Comparison

ibis Paint X vs Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

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

Head to head
About

ibis Paint X

This app provides a comprehensive suite of illustration and animation tools for smartphones and tablets. It offers a vast array of brushes, materials, fonts, and filters, suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Users can create everything from single illustrations to frame-by-frame animations and videos.

Highlights
  • Over 130,000 brushes
  • 30,000+ materials
  • Frame-by-frame animation
  • Vector tools
  • AI Disturbance feature
  • Time-lapse video recording
  • Reference window
Read full description

For everyone around the world who wants to draw and animate, freely and without pressure. ibisPaint X is a full-featured illustration and animation app for smartphones and tablets, with over 500 million cumulative downloads across the series. "Drawing looks hard" — this app is made especially for people who think that. A creative experience that doesn't compromise even for free, an interface simple enough to use without hesitation, and a comfortable familiarity that grows the more you use it. ibisPaint X keeps serving as an easy entry point for anyone to start "drawing," while continually expanding what's possible — from a single illustration to frame-by-frame animation, and on to videos with background music and audio. With over 130,000 brushes, 30,000+ materials, 3,000+ fonts, 86 image filters, 46 screentones, 27 layer blending modes, vector tools, a reference window, radial and symmetry rulers, animated filters, and an AI Disturbance feature, ibisPaint X packs in serious functionality that rivals PC illustration software. It's a one-stop app that goes beyond drawing illustrations — into animation production, and even recording and sharing your creative process as a time-lapse video. It's chosen by people of all ages, countries, and experience levels around the world. *Drawing Tutorial YouTube Channel We post lots of videos on how to make the most of ibisPaint. Please subscribe! https://youtube.com/ibisPaint *Supported Digital Styluses https://ibispaint.com/stylus/supported_digital_stylus.jsp?platformType=1 *About Purchase Plans https://ibispaint.com/lecture/index.jsp?no=26 * If you do not cancel auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the free trial ends, you will be automatically charged upon renewal. *About App Access Permissions This app may access various device features to provide the service and improve usability. No access permission is required to use this app — all of the following are optional. You may decline any of these optional permissions. Even if declined, the app's core features remain available, but some features that require the relevant permission may be limited. •Photos/videos in your photo library To import artwork files and images, and to save the artwork files, images, and videos you create •Microphone audio input To connect and communicate with supported peripherals such as digital styluses •Bluetooth communication To connect and communicate with supported peripherals such as digital styluses •Push notifications To deliver notifications related to your artwork, app update information, and important announcements *Questions & Bug Reports We're unable to respond to questions or bug reports left in reviews. Please contact our support desk below instead. https://ssl.ibis.ne.jp/en/support/Entry?svid=25 *ibisPaint Terms of Service https://ibispaint.com/agreement.jsp

About

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Create professional-quality digital art, comics, and animations with a vast array of brushes, materials, and editing tools. Offers features for beginners and pros, including 3D models for reference and advanced layer management.

Highlights
  • Unlimited brushes with realistic textures
  • Vast library of artist-made materials
  • Advanced coloring tools with Shading Assist
  • 3D models for anatomy and perspective reference
  • Comprehensive comic creation tools
  • Professional animation features
  • Non-destructive editing and layer management
Read full description

