# Camera Lucida™ vs Doodle

The clearest difference is price: Doodle at Free against Camera Lucida™'s $14.99. Doodle also leads on ratings volume (46K vs 2K). Camera Lucida™'s advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (89% vs 67%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Doodle is free to download; Camera Lucida™ costs $14.99 up front. Camera Lucida™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Doodle sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Camera Lucida™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Doodle has 46K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Camera Lucida™'s written reviews are positive against 67% of Doodle's.

Camera Lucida™ ships an update every 4 months, Doodle every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Camera Lucida™ | Doodle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/camera-lucida-ar-drawing/id362499096/reviews)** | [4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodle-drawing-pad/id1503601939/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2K | **46K** |
| Positive reviews | **89.4% of reviews** | 67.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 155 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Camera Lucida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1738527998) | [Joe Blau](https://appshunter.io/developer/880400629) |

## What reviewers say

### Camera Lucida™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/camera-lucida-ar-drawing/id362499096)

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app uses your device's camera to superimpose a reference image onto your drawing surface, guiding your hand to create detailed art. It offers advanced features and tools to enhance your sketching and painting skills, making art creation easy and fun.

**Highlights:** AR image superposition for drawing, Advanced image filters, Zoom lock for detail, Session save and restore, Time-lapsed recording, External USB camera support

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Auto-Correct For Perspective | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great drawing aid
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for improving drawing skills
- 🚀 Saves time in drawing
- 👍 Accurate proportions and perspective

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Difficult to set up and use at first
- 🐛 Occasional issues with image alignment
- 🐛 Needs a stand or mount to work properly

**Reported bugs**

- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Occasional crashes or freezes

**Requested features**

- Ability to draw larger images
- More camera settings and controls
- Integration with other art apps


### Doodle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodle-drawing-pad/id1503601939)

Unleash your creativity with a simple yet powerful drawing application. Sketch, paint, and color on a blank canvas, perfect for quick ideas or detailed artwork. Save your creations with an optional subscription for enhanced features.

**Highlights:** Blank canvas for drawing, Variety of drawing tools and colors, Undo functionality, Image sharing, Apple Pencil support, Cross-device compatibility, Optional Pro subscription for advanced features

**Features:** Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Doodle Pro: Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Doodle Pro: Yearly | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 No ads
- 👍 Allows creativity
- 👍 Good for quick sketches
- 👍 Works with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Accidental deletion of drawings
- 🐛 Disappearing toolbar
- 🐛 Lack of save/export options
- 🐛 Crashes and loss of progress
- 🐛 Limited drawing tools

**Reported bugs**

- Drawings disappear after app closes
- Toolbar disappears during screen recording
- Inability to zoom in/out properly

**Requested features**

- Add undo/redo functionality
- Implement auto-save feature
- Provide more drawing tools and customization options
- Allow changing background color
- Add ability to import/export drawings


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Camera Lucida™ free?

Camera Lucida™ costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Doodle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Camera Lucida™ or Doodle?

Camera Lucida™ is rated higher. Camera Lucida™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Doodle averages 4.5 from 46K ratings.

### Do Camera Lucida™ or Doodle have ads?

Neither Camera Lucida™ nor Doodle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Camera Lucida™ or Doodle?

Camera Lucida™ ships an update every 4 months, and Doodle every 2 months. Most recently, Camera Lucida™ was updated on November 6, 2026 and Doodle on November 7, 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.*