# Drawing Pad vs Paintstorm Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paintstorm Studio at none against Drawing Pad's 11. Paintstorm Studio also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2). Drawing Pad's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $12.99) and review sentiment (83% vs 60%). On ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Drawing Pad costs $5.99 and Paintstorm Studio $12.99 up front. Drawing Pad sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Paintstorm Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

Paintstorm Studio holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 123 and 368 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Drawing Pad's written reviews are positive against 60% of Paintstorm Studio's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Drawing Pad ships an update monthly, Paintstorm Studio every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drawing Pad | Paintstorm Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$5.99** | $12.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad/id358207332/reviews) | **[4.4 (368 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio/id1077984099/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 123 | **368** |
| Positive reviews | **82.7% of reviews** | 59.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#123** | — |
| Size | 223 MB | 103 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.1 |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Murtha Design LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/306572989) | [Sergei Komarov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060632106) |

## What reviewers say

### Drawing Pad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad/id358207332)

**Currently charting:** #123 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Unleash your creativity with a mobile art studio for all ages. This app offers a wide array of realistic art tools, from crayons and markers to paint brushes and colored pencils. Easily import photos as backgrounds or stickers, blend colors, and share your masterpieces.

**Highlights:** Photo-realistic art tools, Crayons, markers, paint brushes, colored pencils, Stickers and roller pens, Photo background import, Color blending tool, Export and sharing options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Occupations Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| More Fun Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Fairy Tale Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Sea Life Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Winter Holiday Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Farm Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Dinosaur Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Robots Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Space Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Halloween Coloring Book | Free | one-time |
| Adult Coloring Book 1 | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Great for kids
- 👍 Versatile and fun
- 🎨 Encourages creativity
- 🎨 Lots of drawing tools
- 🎨 Excellent color selection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and deletes work
- 🐛 Undo button issues
- 🖌️ Limited brush/pencil options
- 🖌️ Blending tool issues
- 🖼️ No full screen on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and deletes drawings
- Undo button erases too much work
- Drawings disappear from album
- Sticker placement issues
- Incompatible with newer iPads

**Requested features**

- Add layers feature
- Implement zoom/pan functionality
- Add text tool
- Provide more advanced drawing tools
- Include more adult-oriented coloring books


### Paintstorm Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintstorm-studio/id1077984099)

This app offers a professional digital painting experience on iOS devices, leveraging Apple Pencil for advanced control. It provides a vast array of customizable brushes, stroke correction, and intuitive tools for artists of all levels to create masterpieces on the go.

**Highlights:** Advanced brush customization, Stroke post-correction, Perspective-aware parameters, Dynamic and custom interface, Mask brush functionality, Photoshop PSD and ABR support, Apple Pencil integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful desktop-class features
- 🎨 Excellent brush engine and blending
- 📚 Highly customizable interface
- 💻 Seamless desktop-to-iPad experience
- 🖌️ Realistic painting simulation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Cluttered and confusing UI
- 🔋 Performance and memory issues
- 🔒 Lack of cloud/online integration
- 📁 Limited file management and export options

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup or when using certain tools
- Brush lag and performance issues with large canvases
- Unreliable autosave and file management
- Unresponsive or glitchy UI elements
- Incompatibility with older iPad models

**Requested features**

- Improved brush customization and management
- Seamless canvas rotation and zooming
- Expanded layer and selection tools
- Better text and typography support
- Integrated cloud/online sync and sharing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drawing Pad free?

Drawing Pad costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Paintstorm Studio free?

Paintstorm Studio costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drawing Pad or Paintstorm Studio?

Paintstorm Studio is rated higher. Drawing Pad averages 4.2 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Paintstorm Studio averages 4.4 from 368 ratings.

### Do Drawing Pad or Paintstorm Studio have ads?

Neither Drawing Pad nor Paintstorm Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drawing Pad or Paintstorm Studio?

Drawing Pad ships an update monthly, and Paintstorm Studio every 4 months. Most recently, Drawing Pad was updated on September 24, 2026 and Paintstorm Studio on September 6, 2026.

---

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