# ArtRage vs pixiv Sketch

The clearest difference is price: pixiv Sketch at Free against ArtRage's $2.99. pixiv Sketch also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (72% vs 57%). ArtRage's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

pixiv Sketch is free to download; ArtRage costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

pixiv Sketch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 171 and 214 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of ArtRage's written reviews are positive against 72% of pixiv Sketch's.

ArtRage ships an update monthly, pixiv Sketch fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ArtRage | pixiv Sketch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.5 (171 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artrage/id391432693/reviews) | **[4.7 (214 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixiv-sketch/id991334925/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 171 | **214** |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | **72.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 62 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ambient Design Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/391432696) | [pixiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/337248566) |

## 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


### pixiv Sketch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixiv-sketch/id991334925)

This app allows users to draw and communicate with a large community of artists. It offers easy-to-use drawing tools, AI-powered coloring, and collaborative features like "Redraw" and "Reply" to interact with other users' artwork.

**Highlights:** Easy-to-use pens and brushes, AI automatic coloring, Drawing Motivator Voice, Redraw feature for collaboration, Reply feature for illustration conversations, Community feed with millions of illustrations

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Kind and supportive community
- 🎨 Simple and fun to use
- 👍 Easy to upload art
- 🖼️ Great for showcasing artwork
- 💖 Feels safe to share art

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🌐 Mostly in different languages
- 🤔 Hard to draw on
- 📉 Live stream quality is bad
- 🚫 No full screen/high quality option
- 🗣️ User base mostly Japanese

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes when trying to sketch/stream
- App crashes when trying to remove photo layer
- App crashes on opening
- Login always failed
- Live stream quality is very bad

**Requested features**

- Add translations for non-Japanese users
- Add furigana on posts
- Add layer zooming edit tool
- Add month-by-month history section
- Improve image quality on upload


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ArtRage free?

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

### Is pixiv Sketch free?

pixiv Sketch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ArtRage or pixiv Sketch?

pixiv Sketch is rated higher. ArtRage averages 3.5 out of 5 from 171 ratings, while pixiv Sketch averages 4.7 from 214 ratings.

### Do ArtRage or pixiv Sketch have ads?

pixiv Sketch shows ads; ArtRage does not.

### Which is updated more often, ArtRage or pixiv Sketch?

ArtRage ships an update monthly, and pixiv Sketch fortnightly. Most recently, ArtRage was updated on November 6, 2026 and pixiv Sketch on November 6, 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.*