Doodle Dandy vs SwirlPaint
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Doodle Dandy
Unleash your creativity with this intuitive drawing app that makes creating beautiful artwork accessible to everyone. Enjoy a game-like experience with satisfying results you can share or use as custom wallpaper. No artistic talent is required to produce stunning, original creations.
- Rotationally-symmetric input for balanced designs
- Real-time transparency tool
- Multiple brush sizes
- Unlimited undo/redo
- Save and share creations
- Customizable wallpaper
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Doodle Dandy is addictive like a game -- but creative, personal, and productive. Games are fun -- but when it's all over, what do you have to show for all your time and effort? A score? Who cares? Art is fun -- but creating something truly beautiful on a touchscreen isn't easy. UNTIL NOW. Doodle Dandy gives you the power to create elegant, eye-catching artwork, at your fingertips -- no talent required. It's challenging and engaging like a game, but when you're done, you have an original work of art to share and enjoy. No more lame doodles! Fun for all ages! Doodle Dandy provides a handful of simple tools which ensure success in every doodle: - Rotationally-symmetric input ensures balance and elegance - Color palette designed for range and consistency - Multiple discrete brush sizes - Transparency tool works in real-time, anytime - Unlimited "undo" and "redo" - Save creations for later viewing, to use as custom wallpaper, or for sharing with friends - Works on Mac Learn in seconds, master over time. Amaze yourself as you create visual poetry in motion. Amaze others with stunning, original gifts. Find satisfaction and joy in the process of creation, with Doodle Dandy.
SwirlPaint
Create mesmerizing, symmetrical art with a simple swipe. This app generates kaleidoscope-like images by mirroring your strokes across multiple lines. Save your unique creations directly to your device's photo library.
- Kaleidoscope image generation
- Adjustable number of lines
- Customizable line colors
- Multi-touch support
- Save drawings to Camera Roll
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A simple paint program which generates kaleidoscope-like images with the swipe of a finger. Features: - Change number of lines - Change line color - Multi-touch support - Save drawing to Camera Roll
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SwirlPaint at none against Doodle Dandy's 1. SwirlPaint also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). Doodle Dandy's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 38 months) and ratings volume (69 vs 8). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Doodle Dandy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SwirlPaint asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Doodle Dandy against 4.5 for SwirlPaint. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Doodle Dandy has 69 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Doodle Dandy's written reviews are positive against 100% of SwirlPaint's.
Doodle Dandy ships an update fortnightly, SwirlPaint every 38 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Doodle Dandy | SwirlPaint |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (69 ratings) — better | 4.5 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 69 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 38 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nicholas Williams | ChewOnGlass.com |
Customer experience
Doodle Dandy
SwirlPaint
Bugs and requests
Doodle Dandy
Reported bugs
10 issues- Save to photos not working
- App crashes
- App will not open
- Save feature not working
- Delete masterpiece when trying to save
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- Crashing after a few minutes
- Save to photos not working anymore
- Creations not found after saving
- Won't clear drawings
- Randomly doesn't color
Requested features
19 requests- Ability to draw over existing pictures
- More color options
- Color picker
- Redo button
- Load image to resume a project
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Blend feature
- Tool for straight lines
- Option for every other line mirror
- Apple Pencil support
- Change background color
- More paintbrush shapes
- Blur tool
- More effects
- Dark mode
- Undo to recover cleared work
- Safety dialog for clearing
- Retina update
- Different shapes
- Custom paint colors
SwirlPaint
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Doodle Dandy
- Doodle Dandy - No Ads$0.99
SwirlPaint
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Doodle Dandy free?
Is SwirlPaint free?
Which has better reviews, Doodle Dandy or SwirlPaint?
Do Doodle Dandy or SwirlPaint have ads?
Which is updated more often, Doodle Dandy or SwirlPaint?
Other comparisons
