# Calligraphy Master vs EightFive

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: EightFive at none against Calligraphy Master's 3. Calligraphy Master's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calligraphy Master sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. EightFive asks for nothing beyond the download.

Calligraphy Master ships an update every 3 months, EightFive every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calligraphy Master | EightFive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calligraphy-master-cursive/id1598691036/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 33.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 30 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Calligraphy Master LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1741288234) | [Dongguan Huada Electronic Technology Co., LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1713439060) |

## What reviewers say

### Calligraphy Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calligraphy-master-cursive/id1598691036)

Generate custom calligraphy templates with hundreds of font styles. Practice cursive writing with Apple Pencil support and export your designs for printing. Personalize your practice with various colors, grids, and text options.

**Highlights:** Generate custom font templates, Hundreds of font styles, Export and print templates, Apple Pencil support, Customizable grids and colors, Practice with classic texts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calligraphy Master Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Calligraphy Master Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Calligraphy Master Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Phenomenal resource
- 🤓 Great for handwriting practice
- 👍 Awesome app
- 🤩 Love it
- 🎨 Excellent for learning calligraphy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Not free, requires paid subscription
- 🤔 Confusing, no free fonts available
- 😕 Difficult to use, not intuitive
- 🙄 Misleading, claims to be free but isn't
- 🤷‍♀️ Lacks tutorials and instructions

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard issues and compatibility problems
- Tracing feature not working as expected
- Inconsistent behavior when changing font size
- Inability to save or export practice work

**Requested features**

- Add more font options, including Chancery
- Allow importing and editing of custom texts
- Provide better guidance and tutorials
- Offer a selection of free fonts to try
- Improve overall user experience and navigation


### EightFive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eightfive/id6470494014)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calligraphy Master free?

Calligraphy Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is EightFive free?

EightFive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Calligraphy Master or EightFive have ads?

Neither Calligraphy Master nor EightFive shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Calligraphy Master or EightFive?

Calligraphy Master ships an update every 3 months, and EightFive every 6 months. Most recently, Calligraphy Master was updated on October 13, 2026 and EightFive on September 29, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*