# Pixquare vs Ctrl Player

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ctrl Player at none against Pixquare's 7. Pixquare's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixquare sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Ctrl Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pixquare ships an update weekly, Ctrl Player every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixquare | Ctrl Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixquare-pixel-art-studio/id1659428179/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 63 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Son Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1255742954) | [ON LX Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1216537447) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixquare

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixquare-pixel-art-studio/id1659428179)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full access for iPhones | $7.99 | one-time |
| Life-time full access | $9.99 | one-time |
| Life-time full access | $12.99 | one-time |
| Life-time full access | $19.99 | one-time |
| Life-time full access | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Highly customizable UI
- 👍 Thriving community and responsive developer
- 🚀 Smooth workflow with shortcuts and tools
- 👍 Seamless integration with Aseprite

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Unintuitive layer and frame management
- 🔍 Limited file/project handling in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Duplicate layers that cannot be removed
- Drawn content disappearing from layers
- Lack of save functionality

**Requested features**

- Ability to merge layers
- Option to customize imported palette colors
- Radial symmetry tool
- Polyline tool
- Separate layer and timeline sections


### Ctrl Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctrl-player/id6747518244)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixquare free?

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

### Is Ctrl Player free?

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

### Do Pixquare or Ctrl Player have ads?

Neither Pixquare nor Ctrl Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pixquare or Ctrl Player?

Pixquare ships an update weekly, and Ctrl Player every 2 months. Most recently, Pixquare was updated on October 19, 2026 and Ctrl Player on October 17, 2026.

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