Comparison

Crayon Maestro vs Abstractor

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

Head to head
About

Crayon Maestro

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
Read full description

This full-fledged wax crayon simulator lets you create art, whether a complete drawing or just a sketch, with a striking resemblance to its real life counterpart. • FINGERTIP = STROKE SIZE • When you draw, the app measures how much of your finger is touching the screen and changes the stroke size accordingly. Apply just the corner of your fingertip for a thin line, or the whole fingerprint area for a broad stroke. A 2nd tool assigned to your finger will still use this feature, so don’t ignore it just because you have an Apple Pencil! • PARAMETERS CAN BE CHANGED LIVE • Use any buttons or controls to change/adjust color, size, force, simultaneously while drawing. • APPLE PENCIL • Full support for Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil 2. In addition, you can assign a second drawing tool, such as Eraser, to the finger. • EASY AND QUICK TO USE COLOR PALETTE • Changing the color is only a tap away. The colors in the palette can be rearranged, adjusted, added and removed. • 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++). • FULL SCREEN DRAWING • SEAMLESS PATTERN EDITING MODE • • DARK MODE • LANDSCAPE • PORTRAIT • WIDE COLOR • • MULTIPLE LAYERS • PHOTO TRACING MODE (Pro feature) •

About

Abstractor

This drawing app uses generative magic and dynamic flow brushes to create unique, animated artwork. Explore infinite possibilities with brushes that respond to your gestures, imported images, and algorithmic patterns.

Highlights
  • Generative flow brushes
  • Image-driven velocity maps
  • Algorithmic particle behavior
  • Color shifting based on stroke
  • Layer support
  • Color source layers
Features
Read full description

ABSTRACTOR: PAINT WITH GENERATIVE MAGIC Unleash your vision with Abstractor, a poetic drawing app for iPad and iPhone, crafted for artist explorers and playful creators. Paint with infinite possibilities, where every stroke pulses with generative magic. FLOW BRUSHES: THE HEART OF CREATION Dive into the soul of Abstractor with flow brushes, where particles swirl like living liquids, leaving hypnotic trails across your canvas. These dynamic tools respond to three unique velocity maps: • Stroke Paths: Your gestures carve flowing rivers, guiding particles along vibrant trails. • Image-Driven Flow: Import an image to shape a velocity field, infusing brushes with textured, directional energy. • Algorithmic Soul: Add generated noise or patterns to give particles a distinct character—turbulent storms or gentle ripples. Tune particle behaviors in real time, sculpting their essence like a visual composer. Blend these maps to create mesmerizing, emergent patterns that surprise and inspire, making every stroke a performance. Colors shift with stroke angle, pressure, or speed, weaving emotion into every line. Use familiar layers or bind tools to them for tailored magic. Paint over a color source layer, pulling hues from imported images to craft radiant distortions—flow brushes shine here, warping visuals into dreamlike abstractions. Abstractor is your canvas for boundless wonder. Download now and let your art flow eternal.

Screenshots

Crayon Maestro4 screens
Abstractor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Abstractor at 5.0 against Crayon Maestro's 4.6. Abstractor also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). Crayon Maestro's advantage is ratings volume (225 vs 5) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Crayon Maestro sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Abstractor sells 3 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

Abstractor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crayon Maestro has 225 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Crayon Maestro's written reviews are positive against 71% of Abstractor's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crayon Maestro ships an update monthly, Abstractor every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Crayon Maestro versus Abstractor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrayon MaestroAbstractor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (225 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.0% of reviews — better71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings225 — better5
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorbytesuperdiagonal

Customer experience

Crayon Maestro

All ratings225 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative16.0%

Abstractor

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Crayon Maestro

One-time6
  • Tip Jar: Smallest Tip$1.00
  • Tip Jar: Small Tip$2.00
  • Pro Upgrade$3.00
Show 3 more
  • Tip Jar: Medium Tip$5.00
  • Tip Jar: Big Tip$10.00
  • Tip Jar: Biggest Tip$25.00
3 purchases

Abstractor

Subscriptions2
  • All Access · 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • Premium · 1 Year14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • All-Access$9.99

Questions

Is Crayon Maestro free?
Crayon Maestro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Abstractor free?
Abstractor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crayon Maestro or Abstractor?
Abstractor is rated higher. Crayon Maestro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 225 ratings, while Abstractor averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Crayon Maestro or Abstractor have ads?
Neither Crayon Maestro nor Abstractor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crayon Maestro or Abstractor?
Crayon Maestro ships an update monthly, and Abstractor every 5 days. Most recently, Crayon Maestro was updated on September 25, 2026 and Abstractor on July 23, 2026.

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