# Drawing Box Ltd vs pixiv Sketch

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: pixiv Sketch at none against Drawing Box Ltd's 2. pixiv Sketch also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (214 vs 10). Drawing Box Ltd's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (94% vs 72%). On price, rating, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Drawing Box Ltd sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. pixiv Sketch asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Drawing Box Ltd against 4.7 for pixiv Sketch. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: pixiv Sketch has 214 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Drawing Box Ltd's written reviews are positive against 72% of pixiv Sketch's.

Drawing Box Ltd ships an update every 3 months, pixiv Sketch fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Drawing Box Ltd | pixiv Sketch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-box-ltd/id417861734/reviews) | **[4.7 (214 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixiv-sketch/id991334925/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **214** |
| Positive reviews | **94.2% of reviews** | 72.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 117 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Etienne Nguyen Tan Hon](https://appshunter.io/developer/417852567) | [pixiv Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/337248566) |

## What reviewers say

### Drawing Box Ltd

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawing-box-ltd/id417861734)

This mobile studio offers a wide range of tools for sketching and painting, from pencils and brushes to creative pen effects and stickers. Users can enjoy features like symmetrical drawing, unlimited undo, and video replays of their creations. It's ideal for quick sketches, artistic studies, and sharing finished artwork.

**Highlights:** Multiple pencil modes and art brushes, Creative pen effects and stickers, Symmetrical drawing and painting, Video replay of artwork, Unlimited undo/redo functionality, Pictures for coloring and leisure

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pencil Sketching Lessons | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy Drawing Box Full version | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Lots of drawing tools and features
- 💡 Helpful for kids and adults
- 🎨 Wide range of colors and brushes
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Blending issues with colors
- 🔒 Limited save/export options in free version
- 💡 Could use more advanced tools (e.g. smudge, bucket fill)

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when importing images
- Drawings sometimes rotate the wrong way
- Occasional freezing when saving drawings

**Requested features**

- Add a bucket fill tool
- Improve color blending capabilities
- Increase save/export options in free version
- Implement a smudge tool


### 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 Drawing Box Ltd free?

Drawing Box Ltd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is pixiv Sketch free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Drawing Box Ltd or pixiv Sketch?

pixiv Sketch is rated higher. Drawing Box Ltd averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while pixiv Sketch averages 4.7 from 214 ratings.

### Do Drawing Box Ltd or pixiv Sketch have ads?

pixiv Sketch shows ads; Drawing Box Ltd does not.

### Which is updated more often, Drawing Box Ltd or pixiv Sketch?

Drawing Box Ltd ships an update every 3 months, and pixiv Sketch fortnightly. Most recently, Drawing Box Ltd was updated on November 1, 2026 and pixiv Sketch 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.*