Comparison

Paper vs Drawing Apps

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

Head to head
About

Paper

This versatile application offers a digital canvas for a multitude of uses. Capture thoughts, sketch ideas, or simply doodle with ease. It provides a flexible space for your creative and organizational needs.

Highlights
  • Digital memo taking
  • Drawing capabilities
  • Scribbling functionality
  • Versatile use cases
Features
Read full description

The paper may be used for various purposes. This app also can be used for many purposes. - memo - drawing - scribbling

About

Drawing Apps

Create digital art with a powerful painting engine and advanced tools. This app offers realistic brushes, layers, blend modes, and various editing capabilities for sketching, painting, and transforming images. Import and export your creations in multiple formats.

Highlights
  • Advanced painting engine with 40+ natural brush presets
  • Realistic brush interaction with paper textures
  • Layers and Photoshop blend modes
  • Selection and clipping masks
  • Transform multiple layers and use transform tool
  • Import and export drawings in JPEG and PNG formats
Features
Read full description

Superior brushes - The most advanced painting engine on tablets • 40+ natural brush presets • Brushes interact realistically with paper textures Superior tools - A place for everything • Layers and Photoshop blend modes • Selection and clipping masks Superior interface - Everything in its place • It’s simple. It’s organized. It’s out of the way. • Organized workflows: Paint - Sketch, Paint, and Blend Clone - Turn a photo into a painting Edit - Adjust color, Liquify, Pattern, Crop, or add a filter • Move your favorite tools to the top bar for quicker access Advanced features • Transform multiple layers simultaneously • Transform tool: Scale, Rotate, Flip, Distort, and Skew • Create seamless patterns with the Pattern tool • Gradient and Pattern Fill • Import images • Rotate and flip the canvas Import and export • Import and export drawings • Add images from Gallery, Camera, or search the web • Export images as JPEG, PNG. Get Drawing Apps Premium – weekly subscription for $2.99 USD. OR monthly subscription (which comes with a 3-day free trial) for $4.99 USD. OR yearly subscription for $9.99 USD • Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of your purchase and upon commencement of each renewal term. Subscription with a free trial period will automatically renew to a paid subscription. You can cancel your subscription or free trial in the iTunes settings at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. The cancellation will take effect the day after the last day of the current subscription period and you will be downgraded to the free service. • Please note: any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) will be forfeited when you purchase a premium subscription during the free trial period. • Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. • Privacy Policy: https://drawingpad.me/privacy-policy.html • Terms: https://drawingpad.me/terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

Paper1 screens
Drawing Apps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drawing Apps at 63% against Paper's 10%. Drawing Apps also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 3). Paper's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, 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. Paper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Drawing Apps sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drawing Apps holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Drawing Apps has 5.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 10% of Paper's written reviews are positive against 63% of Drawing Apps's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paper ships an update every 3 months, Drawing Apps monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Paper versus Drawing Apps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperDrawing Apps
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)4.4 (5.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews9.9% of reviews62.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB163 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOrgajja Co LtdGang Ji

Customer experience

Paper

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews141 reviews
Positive9.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative84.4%

Drawing Apps

All ratings5,150 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.7%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews392 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral11.5%
Negative26.0%

User reviews

Paper

From 3 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🎨 Good for quick sketching
  • 💡 Useful for jotting down ideas

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🚫 Limited color and brush options
  • 💸 Ads not removed even after paid upgrade
  • 🔍 Laggy and unresponsive
  • 📵 Doesn't work well with screen protectors

Drawing Apps

From 5.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Allows users to draw anything they want
  • 💡 Provides a creative outlet for young artists
  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Good for quick creative ideas
  • 👍 Satisfying drawing experience

Room to improve

  • 💰 Requires payment for many features and tools
  • 🤖 Excessive pop-ups and ads
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g., random layer deletion, screen freezing)
  • 🔍 Limited free brushes and tools
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive controls

Bugs and requests

Paper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Black blobs appearing on new pages
  • Inability to draw curved lines properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • More color and brush options
  • Ability to save and export drawings
  • Landscape mode support
  • Improved responsiveness and reduced lag
  • Reliable autosave and undo/redo functionality

Drawing Apps

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and app closures
  • Layers not working as expected
  • Drawing tools not responsive or accurate
  • Difficulty navigating the app

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Ability to save and export drawings
  • Undo/redo functionality improvements
  • Color customization options
  • Tracing feature for photos

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Paper

One-time1
  • Paper Upgrade$1.99
15 purchases

Drawing Apps

Subscriptions9
  • DrawingApps Premium - Weekly$2.997 Days
  • DrawingApps Gold - Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Drawing App Black Friday Offer3 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • DrawingAppsPremium Trial Month3 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Premium - Monthly$7.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Gold Trial Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Gold - Monthly$9.991 Month
  • DrawingApps Premium - Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • DrawingApps Gold - Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time6
  • 300 Coins$5.99
  • 900 Coins$14.99
  • 1200 Coins$19.99
Show 3 more
  • Lifetime Lite Drawing Pass$49.99
  • 5000 Coins$59.99
  • Lifetime PRO Drawing Pass$69.99

Questions

Is Paper free?
Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drawing Apps free?
Drawing Apps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Paper or Drawing Apps?
Drawing Apps is rated higher. Paper averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Drawing Apps averages 4.4 from 5.2K ratings.
Do Paper or Drawing Apps have ads?
Neither Paper nor Drawing Apps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paper or Drawing Apps?
Paper ships an update every 3 months, and Drawing Apps monthly. Most recently, Paper was updated on October 14, 2026 and Drawing Apps on October 16, 2026.

Other comparisons