Comparison

Pixquare vs Pixelss

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

Head to head
About

Pixquare

This application is a comprehensive pixel art editor designed for both beginners and professionals. It offers a wide array of tools for creating game assets, animations, and digital art. The interface is intuitive and customizable, supporting various input methods and advanced features for detailed artwork.

Highlights
  • Intuitive and customizable UI
  • RGB and Indexed color modes
  • Tileset/Tilemap system
  • Timelapse recording
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Animation timeline panel
  • Aseprite file compatibility
Features
Read full description

Pixquare is the #1 pixel art editor, recommended by top pixel artists, game developers, and creators worldwide! Whether you're a beginner or a pro, its simple interface and rich toolset make pixel art creation easy and fun! Download now to create game assets, animate, or simply doodle pixel art! With feedback from thousands of artists, Pixquare is designed for your best pixel art experience ever! • HIGHLIGHTS: - Support both iPads & iPhones - Highly customizable and intuitive UI with left-hand mode available - RGB and Indexed mode - Tileset/Tilemap system - Timelapse recording - Apple Pencil support: gestures, sensitivity, touch rejection - Manual & auto-save modes - Shortcut options: keyboard, gesture pad, joystick - Custom themes • VERSATILE TOOLS: - Brush: spray, pixel perfect, pressure sensitivity, contour, dithering, custom brush, jumble, blur - Eraser: pixel perfect, pressure sensitivity, dithering - Move: transformation and snapping supported - Line: straight & curve mode, perfect angle - Shape: ellipse & rectangle mode, filled, perfect ratio - Selection: 5 types & 5 modes - Color: solid/gradient fill, contiguous/non-contiguous, and more - Color picker: 4 modes (HSV, HSL, Wheel, RGB), history, drag-to-fill - All tools offer shading - Additional tools: + Color replace + Color adjustment + Outline + Text with font import capability + Custom object • LAYER/TIMELINE PANEL: - Optimized for animation & organized layers - Multi-selection, layer grouping, frame tagging, and bulk operations - Visibility and editing-lock toggle - Supports reference layers - Frame duration and cel opacity - Linked cells, onion skin, and clipping mask • ADDITIONAL FEATURES: - Symmetry tool with unlimited axes - Reference images - Color palette: save/load from Lospec, import/export, color gradient generator - Blending modes, alpha lock - Preview with a separate animation loop - Canvas rotation, Finder-like file system - Guideline • FILE IMPORT/EXPORT: - Aseprite file compatibility (importing & exporting) - GIF importing with all frames - PNG, GIF, MOV, Sprite sheet export options (layers, frames, size, and animation) - Import Photos and files as reference layers and images ------------------------------- WHY ARTISTS LOVE PIXQUARE? "Genuinely the best pixel art app for the iPad that I would recommend anyone to get!" - Jon Davies, Pixel Artist on Super House of Dead Ninjas, Binding of Isaac. "Pixquare has more than meets the eye. A seemingly simple interface that has the intuitive control you look for. The gesture pad is comparable to a desktop keypad." - Michael, Pixel Artist, Author of Pixel Logic book "I've been sharing it with basically everyone I know with an iPad because I think it's one of the best software out there for creating pixels on the iPad." - CupOhJoe, Game Developer "This is one fine app to pixel on the iPad! You can tell there's a lot of love for the craft poured in here" - Ota Jaider, Pixel Artist ------------------------------- • SCREENSHOT ARTWORK AUTHORS: - FICO (@FicoPx) - Tofu (@tofupixel.bsky.social) - Mossy (@MossyPixe) - chili (@ryviolie) - Lesma (@pixe_lesma) - ue_voxel (@UeVoxel) - TransientCode (@TransientCode) - 08games (@the08games) - Rinspirit_art(@rinspiritart.bsky.social) - natalie (@cafeaunat) ------------------------------- SUPPORT: User guide: https://docs.pixquare.art Email: info@pixquare.art Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixquare_app Website: https://www.pixquare.art/ NO SUBSCRIPTION. BUY ONCE AND ENJOY FREE UPDATES FOREVER!

About

Pixelss

Create pixel art animations with this intuitive application. Design your characters and scenes frame by frame, bringing your creations to life with simple tools. Perfect for aspiring animators and pixel art enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Pixel art animation creation
  • Frame-by-frame design
  • Intuitive animation tools
  • Character and scene design
Features
Read full description

A pixel animation app

Screenshots

Pixquare4 screens
Pixelss4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pixelss at daily against Pixquare's weekly. Pixelss also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Pixquare's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Pixquare sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Pixelss sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixelss holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixquare has 3.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Pixquare's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pixelss's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixquare ships an update weekly, Pixelss daily. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pixquare versus Pixelss: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixquarePixelss
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.3K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.3K — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSon NguyenSounds Creative LLC

Customer experience

Pixquare

All ratings3,268 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews720 reviews
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative6.8%

Pixelss

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pixquare

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Duplicate layers that cannot be removed
  • Drawn content disappearing from layers
  • Lack of save functionality

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to merge layers
  • Option to customize imported palette colors
  • Radial symmetry tool
  • Polyline tool
  • Separate layer and timeline sections
Show 3 more
  • Brush stabilizer
  • Ability to rotate symmetry lines
  • Higher canvas resolution

Pixelss

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Pixquare

One-time6
  • Buy me a coffee$1.99
  • Full access for iPhones$7.99
  • Life-time full access$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Life-time full access$12.99
  • Life-time full access2 variants$19.99
  • Life-time full access$24.99
4 purchases

Pixelss

One-time4
  • Unlock Five Save Slots$1.99
  • Unlock Higher Resolution$4.99
  • Unlock 64 Frames$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock All Save Slots$9.99

Questions

Is Pixquare free?
Pixquare is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixelss free?
Pixelss is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixquare or Pixelss?
Pixelss is rated higher. Pixquare averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Pixelss averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pixquare or Pixelss have ads?
Neither Pixquare nor Pixelss shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixquare or Pixelss?
Pixquare ships an update weekly, and Pixelss daily. Most recently, Pixquare was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pixelss on October 2, 2026.

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