Comparison

PhotoPearls vs 8bit Painter

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PhotoPearls

Transform personal photos into bead patterns for pixel art creations. This mobile version uses a limited color palette and pattern size, with advanced features available in the desktop application.

Highlights
  • Convert photos to bead patterns
  • Uses 30 unique bead colors
  • Supports 30x30 bead peg boards
  • Mobile version of desktop software
  • Personalized bead art creation
Features
Read full description

Create Beaded Pixel Art with PhotoPearls® PhotoPearls enables you to transform personal photos (family, pets, friends, holiday pics), into personalised bead patterns. For more information please visit www.photopearls.se This iPhone application is a light version of our full desktop version. The patterns are based on 30 unique colours of the original NABBI® beads and peg boards (30x30 beads). Note! The following options are only available with the full version for Mac and PC / Windows: * Custom sized patterns * Change colors, brightness and contrast * Draw free-hand * Works on Mac and PC!

About

8bit Painter

Create fun and easy pixel art with intuitive controls. Perfect for beginners, this app lets you design SNS icons, game assets, or craft patterns. Import photos to pixelize them and export your creations as transparent PNGs.

Highlights
  • Beginner-friendly interface
  • Essential pixel drawing tools
  • Photo to pixel art conversion
  • Customizable color palettes
  • Transparent PNG export
  • Multiple canvas sizes
Read full description

Over 6 million downloads! An easy-to-use app for creating pixel art and 8-bit style artwork. 8bit Painter is a simple pixel art drawing app that beginners can start enjoying right away. With intuitive controls, you can easily create pixel art for social media icons, game skins, illustrations, patterns, and more. It is also great for making designs for Perler beads, cross-stitch, knitting, and other handmade projects. Key Features - Simple controls that are easy for anyone to use - Clear, focused tools for creating pixel art - Perfect for beginners - Great for making social media icons and game skins - Import photos and convert them into pixel art - Remove photo backgrounds and import just the subject - Draw with Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus using a stylus-only setting on iPad - Choose colors intuitively with a color wheel, sliders, and palettes - Export transparent images in PNG format - Export and import your artwork data Canvas Sizes 16x16 / 24x24 / 32x32 / 48x48 / 64x64 / 96x96 / 128x128 / 160x160 / 192x192 Choose the right canvas size for your project, from small social media icons to detailed pixel art and craft patterns. Image Import Import your favorite photos and automatically convert them into pixel art. Keep the background or remove it to import just the subject. You can refine the cutout by cropping to a smaller area, or undo the last cutout. Great for creating social media icons, game skins, and pixel art assets. Drawing with a Stylus on iPad Turn on “Draw with a Stylus Only” to edit the canvas using Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus that your iPad recognizes as a pen. This prevents accidental marks from your fingers while still letting you use them to zoom, pan, and tap buttons. Color Selection Choose a base color with the color wheel, then fine-tune it with sliders or HEX input. You can also pick colors quickly from preset palettes, or save frequently used colors to your custom color palette for reuse. Artwork Data Management Export artwork data saved in your Gallery from the Settings screen, and import it again when needed. This is helpful for keeping your pixel art safe, preparing for a device change, or reinstalling the app. Artwork Storage - The initial artwork storage limit is 30 artworks - Expand the limit up to 600 artworks by watching rewarded video ads or purchasing the Remove Ads add-on Image Export - Choose from 3 export sizes - Supports transparent PNG images - Useful for social media posts, game skins, and exporting assets Remove Ads Add-On - Hides all ads - Expands the artwork storage limit to 600 artworks - Can be restored after reinstalling the app - One-time purchase How to Expand Your Storage Limit - Each rewarded video ad you watch increases your artwork storage limit by 5 artworks, up to 600 - Purchasing the Remove Ads add-on expands your artwork storage limit to 600 artworks Recommended For - Anyone who wants to start creating pixel art - People who want to make their own social media icons - Anyone who wants to create game skins easily - People making designs for Perler beads or cross-stitch - People designing knitting patterns or handmade projects - Anyone who wants to turn photos into pixel art - People looking for a simple pixel art editor - Anyone who wants to manage their artwork data and keep using the app over time Enjoy creating pixel art and 8-bit style artwork with 8bit Painter!

Screenshots

PhotoPearls4 screens
8bit Painter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 8bit Painter at 85% against PhotoPearls's 42%. 8bit Painter also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 29 months). PhotoPearls's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PhotoPearls asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

8bit Painter holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8bit Painter has 6.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of PhotoPearls's written reviews are positive against 85% of 8bit Painter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhotoPearls ships an update every 29 months, 8bit Painter monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
PhotoPearls versus 8bit Painter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotoPearls8bit Painter
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings)4.6 (6.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews85.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMunkplast ABTakayuki Miyagawa

Customer experience

PhotoPearls

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative50.0%

8bit Painter

All ratings6,702 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews336 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral6.5%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

PhotoPearls

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

8bit Painter

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

None

PhotoPearls

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

8bit Painter

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$5.99

Questions

Is PhotoPearls free?
PhotoPearls is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is 8bit Painter free?
8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PhotoPearls or 8bit Painter?
8bit Painter is rated higher. PhotoPearls averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while 8bit Painter averages 4.6 from 6.7K ratings.
Do PhotoPearls or 8bit Painter have ads?
8bit Painter shows ads; PhotoPearls does not.
Which is updated more often, PhotoPearls or 8bit Painter?
PhotoPearls ships an update every 29 months, and 8bit Painter monthly. Most recently, PhotoPearls was updated on October 24, 2026 and 8bit Painter on November 1, 2026.

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