# ArtRage vs 8bit Painter

The clearest difference is price: 8bit Painter at Free against ArtRage's $2.99. 8bit Painter also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (85% vs 57%). ArtRage's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

8bit Painter is free to download; ArtRage costs $2.99 up front. 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ArtRage asks for nothing beyond the download.

8bit Painter holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8bit Painter has 6.7K ratings behind it against 171, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of ArtRage's written reviews are positive against 85% of 8bit Painter's.

ArtRage ships an update monthly, 8bit Painter every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArtRage | 8bit Painter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (171 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artrage/id391432693/reviews) | **[4.6 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bit-painter-pixel-art/id894301273/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 171 | **6.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | **85.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 62 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ambient Design Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/391432696) | [Takayuki Miyagawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/894301276) |

## What reviewers say

### ArtRage

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artrage/id391432693)

This app offers a realistic digital painting experience, simulating the behavior of real-world art supplies like oils, watercolors, and pencils. It allows for smearing, blending, and texture application, making it accessible for aspiring artists without the mess or expense of traditional materials.

**Highlights:** Realistic paint simulation (oils, watercolors, etc.), Smearing and blending capabilities, Layer support with blend modes, Import images as reference or tracing, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt support, Customizable interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Realistic paint simulation
- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 💡 Variety of tools and customization options
- 🎨 Blending and mixing of colors works well
- 🎨 Simulates traditional media like oil, watercolor, and pastels

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Laggy performance, especially with larger brushes
- 🔍 Limited canvas size and resolution
- 🐛 Bugs with layer handling and saving progress
- 🔍 Missing some basic features like shapes and text

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and loss of unsaved work
- Bugs with color picker and blending tools
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between tools

**Requested features**

- Ability to resize and rotate canvas
- Improved palm rejection and touch controls
- Larger brush sizes and more customization options
- Support for higher resolution canvases and export
- Autosave and cloud sync functionality


### 8bit Painter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bit-painter-pixel-art/id894301273)

Create pixel art and 8-bit style graphics with intuitive tools. Perfect for beginners, it allows for easy creation of social media icons, game skins, illustrations, and patterns. Import photos to convert them into pixel art, remove backgrounds, and export transparent PNGs.

**Highlights:** Intuitive pixel art creation tools, Photo import and conversion to pixel art, Background removal for imported images, Stylus support for precise drawing on iPad, Multiple canvas sizes, Transparent PNG export, Artwork data import/export

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🥰 Fun and addictive
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Great for pixel art
- 💡 Helpful for crafting projects
- 🤩 Awesome app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Annoying ads
- 🔒 Limited canvas sizes
- 🎨 Lack of color customization
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and crashing issues
- Distortion when importing images
- Inability to delete saved artworks

**Requested features**

- Custom canvas sizes
- More color options and palettes
- Ability to delete or rearrange colors
- Layers and animation support
- Copy/paste and selection tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArtRage free?

ArtRage costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 8bit Painter free?

8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ArtRage or 8bit Painter?

8bit Painter is rated higher. ArtRage averages 3.5 out of 5 from 171 ratings, while 8bit Painter averages 4.6 from 6.7K ratings.

### Do ArtRage or 8bit Painter have ads?

8bit Painter shows ads; ArtRage does not.

### Which is updated more often, ArtRage or 8bit Painter?

ArtRage ships an update monthly, and 8bit Painter every 3 weeks. Most recently, ArtRage was updated on November 10, 2026 and 8bit Painter on November 11, 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.*