iPastels School/Office Edition vs Seashell Identifier
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iPastels School/Office Edition
This painting application offers a realistic pastel and oil painting experience with lifelike brushes and textures. It allows artists of all levels to sketch, paint, and blend colors precisely, simulating real art supplies without the cost.
- Lifelike pastel simulation
- Realistic paper/canvas textures
- Precise color blending
- Universal purchase across devices
- Apple Pencil support
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Do not download the School/Office Edition of iPastels if you already have the free version and have upgraded it to Pro (they are the same)! A painting app for all artists, whether you’re experienced or just starting out. This app lets you enjoy all the iPastels features without any in-app purchases or additional downloads, making it ideal for use with Apple School Manager, or for anyone who has restricted the use of in-app purchases on their device. Perfect for creating beautiful works of art or a quick sketch whenever and wherever you have a burst of inspiration. You can also try out ideas and compositions before starting on a new painting in real life, or practise and refine your skills, all without the added cost of art supplies. • UNIVERSAL PURCHASE • This app download is a Universal Purchase, which means it’s valid for the School/Office Edition of the app on all available platforms (iPad-iPhone-Mac)! • THIS PAID VERSION VS THE FREE VERSION • There is also a free version of iPastels that can be upgraded to Pro, and they both have the exact same features. Though we recommend upgrading the free version to Pro, this paid version is for those who can’t (due to using Apple School/Business Manager) or prefer not to make in-app purchases. Please note that due to technical limitations the School/Office Edition and the upgraded free version are completely separate and not interchangeable. If you have already purchased the Pro upgrade for the free version, that will NOT entitle you to download the School/Office Edition for free (or vice versa). But there really is no reason to own both versions anyway, since they are virtually identical, so just pick one and remember to download the same kind on your other devices. • LIFELIKE PASTEL SIMULATION • The app features live-calculated brushes and strokes, making a realistic pastel simulation possible. Painting tools include soft pastels, oil pastels, pastel pencils, smudge tool, and more. • REALISTIC PAPER/CANVAS TEXTURES • When creating a new picture, a unique, non-repeating paper texture is generated that will interact in real-time with the live-calculated strokes you paint. You can change the default-generated texture to, for example, canvas, which goes great with oil pastels! • PRECISE COLOR BLENDING • When painting, especially with soft pastels, use Smudge or the Cotton Swab to blend and smoothen the colors right on the paper, as you would in real life. With oil pastels, in addition to smudging, the blending is often done by the pastel sticks themselves (for best results, reduce the force or use a similar or lighter color). If you use an Apple Pencil, it will feel incredibly realistic if you use the stylus to draw and use your finger to Smudge (assigned as a 2nd tool)! • FINGERTIP = STROKE SIZE • When you paint, the app measures how much of your finger is touching the screen and changes the stroke size accordingly. Apply just the corner of your fingertip for a thin line, or the whole fingerprint area for a broad stroke. A 2nd tool assigned to your finger will still use this feature, so don’t ignore it just because you have an Apple Pencil! • LEFT-HANDED? • Just swipe the toolbar over to the other side! • PARAMETERS CAN BE CHANGED LIVE • Use any buttons or controls to change/adjust color, size, force, simultaneously while painting. • METAL • The engine is based on Metal, with 128-bit color and floating-point arithmetic. • SWIFT • The app was developed entirely using Swift (earlier versions used C++). • APPLE PENCIL SUPPORT • FULL SCREEN PAINTING • SEAMLESS PATTERN EDITING MODE • • DARK MODE • LANDSCAPE • PORTRAIT • WIDE COLOR • • MULTIPLE LAYERS • PHOTO TRACING MODE •
Seashell Identifier
Instantly identify seashells from photos using AI. Learn about different species, track your discoveries, and test your knowledge with an interactive quiz. Perfect for beachcombers, collectors, and anyone curious about marine life.
- Instant seashell identification from photos
- AI-powered scanner with confidence scores
- Detailed seashell profiles
- Identification history
- Interactive quiz game
- Community trending shells
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Turn every beachcombing adventure into an educational journey with Shellium, your personal guide to the diverse world of marine life. Whether you are a curious coastal explorer or a dedicated collector, this app helps you instantly uncover the identity and stories behind the specimens you find. Understand your discoveries with precision through advanced AI-powered recognition. Simply snap a photo to reveal the species, learn about its ocean habitat, and dive into the fascinating history of shell formation and marine biology. Key Features: - Instant identification: Recognize seashells, mollusks, and various marine specimens in seconds using AI. - Expert-level insights: Access detailed species information and learn unique facts about marine biology and shell formation history. - Confidence scores: View clarity ratings for every identification to understand the precision of each result. - Digital collector: Use the built-in collector feature to document your finds and maintain a full identification history of your discoveries. How it works: 1. Snap a clear photo of your seashell or mollusk specimen. 2. Let our AI analyze the image to identify the species. 3. Receive an instant identification complete with a confidence score and habitat details. 4. Save the result to your personal history and build your digital collection. Why choose Shellium? We provide clear, data-driven insights designed to enhance your understanding of the natural world. Our app makes identifying coastal life accessible and engaging for everyone, from hobbyist beachcombers to serious enthusiasts. Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to providing a transparent experience as you explore and document your marine findings. Download Shellium today and start building your personal catalog of coastal discoveries. Terms of Use: https://d3gcbo6ldjv2ht.cloudfront.net/terms-and-conditions.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: iPastels School/Office Edition at 100% against Seashell Identifier's 0%. iPastels School/Office Edition also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Seashell Identifier's advantage is price (Free vs $7.00) and ratings volume (16 vs 4). On update cadence and ads 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
Seashell Identifier is free to download; iPastels School/Office Edition costs $7.00 up front. Seashell Identifier sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. iPastels School/Office Edition asks for nothing beyond the download.
iPastels School/Office Edition holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of iPastels School/Office Edition's written reviews are positive against 0% of Seashell Identifier's.
iPastels School/Office Edition ships an update every 2 months, Seashell Identifier monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iPastels School/Office Edition | Seashell Identifier |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.00 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better | 3.8 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Norbyte | Roman Pieskov |
Customer experience
iPastels School/Office Edition
Seashell Identifier
In-app purchases
iPastels School/Office Edition
No in-app purchases
Seashell Identifier
- Premium 1 Week3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Premium 1 Year$29.991 Year
Questions
Is iPastels School/Office Edition free?
Is Seashell Identifier free?
Which has better reviews, iPastels School/Office Edition or Seashell Identifier?
Do iPastels School/Office Edition or Seashell Identifier have ads?
Which is updated more often, iPastels School/Office Edition or Seashell Identifier?
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