Affinity Designer 2 for iPad vs Pistachio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad
Create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, UI/UX designs, and more with a powerful touch-focused vector graphics app. Optimized for iPad and Apple Pencil, it offers real-time performance and precise tools for both vector and raster workflows.
- Vector Warp
- Shape Builder Tool
- Knife Tool
- Drawing scale
- Vector Flood Fill
- Switch between vector and raster workspaces
- Sophisticated typography
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Affinity Designer 2 for iPad takes the power and precision of the Apple Design Award-winning desktop app and converts it into an incredible touch-focused creative experience. Packed with tons of new features and hundreds of enhancements to optimize your workflow, the graphic design app has everything you need to seamlessly create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX designs, print projects, typography, posters, labels, flyers, stickers, concept art, digital art, and much more – all completely free from the confines of your desk. OPTIMIZED FOR IPAD • Fully integrated and optimized iPad gesture controls to speed up your workflow • iOS16 ready, including optimization for virtual memory swap, dramatically increasing performance on large documents. • Sensitive to pressure, tilt, and angle, the app harnesses the full power and precision of Apple Pencil • Command controller hosting on-screen modifiers • Quick Menu for context-sensitive access to commands • Use as your very own digital sketchbook, canvas, logo maker, sticker maker, flyer maker, and more POWERFUL TOOLS & FUNCTIONALITY • Vector Warp • Shape Builder Tool • Knife Tool • DXF/DWF import • Measure & Area tools • Drawing scale – including ability for different scales set per artboard • X-ray, hide effects, and greyscale view modes • Multiple shadow, outline, and overlay layer effects per object • Powerful grids and guides • Transform Tool • Vector Flood Fill • Spiral Tool REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE • Pan and zoom at 120fps • Live gradients, transforms, effects, and adjustments • Optimized for documents of any complexity, zoom to over 1,000,000% for absolute precision • Live pixel, retina, wireframe, and x-ray views of vector artwork in and out of split screen mode • Live Pattern Preview • Seamless switching between tools and editing modes for frustration-free design • Incredibly accurate results with minimal nodes PRECISE VECTOR TOOLS • Rock solid vector tools that work just the way you want them to • The best Pen Tool, Node Tool, curve editing, and smart shape tools available • Powerful Contour Tool to create abstract objects or increase the width of single open curves • Pencil and brush stabilization for drawing super-smooth curves freehand • Non-destructive Boolean operations • Live effects, blend modes, and image adjustments • Incredibly smooth gradient and transparency controls RASTER OR VECTOR, YOU DECIDE • Switch between fully-featured vector and raster workspaces with a single tap – paint, draw, or sketch in raster and then create cool, custom vector art • High quality raster tools for painting, texturing, masking, finishing artwork, or even creating tattoo designs • Use raster brushes, edit single pixels on icons, mask and add grain to your crisp vectors, enclose and clip pixel layers – it’s true creative freedom not found in other software or drawing apps SOPHISTICATED TYPOGRAPHY • Flexible text handling including comprehensive support for OpenType • Artistic text and text frames • Full control over character and paragraph styles • Flow text and type along any drawn path • Extensive library of free fonts BUILT FOR YOUR WORKFLOW • Unlimited artboards • Savable history with alternate futures • Customizable shortcuts with attached keyboard or new quick menu • Adobe Illustrator ® (Ai files), PSD, PDF, EPS, SVG, JPG, JPEG XL, TIFF, EXR, DXF, and DWG file support • Linked symbols and constraints • Save documents as template files to re-use time and time again • Quickly access royalty free images through the Stock Panel or import files from Affinity Photo or other photo editor • Select Same and Select Object functions PERFECT COLOR & OUTPUT • Professional CMYK, LAB, RGB, PANTONE© and Greyscale color models • Full 16-bit per channel editing • End-to-end ICC color management • Slice export for exporting multiple elements in a single tap • Live pixel preview to see exactly how your design will export
Pistachio
Create professional-grade vector art on your mobile device with intuitive tools and powerful features. Start with templates, draw custom paths, and export your designs in various formats. Unlock unlimited artboards and exclusive features with a subscription.
- Shape template library
- Multiple artboard support
- Custom path drawing
- Various export formats
- Unlimited artboards (subscription)
- Custom vector presets (subscription)
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Transform your creativity on the-go into professional-grade vector art with Pistachio. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out, our intuitive tools and powerful features let you create stunning designs wherever inspiration strikes. ** Key Features ** Start with our extensive library of shape templates and build your designs with ease Save your work across multiple artboards Draw custom paths with precision Export your masterpieces in various formats to suit any purpose Our free offering allows up to 5 art boards for your use. Choose from a monthly or annual subscription to unlock unlimited artboards. U.S. Prices are $5.99 / month for the monthly subscription, and $24.99 / year for the annual subscription (a 58% savings). PISTACHIO PLATINUM FEATURES - Unlimited artboard creation - Custom Vector Presets - Expanded list of Shape Templates - Exclusive access to new features Cancel at any time. After canceling, any artboards that have been created past the free limit will stay on your device. However only the five (5) most recently edited artboards will be accessible until you resume your subscription. Privacy policy: https://nutterfi.com/privacy/ Apple's Standard Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pistachio at 100% against Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's 52%. Pistachio also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's advantage is ratings volume (4.8K vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.7). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Affinity Designer 2 for iPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Pistachio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pistachio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Affinity Designer 2 for iPad has 4.8K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pistachio's.
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad ships an update every 6 weeks, Pistachio every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Affinity Designer 2 for iPad | Pistachio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.8K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.8K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.7 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.7 GB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Serif (Europe) Ltd. | Nutterfi |
Customer experience
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad
Pistachio
Bugs and requests
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when switching between vector and pixel layers
- Exported files not retaining expected quality or format
- Grid spacing and snapping issues
- Disappearing or unresponsive UI elements
Requested features
5 requests- Vector trace tool
- Better layer management and organization
- Improved Apple Pencil support and pressure sensitivity
- Ability to rename documents on creation
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts and UI
Pistachio
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad
- Free 7-Day TrialFree
- Designer 2 for iPad LicenseFree
- Affinity Collection for iPad$36.99
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- Affinity V2 Universal License$164.99
Pistachio
- Platinum Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
- Platinum Annual Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Affinity Designer 2 for iPad free?
Is Pistachio free?
Which has better reviews, Affinity Designer 2 for iPad or Pistachio?
Do Affinity Designer 2 for iPad or Pistachio have ads?
Which is updated more often, Affinity Designer 2 for iPad or Pistachio?
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