Comparison

Hello Oil Painter vs Redstring

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

Head to head
About

Hello Oil Painter

This app offers a realistic oil painting experience on your device. It simulates virtual oil paint and brushes, allowing you to mix colors on an interactive palette. Explore numerous free coloring books or purchase more from the in-app shop.

Highlights
  • Realistic oil paint and brush simulation
  • Interactive color mixing palette
  • Multiple brush styles
  • Drawing sound effects
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Numerous free coloring books
  • Coloring book shop
Features
Read full description

'Hello Oil Painter' is an easy & fun oil painting APP. It provides realistic oil paint , brushes and more. It create the realistic drawing through simulation of virtual oil paint and brush. Especially it support 'the palette' with which you can add, mix and manipulate colors. It also support many free and IAP coloring books. We hope you can have fun with this cool App! Features - Realistic oil paint and brush - True interactive oil palette - Cool drawing sound - 5 and more style oil brushes - Intuitive user interface - Many free coloring books (20+). - Coloring books shop,

About

Redstring

Explore a 3D globe featuring 305 real case files of unexplained phenomena, ancient ruins, and deep mysteries. Each location offers a brief explanation and links for further research, turning your device into an evidence board for the world's most intriguing puzzles.

Highlights
  • 3D globe with 305 case files
  • Documented, debated, and fringe evidence labels
  • Daily new file declassification
  • Meta-mystery 'Case Zero'
  • Curated 'Threads' for guided exploration
  • Personal 'Evidence Board' progress tracking
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Spin a photoreal 3D Earth pinned with 305 real case files — the oldest ruins on the planet, the deepest mysteries, and the stories science still can't close. Göbekli Tepe. The Nazca Lines. Tunguska. Chicxulub. Roswell. Skinwalker Ranch. Tap a pin, open the file, get the 20-second briefing on why this place refuses to make sense — then follow the red string to the next one. Redstring turns the globe into the world's largest evidence board. Every pin is a REAL location with a real story — ancient sites, lost cities, impact craters, and famous high-strangeness — each one photographed, sourced, and stamped with an evidence badge so you always know exactly what you're looking at: • DOCUMENTED — solid, sourced, and real. • DEBATED — the experts are still arguing. • FRINGE — fun nonsense... probably. WHAT'S INSIDE THE BUREAU • A photoreal, satellite-imagery 3D globe you can spin, flick, and pinch — 305 hand-built case files pinned across it. • An evidence badge on every file, so you're entertained AND informed, with a source link to go as deep as you want. • TONIGHT'S DECLASSIFICATION — one new file declassifies every night at midnight, and the desk signals you at the hour you choose. A reason to come back. • CASE ZERO — a meta-mystery hidden in the map, waiting for you to crack it. • THREADS — curated trails like "The Younger Dryas File" and "Things Older Than They Should Be" that fly you stop to stop. • THE BOARD — your personal evidence wall. Un-redact continents as you open files and climb the ranks from Desk Clerk to Section Chief. • Up to eight photographs, engravings and archive prints per case, each credited to its maker. • Works offline. Tapes you have played stay on the device and play with no signal. The whole strange planet fits in your pocket. ENTERTAINED AND EDUCATED This isn't a conspiracy megaphone, and it isn't a dry textbook. It's the rare thing that lets you enjoy the mystery AND respect the facts — documented, debated, and fringe, all clearly labeled, so you make up your own mind. Perfect if you love documentary mysteries, ancient history, archaeology, or a good late-night rabbit hole. CLEARANCE (PREMIUM) Redstring is free to explore — the entire globe, all 305 files, the nightly drop, and the Board. Upgrade your CLEARANCE to go completely ad-free and unlock 120 deep-dive Full Case File dossiers and the complete Thread library. Monthly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime unlock — your call. Open the map. Pick a pin. Pull the string. — Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Questions? support@andromedakinship.com Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://andromedakinship.com/mystery-globe/privacy.html

Screenshots

Hello Oil Painter4 screens
Redstring4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Redstring at 5.0 against Hello Oil Painter's 4.0. Redstring also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). Hello Oil Painter's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (50 vs 3). On price, 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. Hello Oil Painter sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Redstring sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Redstring holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hello Oil Painter has 50 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Hello Oil Painter's written reviews are positive against 100% of Redstring's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hello Oil Painter ships an update every 3 months, Redstring every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hello Oil Painter versus Redstring: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHello Oil PainterRedstring
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (50 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS9.3 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB56 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperRaysoft.coMichael Dube

Customer experience

Hello Oil Painter

All ratings46 ratings
Positive71.7%
Neutral6.5%
Negative21.7%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral17.3%
Negative12.7%

Redstring

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Hello Oil Painter

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes frequently during use
  • Crashes when using undo function
  • Crashes when saving paintings
  • Crashes when importing photos from camera roll
  • Data loss upon crash or unexpected exit
Show 13 more
  • Palette won't clear after updates
  • Undo function erases artwork
  • Review button causes app to close and lose work
  • Marker colors don't match paint can colors
  • Black color jumps up with selected colors
  • Blending knives don't work consistently
  • Dry sign appears and cannot be removed
  • Multicolored palette transfers as monotone
  • Cannot uninstall app
  • App won't open pictures from camera roll
  • Full version features disappear after inactivity
  • Cannot connect to App Store for updates
  • Palette icon causes unwanted paint marks when selecting colors

Requested features

16 requests
  • Adjustable brush size options
  • Finer brush tips for detailed work and eyelashes
  • More color options and neutral/pastel tones
  • Smudge/blending tool improvements
  • Wet brush for smoothing colors on canvas
Show 11 more
  • More flesh tones for portrait painting
  • Ability to save custom palettes
  • Named colors matching standard artist paints
  • Textured canvas backgrounds
  • Paint bucket fill feature
  • Tutorial or help documentation
  • Hide UI elements option
  • Improved marker transparency
  • Paste documents feature
  • Dark umber and royal purple colors
  • Linseed oil and quick-drying medium effects

Redstring

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hello Oil Painter

One-time10
  • Coloring Book #1$0.99
  • Coloring Book #2$0.99
  • Coloring Book #3$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Coloring Book #4$0.99
  • oil_cbook5$0.99
  • more markerpen$0.99
  • oil_floodfill$0.99
  • oil_fullversion$0.99
  • oil_cbook6$0.99
  • oil_cbook7$0.99
3 purchases

Redstring

Subscriptions2
  • Clearance — Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Clearance — Annual$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Clearance — Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Hello Oil Painter free?
Hello Oil Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Redstring free?
Redstring is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hello Oil Painter or Redstring?
Redstring is rated higher. Hello Oil Painter averages 4.0 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Redstring averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Hello Oil Painter or Redstring have ads?
Redstring shows ads; Hello Oil Painter does not.
Which is updated more often, Hello Oil Painter or Redstring?
Hello Oil Painter ships an update every 3 months, and Redstring every 9 days. Most recently, Hello Oil Painter was updated on October 23, 2026 and Redstring on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons