Comparison

ibis Paint X vs Lux Draw

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

Lux Draw

Create unique art with light-inspired tools and gritty textures. Draw from scratch or enhance photos with glow pens and special effects. Offers advanced features like HDR brushes and Apple Pencil support for a professional artistic experience.

Highlights
  • Live-calculated HDR brushes
  • Glow Pen, Hot Pen, Light Spheres
  • Gritty paper/canvas textures
  • Smear tool for flame art
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Multiple layers
  • Photo tracing mode (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Draw with light-inspired tools, for a unique art style! Create a drawing from scratch, or add effects to your photos. Let your creativity run wild! • LIVE-CALCULATED HDR BRUSHES • The app features live-calculated brushes and strokes, that together with HDR values make it feel like drawing with light! Drawing tools include Glow Pen, Hot Pen, Light Spheres, and more. Tip: Use the Smear tool on a photo or drawing to achieve immensely cool flame art (seriously, try it!). • GRITTY PAPER/CANVAS TEXTURES • Having a paper/canvas texture interacting in real-time with the drawing tools will give your artwork a satisfying, gritty look. You can remove or change the default-generated texture to something else. • UNIVERSAL PURCHASE • If you choose to buy the Pro upgrade, this one-time in-app purchase will unlock all Pro features in the app on all available platforms (iPad-iPhone-Mac)! • METAL • The engine is based on Metal, with 128-bit color and floating-point arithmetic. • SWIFT • The app was developed entirely using Swift (earlier versions used C++). • FINGERTIP = STROKE SIZE • CHANGE SIZE/FORCE/COLOR WHILE DRAWING • • APPLE PENCIL SUPPORT • FULL SCREEN DRAWING • SEAMLESS PATTERN EDITING MODE • • DARK MODE • LANDSCAPE • PORTRAIT • WIDE COLOR • • MULTIPLE LAYERS • PHOTO TRACING MODE (Pro feature) •

Screenshots

ibis Paint X4 screens
Lux Draw4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Lux Draw at none against ibis Paint X's shown. Lux Draw also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). ibis Paint X's advantage is ratings volume (302K vs 939) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, 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 Lux Draw sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ibis Paint X against 4.7 for Lux Draw. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ibis Paint X has 302K ratings behind it against 939, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of ibis Paint X's written reviews are positive against 82% of Lux Draw's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ibis Paint X ships an update every 3 weeks, Lux Draw every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ibis Paint X versus Lux Draw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameteribis Paint XLux Draw
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (302K ratings) — better4.7 (939 ratings)
Positive reviews90.0% of reviews — better81.5% of reviews
Number of ratings302K — better939
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeribis inc.Norbyte

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%

Lux Draw

All ratings939 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.7%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral10.9%
Negative7.6%

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

Lux Draw

From 939 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent entertainment value
  • 👍 Creative drawing tools
  • 👍 No ads, totally free
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Variety of brushes and colors

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and freezing issues
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with certain devices/platforms
  • 🔧 Limited functionality compared to other drawing apps
  • 🔧 Lack of advanced features like fill tool, shapes, and text
  • 🔧 Difficulty using with mouse/trackpad on laptops

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

Lux Draw

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and unresponsiveness when switching tools
  • Leaving unwanted color dots when erasing
  • Compatibility issues with certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add fill tool, shapes, and text capabilities
  • Improve compatibility with tablets and styluses
  • Provide more customization options for brushes and colors
  • Implement undo/redo functionality
  • Add ability to export/share drawings easily

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
6 purchases

Lux Draw

One-time6
  • Tip Jar: Smallest Tip$1.00
  • Tip Jar: Small Tip$2.00
  • Pro Upgrade$5.00
Show 3 more
  • Tip Jar: Medium Tip$5.00
  • Tip Jar: Big Tip$10.00
  • Tip Jar: Biggest Tip$25.00

Questions

Is ibis Paint X free?
ibis Paint X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lux Draw free?
Lux Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ibis Paint X or Lux Draw?
ibis Paint X is rated higher. ibis Paint X averages 4.7 out of 5 from 302K ratings, while Lux Draw averages 4.7 from 939 ratings.
Do ibis Paint X or Lux Draw have ads?
ibis Paint X shows ads; Lux Draw does not.
Which is updated more often, ibis Paint X or Lux Draw?
ibis Paint X ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lux Draw every 2 months. Most recently, ibis Paint X was updated on November 7, 2026 and Lux Draw on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons