# iPastels vs Artstudio Pro

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: iPastels at 12.0 against Artstudio Pro's 15.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. iPastels sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Artstudio Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for iPastels against 4.6 for Artstudio Pro. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.1K and 4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of iPastels's written reviews are positive against 74% of Artstudio Pro's.

iPastels ships an update every 6 weeks, Artstudio Pro monthly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | iPastels | Artstudio Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipastels/id489302558/reviews)** | [4.6 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artstudio-pro-draw-paint/id1244142051/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K | **4K** |
| Positive reviews | **81.7% of reviews** | 74.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 385 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Norbyte](https://appshunter.io/developer/331310753) | [Lucky Clan](https://appshunter.io/developer/294866851) |

## What reviewers say

### iPastels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipastels/id489302558)

This app offers a realistic digital painting experience with lifelike pastel simulation and interactive textures. It allows for precise color blending and adjustable stroke sizes, catering to both beginners and experienced artists. Explore your creativity without the cost of traditional art supplies.

**Highlights:** Lifelike pastel simulation, Realistic paper/canvas textures, Precise color blending, Fingertip stroke size adjustment, Left-handed toolbar option, Live parameter changes, Multiple layers

**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 |
| Tip Jar: Medium Tip | $5.00 | one-time |
| Pro Upgrade | $7.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Big Tip | $10.00 | one-time |
| Tip Jar: Biggest Tip | $25.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Realistic pastel simulation
- 💡 Useful for beginners and professionals
- 🌈 Wide range of colors and shades
- 🔍 Good blending and smudging tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for more
- 🔍 Lack of zoom or detailed control
- 🎨 Difficulty finding/reusing specific colors
- 🔀 Confusing layer management

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when importing images
- Layers sometimes disappear or get lost
- Undo button deletes entire drawing sections

**Requested features**

- Add color picker tool
- Improve layer management and visibility
- Implement pressure-sensitive brush support
- Provide more paper/canvas texture options
- Allow saving and recalling custom palettes


### Artstudio Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artstudio-pro-draw-paint/id1244142051)

This powerful app offers advanced drawing, painting, and photo editing tools for creative professionals and enthusiasts. It features a robust engine, flexible layer system, and an advanced brush engine for realistic strokes. Users can also create animations and import/export various image formats.

**Highlights:** GPU accelerated ArtEngine, Unlimited layers and large canvas sizes, Advanced brush engine with 150+ brushes, Flexible layer system with groups and masks, Professional photo editing tools, Animation creation and export, Import/Export ABR/TPL brush and pattern formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Game Controller support, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly Subscription | $3.49 | per year |
| Lifetime License | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful and feature-rich
- 👍 Familiar Photoshop-like interface
- 💡 Supports Photoshop brushes
- 🎨 Excellent brush engine and painting experience
- 🔍 Robust selection and adjustment tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🤔 Steep learning curve
- 🔀 Confusing UI and navigation
- 🖌️ Inconsistent palm rejection and input issues
- 💾 Unreliable saving and file management

**Reported bugs**

- Gradient tool not working as expected
- Brush settings not saving properly
- Unexpected canvas resizing and cropping
- Layers disappearing or not rendering correctly

**Requested features**

- Add custom brush creation
- Improve canvas resizing and previewing
- Implement better layer and mask management
- Add more blending and color adjustment tools
- Introduce keyboard shortcuts and gesture support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iPastels free?

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

### Is Artstudio Pro free?

Artstudio Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, iPastels or Artstudio Pro?

iPastels is rated higher. iPastels averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Artstudio Pro averages 4.6 from 4K ratings.

### Do iPastels or Artstudio Pro have ads?

Neither iPastels nor Artstudio Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iPastels or Artstudio Pro?

iPastels ships an update every 6 weeks, and Artstudio Pro monthly. Most recently, iPastels was updated on September 25, 2026 and Artstudio Pro on September 25, 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.*