Comparison

PaintMee vs Aquarella

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

Head to head
About

PaintMee

Transform your photos into stunning oil paintings with this original artistic filter app. Featured in the US App Store, it offers creative and beautiful results for gallery-worthy prints. Enjoy versatile functionality and a fun, entertaining experience.

Highlights
  • Photo to oil painting conversion
  • Artistic filter application
  • Gallery-worthy print creation
  • Versatile functionality
  • Fun and entertaining effects
  • Fast and efficient processing
Features
Read full description

The original photo-to-oil painting app. Featured under "New and Noteworthy" in the US App Store. You will also want to check out PaintMee 2.

About

Aquarella

Transform your photos into luminous watercolor paintings with realistic "blooms" and "wet edges." Offers professional-quality artistic styles, customizable presets, and easy-to-use controls for detailed adjustments. Share your creations directly to social media.

Highlights
  • Professional aquamedia styles
  • Randomize Color button
  • Customizable presets
  • Adjustable color details
  • Hi-res image support
  • Direct social media posting
Features
Read full description

Watercolor, or Aquarella is a wonderful transparent and luminous artistic media. Watch as Aquarella transforms your image into one with liquid pools of color blended fluidly on paper to create a watercolor with all the delicate details found in a traditional watercolor media. Look closely as you render your aquamedia to discover light delicate “blooms” of wet color running throughout your creation and brush strokes of overlapping pigment dried dark along the edges. You will be thrilled when you see your newly rendered watercolor - Auquarella is a professional artistic app and will deliver a high-end watercolor result true to the original media. HIGHLIGHTS •Two professional-quality aquamedia styles: A traditional one applies fluid brush strokes and colorful washes; and a two toned one washes your image with soft color combinations •One-of-a-kind "Randomize Color" button •Loads of ‘Styles’ to get you started fast •The ability to create and save custom presets styles •Thousands of watercolor styles by simply adjusting the settings and combining color, washes and blooms. •Easy-to-use slider controls to adjust color details, wet edges, paper styles, and water colors. •The ability to use hi-res images for top-quality results •Undo •Direct posting to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Tumbrl from mobile devices •Superior customer support and updates – we're committed to your long-term satisfaction UNIVERSAL FEATURES All JixiPix Apps come with: Superior Customer Service, Support for High-Resolution Images & Output, Undo/Redo, Randomize Button, Quick Presets and the ability to create Custom Presets, Cropping with the ability to specify aspect ratio, Quick Preview, Email, Print, and the ability to post directly to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. We also have an online art gallery and invite our user’s to display their artistic creations on it: http://www.flickr.com/groups/jixipixcreations/ *************** “JixiPix turns any photo into a masterpiece. The only requirement is art appreciation — we’ll take care of the rest!” JixiPix.com “Creative Tools for Creative People” Photography | Artistic | Graphic Apps MAC • iPad • iPhone

Screenshots

PaintMee4 screens
Aquarella4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Aquarella at 14.0 against PaintMee's 17.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

PaintMee costs $4.99 and Aquarella $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for PaintMee against 4.7 for Aquarella. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 117 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 85% and 85% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PaintMee ships an update every 5 months, Aquarella every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
PaintMee versus Aquarella: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaintMeeAquarella
Price$4.99$4.99
Rating4.8 (65 ratings) — better4.7 (117 ratings)
Positive reviews84.5% of reviews85.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65117 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudio MeeJixiPix, LLC

Customer experience

PaintMee

All ratings65 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral6.4%
Negative9.1%

Aquarella

All ratings116 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.9%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative12.2%

Bugs and requests

PaintMee

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Crashes upon launch
  • Malfunctioning application
  • App is broken
  • App crashes after upgrade
  • Progress meter obstructs controls
Show 5 more
  • Auto rotates pictures incorrectly
  • Faces not showing up correctly after update
  • In-app upgrade not functional
  • App unstable after upgrade
  • App closes on launch

Requested features

14 requests
  • Output to vector PDF for printing
  • Option to turn off paint texture
  • Desktop version
  • Presets like SketchMee Pro
  • Slider for adjusting light source
Show 9 more
  • Facebook sharing option
  • More options for each module
  • Ability to stop progress mid-stream
  • Option to save stopped animation/progress
  • Save work in progress as animated GIF
  • Save animation as a movie file
  • More options overall
  • Way to rotate pictures correctly
  • Ability to choose when painting starts

Aquarella

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PaintMee

No in-app purchases

None

Aquarella

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PaintMee free?
PaintMee costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aquarella free?
Aquarella costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PaintMee or Aquarella?
PaintMee is rated higher. PaintMee averages 4.8 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Aquarella averages 4.7 from 117 ratings.
Do PaintMee or Aquarella have ads?
Neither PaintMee nor Aquarella shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PaintMee or Aquarella?
PaintMee ships an update every 5 months, and Aquarella every 4 months. Most recently, PaintMee was updated on November 10, 2026 and Aquarella on November 10, 2026.

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