# Crayon Maestro vs Brushes

The clearest difference is price: Crayon Maestro at Free against Brushes's $3.99. Crayon Maestro also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 57%). Brushes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#41 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Crayon Maestro is free to download; Brushes costs $3.99 up front. Crayon Maestro sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Brushes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Crayon Maestro against 4.6 for Brushes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 225 and 177 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Crayon Maestro's written reviews are positive against 57% of Brushes's.

Crayon Maestro ships an update monthly, Brushes every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crayon Maestro | Brushes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (225 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crayon-maestro/id471925899/reviews) | [4.6 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **225** | 177 |
| Positive reviews | **76.0% of reviews** | 57.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#41** |
| Size | 22 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norbyte](https://appshunter.io/developer/331310753) | [Envoza](https://appshunter.io/developer/867470531) |

## What reviewers say

### Crayon Maestro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crayon-maestro/id471925899)

This app simulates wax crayon drawing with realistic stroke variations based on fingertip pressure. It offers a dynamic color palette, adjustable drawing parameters, and full Apple Pencil support for creating detailed art and sketches. Pro features like photo tracing are available via a one-time purchase.

**Highlights:** Fingertip-based stroke size adjustment, Live parameter changes (color, size, force), Full Apple Pencil support, Customizable color palette, Multiple layers, Photo tracing mode (Pro feature)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip Jar: Smallest Tip | $1.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Small Tip | $2.00 | one-time |
| Pro Upgrade | $3.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Medium Tip | $5.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Big Tip | $10.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Biggest Tip | $25.00 | one-time |


### Brushes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brushes/id1168117279)

**Currently charting:** #41 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app offers a powerful digital painting and sketching experience with a modern interface and advanced features. Create detailed artwork with customizable brushes, layers, and color tools. Optimized for Apple Pencil and various devices.

**Highlights:** Customizable parameterized brushes, Advanced layer management, Apple Pencil support with pressure curve, Light and dark mode interface, Unlimited undo/redo, Cloud Drive import/export

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Great for detailed drawings
- ✨ Simple and intuitive interface
- 💨 Fast and fun to use
- 🖌️ Unique 'Brushes look'
- 💰 Excellent value for price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Brush tip issues (square instead of fade)
- 💾 Auto-save malfunctions
- 🎛️ Poor brush size control (fine detail)
- ⚫ Difficulty getting a true black line
- 🔄 Not an improvement on original

**Reported bugs**

- Brush tips not staying (switching to square)
- Auto-save not working
- Cannot place images from gallery
- Brush size slider jumps
- Circular lines icon appears unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- More save color slots
- Full Chinese menu translation
- Instructions/manual
- Smudge tool
- Documentation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crayon Maestro free?

Crayon Maestro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Brushes free?

Brushes costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Crayon Maestro or Brushes?

Crayon Maestro and Brushes are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 225 and 177 ratings respectively.

### Do Crayon Maestro or Brushes have ads?

Neither Crayon Maestro nor Brushes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Crayon Maestro or Brushes?

Crayon Maestro ships an update monthly, and Brushes every 6 weeks. Most recently, Crayon Maestro was updated on September 25, 2026 and Brushes on September 29, 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.*