Comparison

ArtStudio vs Brushstroke

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

Head to head
About

ArtStudio

This app offers comprehensive sketching, painting, and photo editing tools with a powerful graphics engine and a user-friendly interface. It provides advanced drawing algorithms for precise and fast creation, along with a wide array of brushes and editing options.

Highlights
  • Flexible canvas sizes
  • 16 diverse drawing tools
  • 450 high-quality brushes
  • Customizable stroke settings
  • Layer options and masks
  • Import/export in multiple formats
  • Extensive filter library
Features
Read full description

*** This is the LEGACY version. ARTSTUDIO PRO, the successor to this app, is available now with many new features and improvements. Find it by searching for “Artstudio Pro” on the Mac/iOS App Store. ArtStudio is the most comprehensive, sketching, painting and photo editing tool in the App Store. Completely re-designed from the ground up the new ArtStudio features a beautiful new user interface and a powerful new graphics engine to make creating works of art faster, easier, and more fun! Using advanced drawing algorithms this is the fastest and most precise version of ArtStudio to date. See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P__arq3jk3U Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/lucky_clan Follow us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuckyClanApps Gallery: http://flickr.com/groups/artstudioimages/ appmodo.com: "It doesn’t matter whether you’re a skilled artist or a newbie; ArtStudio is for you." appsmile.com: 5/5 "This is what PhotoShop Mobile wishes it had been." FEATURES: - flexible canvas size, max: 3024x4032(iPhone 6s), 3264x2448(iPhone 5/5s/6), 2592×1936 (iPhone 4s, iPhone 4), 2048×1536 (iPhone 3gs) - 16 tools: select, pencil, wet paintbrush, dry paintbrush, spray, dots, eraser, smudge, bucket fill, gradient, text, clone, heal, blur/sharpen, dodge/burn, eyedropper - 450 HIGH QUALITY BRUSHES (150 free, 300 paid) divided into 30 groups - custom brushes, max size: 500x500px - select tool: rect/ellipse/lasso/magic wand/by color, add/sub/intersect, contract/expand/round corners/border/... - text tool: over 150 system fonts, support of external TTF fonts (just upload .ttf file in iTunes using File Sharing), special text layer to easy edit text - favorites list to quickly access user's favorite brush settings - fully customizable stroke settings: blur, flip, size, opacity, spacing, fadeout, squeeze, angle, speed-size, speed-opacity, random flip, scatter, jitter-spacing, jitter-angle, jitter-size, jitter-squeeze, jitter-opacity, jitter-hue, jitter-saturation, jitter-lightness - symmetric drawing - guidelines, grid - shapes: lines, rectangles, ellipses, polygons (open, closed) - layer options: add, duplicate, merge down/visible, delete, lock alpha, show/hide, link, name, reorder, opacity, blending modes - layer masks - layer/selection transformations: move/scale/rotate with multi-touch, flip, rotate left/right, fill/erase - distort (skew, perspective etc) - 21 layer blending modes: normal, multiply, add, difference, screen, overlay, hue, saturation, color, value, ... - import from 'Camera Roll', camera, iTunes, clipboard - export as JPG/PNG/PSD to 'Camera Roll', email, clipboard, iTunes - multi-touch navigation with unlimited zoom - undo/redo with almost infinite number of steps - image resize (none, bilinear, bicubic, lanczos interpolations) , change canvas size, crop - 40 filters: gaussian/motion/radial blur, sharpen, unsharp mask, add noise, render clouds, edge detect, border/vignette and more - Elastify filter used to make incredible distortions - adjustments: brightness/contrast/exposure, hue/saturation/lightness, color balance, temperature, shadows/highlights, CURVES, auto contrast/colors/white balance and more - video tutorials ## IPAD VERSION AVAILABLE IN APP STORE ##

About

Brushstroke

Transform your photos and videos into stunning paintings with a single touch. Edit, personalize with a signature, and share your creations on social media. High-quality canvas prints of your artwork can also be ordered and delivered directly to your home.

Highlights
  • Photo to painting transformation
  • Video to painting transformation
  • Signature personalization
  • Social media sharing
  • Canvas print ordering
  • Multiple painting styles
Features
Read full description

Turn your photos into paintings with Brushstroke. Brushstroke transforms your album photos and snaps into beautiful paintings in one touch. Edit, sign, and share your work on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Want your artwork printed? We've teamed up with CanvasPop to provide the best quality canvas prints available. Pick a frame and size, and you’ll have your masterpiece delivered and hanging on your wall in no time. For something extra special, try transforming your videos into incredible moving paintings at up to 4K resolution with Video Paintings. Features: • Automatically transform your photos into one of many painting styles • Load photos from your Camera Roll and other Albums • Take snaps and watch them transform instantly • Experiment with different color palettes • Adjust your painting to get just the right look • Select from a variety of canvases and surfaces • Sign your painting to personalize it • Share your art on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook • Have your art printed and shipped right to your doorstep • Transform your videos into art with Video Paintings Subscribe or purchase Brushstroke to unlock all features. For more information, visit us at www.codeorgana.com, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @codeorgana. Find out more about CanvasPop prints and their 100% "Love it" lifetime guarantee at www.canvaspop.com. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

ArtStudio4 screens
Brushstroke4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brushstroke at Free against ArtStudio's $4.99. Brushstroke also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 559). ArtStudio's advantage is chart position (#118 vs unranked) and review sentiment (90% vs 80%). On rating, update cadence, 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

Brushstroke is free to download; ArtStudio costs $4.99 up front. ArtStudio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Brushstroke sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brushstroke holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brushstroke has 14K ratings behind it against 559, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 90% of ArtStudio's written reviews are positive against 80% of Brushstroke's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
ArtStudio versus Brushstroke: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArtStudioBrushstroke
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (559 ratings)4.8 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.4% of reviews — better79.6% of reviews
Number of ratings55914K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#118 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB127 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLucky ClanCode Organa

Customer experience

ArtStudio

All ratings559 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews882 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.6%

Brushstroke

All ratings14,016 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews656 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative15.7%

User reviews

ArtStudio

From 559 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Powerful photo editing and drawing capabilities
  • 🎨 Extensive set of tools and features
  • 🖌️ Customizable brushes and textures
  • 💾 Ability to save and export in various formats
  • 🔍 Detailed and intuitive user interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Steep learning curve for some features
  • 💾 Concerns about data loss and lack of auto-save
  • 🔍 Cluttered interface and difficulty navigating menus
  • 💰 Complaints about pricing and value for money

Brushstroke

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Versatile painting effects
  • 💡 Helpful for planning paintings
  • 🖼️ Turns photos into paintings
  • 🎨 Excellent for creating art

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs with saving/exporting images
  • 🔍 Difficult to find/select photos
  • 💰 Expensive for some features
  • 🖼️ Printed results not always accurate

Bugs and requests

ArtStudio

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when using certain tools or importing images
  • Distortion and corruption of saved files
  • Unresponsive touch input and delayed rendering
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Animation tools and timeline support
  • Improved layer management and blending options
  • Texture and pattern brushes
  • Screen recording and timelapse features
  • Better integration with cloud storage and sharing

Brushstroke

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when importing certain photos
  • Saved images disappear from camera roll
  • Slider controls not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • More painting/filter styles
  • Ability to adjust brush size/strokes
  • Better photo organization/search
  • Improved printing quality/options

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ArtStudio

One-time1
  • Brush Pack$2.99
11 purchases

Brushstroke

Subscriptions4
  • Brushstroke2 variants$4.997 Days
  • Brushstroke2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Brushstroke3 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Brushstroke3 Days trial2 variants$59.991 Year
One-time7
  • Illustration Pack$3.99
  • Video Paintings$3.99
  • Unlock Full Version$6.99
Show 4 more
  • Unlock Full Version$7.99
  • Unlock Full Version$13.99
  • Unlock Full Version$15.99
  • Brushstroke2 variants$79.99

Questions

Is ArtStudio free?
ArtStudio costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Brushstroke free?
Brushstroke is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ArtStudio or Brushstroke?
Brushstroke is rated higher. ArtStudio averages 4.6 out of 5 from 559 ratings, while Brushstroke averages 4.8 from 14K ratings.
Do ArtStudio or Brushstroke have ads?
Neither ArtStudio nor Brushstroke shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArtStudio or Brushstroke?
ArtStudio ships an update monthly, and Brushstroke monthly. Most recently, ArtStudio was updated on October 29, 2026 and Brushstroke on October 31, 2026.

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