Draw with unlimited features for free for 30 hours monthly with no ads! Now with new, powerful features! Clip Studio Paint makes drawing a piece of cake, in any style! Whether you are a beginner or a pro, Clip Studio Paint will improve every aspect of your art experience, while helping you grow as an artist. Unlimited amount of brushes at your fingertips to recreate any style - Use brushes with the same textures as real art materials - Adjust details such as brush shape and paper quality to your liking - Make unique colors with realistic color mixing, like traditional paints - Draw with transparency to erase, so no need to switch brushes Countless artist-made materials - Level up your art with free materials, for backgrounds and more - Discover community-made brushes from creators worldwide - Add details with materials like frills and more Coloring made easy - Easily color even with line gaps using the magnetic lasso tool - Lock transparency to paint over layers without affecting other areas - Set light source and shadow position with Shading Assist - Instantly reference and apply colors from an image to your art using Color Match - Enhance your art with filters like Chromatic Aberration, Retro Film, Pencil, and more Learn alongside other creators - Loads of official tutorials and creator tips available - Watch tutorials on the Clip Studio Paint YouTube channel, for step-by-step advice - Ask questions on the Clip Studio Ask community Create the perfect reference with 3D models - Use 3D drawing figures to help out your anatomy - Customize character face and body models with beginner-friendly tools - Attach 3D objects like hats and shoes to characters for more specific references - Use 3D shapes to draw perspective Adjust after you draw - Liquify to make adjustments to the balance of your illustrations - Mesh Transformation allows you to transform to different shapes - Change up the poses of your character drawings with Puppet warp - Non-destructive color adjustment layers to get your art just right - Gradient maps give color to your grayscale illustrations Stress-free layer features - Assign colors and make multiple columns of layers to browse them at a glance - Enjoy the freedom of masking and clipping on multiple layers to edit and move your work - Add various effects to apply to the layer in a non-destructive way The ultimate comic creation app - All the tools you need for comic creation, from sketches to finishing touches - Panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines, and screen tones in an instant - Make high-resolution print data (6 GB+ memory recommended) - Manage multi-page projects Professional animation, on any device - Use all the same tools as animation studios - Unique features allow you to draw your frames as you like - Expand your drawings to 4K resolution without losing quality by saving it as vector data ●Grade features ・FREE: 30 hours/month ・PRO: All the tools you need to create stunning illustrations & short animations ・EX: All the above + multi-page functionality for comic/manga artists and unlimited animation frames *Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan. ● Target Devices and Specifications ・Minimum free storage space: 3GB, 4GB recommended ・Recommended display size: 5.5"+ Please see the following for supported devices. https://support.clip-studio.com/en-us/faq/articles/20200154 You can use the app fully for free for up to 30 hours each month. After this free period has ended, please purchase a plan to: - Save your canvas - Export your data in various file formats on iPhone and more Smartphone plan: PRO: US$0.99 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! EX: US$2.49 per month, get an annual plan for up to 5 months' worth of savings! Clip Studio Paint End User License Agreement https://www.celsys.com/en/information/csp/ https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ibis Paint X4 screens
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ibis Paint X at 90% against Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's 36%. ibis Paint X also leads on ratings volume (302K vs 1.8K) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. ibis Paint X sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ibis Paint X holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ibis Paint X has 302K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of ibis Paint X's written reviews are positive against 36% of Clip Studio Paint for iPhone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ibis Paint X versus Clip Studio Paint for iPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameteribis Paint XClip Studio Paint for iPhone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (302K ratings) — better4.4 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better35.9% of reviews
Number of ratings302K — better1.8K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better#101
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB561 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeribis inc.CELSYS,Inc.

Customer experience

ibis Paint X

All ratings301,529 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews11,669 reviews
Positive90.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative5.7%

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

All ratings1,811 ratings
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.3%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral16.8%
Negative47.4%

User reviews

ibis Paint X

From 302K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Versatile drawing tools
  • 🎨 Wide variety of brushes
  • 🔓 Majority of features are free
  • 🕰️ Ability to unlock all brushes for a period of time with ads
  • 🎥 Automatic recording of drawing process

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficulty navigating layers and organization
  • 🔊 Music playback issues
  • 💤 Occasional freezing and crashing
  • 📢 Frequent ads that can interrupt workflow
  • 🔒 Limited functionality in free version

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Great for digital art
  • 👍 Smooth drawing experience
  • 💡 Useful 3D model integration
  • 🎨 Powerful drawing tools

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Restrictive time limit for free users
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

ibis Paint X

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Brush size issues when using the smudge/blur tools
  • Inability to undo actions after exiting a drawing
  • Sudden loss of progress due to app crashes
  • Laggy performance on older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add blending brush tool
  • Implement folder system for layers
  • Allow renaming and rearranging of layers
  • Add gradient tool
  • Improve speed controls for time-lapse playback
Show 1 more
  • Integrate social media sharing options

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account issues
  • Unresponsive brushes and tools
  • Inability to access purchased content
  • Drawings not saving properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save and continue drawings across sessions
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Improved mobile optimization
  • Perpetual license option for mobile

In-app purchases

8 purchases

ibis Paint X

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Membership (Monthly plan)7 Days trial$4.491 Month
  • Premium Membership (Yearly plan)1 Month trial$27.991 Year
One-time6
  • Smart Credit 300pt$2.99
  • Smart Credit 900pt$8.99
  • Ad Removal Upgrade$15.99
Show 3 more
  • Smart Credit 2,500pt$23.99
  • Smart Credit 5,000pt$44.99
  • Smart Credit 10,000pt$79.99
10 purchases

Clip Studio Paint for iPhone

Subscriptions10
  • PRO Monthly Smartphone Plan$0.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Smartphone Plan$2.491 Month
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$4.891 Month
Show 7 more
  • PRO Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$4.891 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PRO Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$7.991 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Days trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Single-Device Plan3 Months trial$9.691 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Days trial$13.491 Month
  • EX Monthly Dual-Device Plan3 Months trial$13.491 Month

Questions

Is ibis Paint X free?
ibis Paint X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Clip Studio Paint for iPhone free?
Clip Studio Paint for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ibis Paint X or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
ibis Paint X is rated higher. ibis Paint X averages 4.7 out of 5 from 302K ratings, while Clip Studio Paint for iPhone averages 4.4 from 1.8K ratings.
Do ibis Paint X or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone have ads?
ibis Paint X shows ads; Clip Studio Paint for iPhone does not.
Which is updated more often, ibis Paint X or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
ibis Paint X ships an update every 3 weeks, and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone every 3 weeks. Most recently, ibis Paint X was updated on November 6, 2026 and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, ibis Paint X or Clip Studio Paint for iPhone?
ibis Paint X currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Clip Studio Paint for iPhone at #101. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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