# Drawing Pad vs RoughAnimator

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RoughAnimator at none against Drawing Pad's 11. RoughAnimator also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 123). Drawing Pad's advantage is price ($5.99 vs $7.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13). On review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Drawing Pad costs $5.99 and RoughAnimator $7.99 up front. Drawing Pad sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. RoughAnimator asks for nothing beyond the download.

RoughAnimator holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RoughAnimator has 2.9K ratings behind it against 123, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Drawing Pad's written reviews are positive against 79% of RoughAnimator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Drawing Pad ships an update monthly, RoughAnimator fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drawing Pad | RoughAnimator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$5.99** | $7.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (123 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-pad/id358207332/reviews) | **[4.6 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 123 | **2.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **82.7% of reviews** | 78.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #126 | **#10** |
| Size | 223 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Murtha Design LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/306572989) | [Jacob KAFKA](https://appshunter.io/developer/954718243) |

## What reviewers say

### Drawing Pad

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

**Currently charting:** #126 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


### RoughAnimator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Create traditional hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animations on your iPad. This app offers professional-grade tools like unlimited layers, onion skinning, and audio import, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced animators. Export your work in various formats or import it into professional animation software.

**Highlights:** Timeline with unlimited layers, Onion skinning, Audio and video import, Custom brushes, Apple Pencil support, Export to video, GIF, image sequence, Import to professional software

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth animation
- 💡 Useful features like camera and audio
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Great for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when importing video/audio
- 🐛 Laggy performance with larger projects
- 🐛 Pixelated/blurry drawings when playing animation
- 🐛 Onion skin not working
- 🐛 Brush issues like splotchy lines

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when importing audio
- Onion skin not working
- Pixelated drawings when playing animation
- Laggy performance with larger projects

**Requested features**

- Add transparency support for exports
- Implement a text tool
- Provide more brush options and customization
- Add a ruler/shape tool
- Improve audio handling (record, import, sync)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Drawing Pad free?

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

### Is RoughAnimator free?

RoughAnimator costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Drawing Pad or RoughAnimator?

RoughAnimator is rated higher. Drawing Pad averages 4.2 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while RoughAnimator averages 4.6 from 2.9K ratings.

### Do Drawing Pad or RoughAnimator have ads?

Neither Drawing Pad nor RoughAnimator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Drawing Pad or RoughAnimator?

Drawing Pad ships an update monthly, and RoughAnimator fortnightly. Most recently, Drawing Pad was updated on September 24, 2026 and RoughAnimator on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Drawing Pad or RoughAnimator?

Drawing Pad currently peaks at #126 in the App Store charts, and RoughAnimator at #10. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*