pro version can be saved as transparent png - No ads in Pro version

About

Dot Canvas

Features
Read full description

A simple and easy-to-use pixel art creation app. Color each square on a small canvas to create icons, avatars, game assets, retro-style pixel art, and more. With basic tools such as pen, eraser, fill, and eyedropper, you can easily draw pixel art by hand. You can also import a reference image, making it possible to create pixel art while using a photo or illustration as a guide. Your creations can be saved in the app and edited, duplicated, renamed, shared, or saved as images later. With support for transparent backgrounds and background color settings, this app is useful for creating social media icons, design materials, game sprites, and small illustrations. ● Main Features 【Easily Create Pixel Art】 ・Create a new canvas by choosing a canvas size ・Draw pixel art by coloring each square ・Use pen, eraser, and fill tools ・Pick colors from the canvas with the eyedropper ・Undo / Redo support ・Edit while viewing the grid 【A Clear and Easy-to-Use Editor】 ・Zoom in and out with pinch gestures ・Move the canvas freely in Move Mode ・Reset the view with Fit View ・Thick grid lines at regular intervals ・Left-right mirror drawing support ・Transparent background and background color settings 【Draw with a Reference Image】 ・Import photos or images as reference images ・Create pixel art while viewing the reference image ・Show or hide the reference image ・Adjust the reference image opacity ・Adjust the position and size of the reference image ・Create icons and avatars while using photos as a guide 【Manage Colors with My Palette】 ・Save frequently used colors to My Palette ・Reorder palette colors ・Long-press the current color to add it to My Palette ・Create with your own custom color set 【Save and Organize Your Work】 ・Save your pixel art in the app ・View saved works in a list ・Duplicate your works 【Save and Share as Images】 ・Save your pixel art as an image ・Export as transparent PNG ・Use your creations as social media icons, game assets, or illustration materials 【Easy-to-Use Settings】 ・Light Mode and Dark Mode support ・Show or hide the search field ・Turn Auto Save on or off 【No Login Required】 ・Start using the app without creating an account ・Your creations are managed on your device ・Enjoy creating pixel art anytime Perfect for creating social media icons, avatars, game assets, retro-style illustrations, and small pixel art. A simple pixel art creation app that lets you draw by hand while using reference images as a guide.

Screenshots

Dot Canvas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dot Canvas at Free against Simple Trace Pro's $0.99. Dot Canvas also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). Simple Trace Pro's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (14.5 vs 17.6). On in-app purchases 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

Dot Canvas is free to download; Simple Trace Pro costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Trace Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, Dot Canvas every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple Trace Pro versus Dot Canvas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Trace ProDot Canvas
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS14.5 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKazuaki MatsudaMITSUKO MARGOT KUBOTA ONO

In-app purchases

None

Simple Trace Pro

No in-app purchases

None

Dot Canvas

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Trace Pro free?
Simple Trace Pro costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dot Canvas free?
Dot Canvas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Simple Trace Pro or Dot Canvas have ads?
Dot Canvas shows ads; Simple Trace Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Trace Pro or Dot Canvas?
Simple Trace Pro ships an update every 2 weeks, and Dot Canvas every 3 days. Most recently, Simple Trace Pro was updated on September 9, 2026 and Dot Canvas on September 13, 2026.

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