Comparison

Translucent vs AR Kalka

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

Head to head
About

Translucent

This app transforms your device into a digital light box, offering a premium library of over 220 professional tracing images. It provides advanced camera overlay and drawing tools to help artists of all levels improve their skills and create detailed artwork.

Highlights
  • Premium image library with 222+ curated tracing images
  • Adjustable opacity camera overlay
  • Pinch-to-zoom with 20x capability
  • Grid overlay and filter modes
  • Import own images and reference photos
  • Lifetime access to new images
Features
Read full description

TRACE ANYTHING ONTO REAL PAPER. YOUR PHONE IS THE LIGHT BOX. Hold your phone over a sheet of paper and the drawing appears on the page through the screen. Trace what you see. No printer, no carbon paper, no taping a page to a sunny window. YOUR OWN PHOTOS ARE FREE. FOREVER. Import any picture from your camera roll, set the opacity, trace it. The light box, zoom, rotate and your own photos are not behind a paywall and never will be. That is the whole point of the app. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a drawing from the library, or import a photo of your own. 2. Hold your phone over your paper, or pin the drawing to the page with AR. 3. Trace the lines you see through the screen. 400 DRAWINGS, 104 OF THEM FREE Animals, Anime, Architecture, Cartoon, Fantasy, Food, Nature, Objects, People, Tattoo and Vehicles, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Real line art drawn for tracing, not photos run through a filter. 348 STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS Every lesson is built out of the drawing itself: big shapes first, then structure, then detail. You watch a face or a dragon assemble one stage at a time instead of copying a finished picture and hoping. AR ANCHORING Pin the drawing to your paper and it stays there. Move your phone, tilt it, set it down and pick it up, and the drawing is still exactly where you left it. No more propping your phone against a coffee cup. EVERY TOOL - Opacity, zoom, rotate, pan - Canvas lock, so your palm cannot knock the drawing out of line - Hands-free mode - Grid overlay, flip and mirror - Contrast, brightness and color filters for difficult light - Torch for tracing in the dark - Line art: turn a photo of your own into clean traceable outlines - Layer breakdown: a drawing split into its build-up stages - Strobe: the reference blinks off so you can see your own lines - Practice timer and daily streaks - Time-lapse: record a session and share it - Kid Mode: the whole library, none of the clutter - Works offline. No account, no sign-up. PERFECT FOR Artists learning proportion and perspective. Anime and manga. Tattoo artists transferring flash. Embroidery, quilting and cross-stitch patterns. Calligraphy and hand lettering. Woodworking and pyrography templates. Classroom and homeschool. Kids learning to draw. Anyone who was ever told they cannot draw. Tracing is not cheating. Artists have traced for centuries to study proportion and build the hand-eye coordination freehand drawing needs, which is why the lessons here take a drawing apart instead of just showing you the answer. FREE - The light box: opacity, zoom, rotate, pan, grid, filters, torch - Your own photos, unlimited - 104 drawings - 3 saved projects, 3 guided lessons, 3 strobe sessions - Canvas lock, hands-free, AR anchoring, practice timer - Supported by ads PREMIUM - All 400 drawings and all 348 lessons - Unlimited saved projects - Unlimited line art, layer breakdown and strobe - Time-lapse export with no watermark - No ads Already bought the Premium Library? You keep it, and you will never be asked to pay again. PREMIUM PLANS Premium Weekly - $6.99 per week Premium Yearly - $39.99 per year, after a 3-day free trial Premium Lifetime - $69.99, one payment, does not renew Prices are shown in your own currency before you confirm. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. Manage your subscription or switch off auto-renew in your device Settings after purchase. Any unused part of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://aylan-apps.com/privacy/translucent-tracing/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://aylan-apps.com/privacy/translucent-tracing/privacy-policy

About

AR Kalka

Features
Read full description

Turn a photo of your pet into something you can draw on real paper. AR Kalka makes a coloring page from your photo and overlays it on the camera view. Look at the screen as you follow the lines with a pencil, then color your drawing by hand. Start with a fox Your first guided picture is free. Follow the fox head's outline, then work through its two colors at your own pace. Secure your phone on a stand above the paper. The app includes an illustrated setup guide. Your photo, ready to trace Choose a picture from your photo library or Files. The coloring page is made on your device, without uploading your photo. A single pet against a simple background is a good place to start. Check the preview and adjust the crop before you trace. What's included There are 100 patterns in the catalog, with 10 available for free. The guided fox picture is also free. You can keep one of your own photos without paying and replace it with another whenever you like. The full version unlocks all 100 patterns and lets you keep more of your own photos. Set up your drawing Move, rotate and resize the pattern to fit your page. Adjust the opacity so you can see your pencil marks. Touch lock helps prevent accidental changes to the pattern's position. Projects save its position and settings so you can come back later. One purchase, no subscription Buy the full version once through the App Store. You see the price before confirming and can restore a previous purchase in the app. There are no ads and no account to create. Drawing and photo conversion work offline. Your pictures stay on your device Photos and projects stay on your device and are not uploaded. Anonymous usage statistics are off by default. Usage events without photos are sent only if you turn this option on in Settings.

Screenshots

Translucent4 screens
AR Kalka4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: AR Kalka at none against Translucent's shown. On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Translucent sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and AR Kalka sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Translucent versus AR Kalka: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTranslucentAR Kalka
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (25 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings25 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developermounir tajaouartPAWEŁ KANDYBOWICZ

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Translucent

One-time1
  • Premium Library$2.99
1 purchases

AR Kalka

One-time1
  • AR Kalka Full Version$4.99

Questions

Is Translucent free?
Translucent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AR Kalka free?
AR Kalka is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Translucent or AR Kalka have ads?
Translucent shows ads; AR Kalka does not.
Which is updated more often, Translucent or AR Kalka?
Translucent ships an update every 3 weeks, and AR Kalka every 3 weeks. Most recently, Translucent was updated on October 27, 2026 and AR Kalka on October 25, 2026.

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