Comparison

Doodle.ly vs Plurk

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

Head to head
About

Doodle.ly

Create and share drawings with friends using a variety of realistic art tools. This free app offers an intuitive interface suitable for all ages, from toddlers to artists. Save your creations or publish them directly to social media.

Highlights
  • Realistic drawing tools
  • Easy sharing to social media
  • Unlimited undos/redos
  • Friend interaction (likes/following)
  • Save multiple canvases
Features
Read full description

Doodle.ly is a fun, free and easy way to share drawings with friends. Draw a picture, then publish it or save it - it's that easy. Our custom-designed drawing engine accurately simulates real pencil, pen, crayons and markers. The UI is highly intuitive, creating a joyful drawing experience simple enough for a toddler, and yet powerful enough for a serious artist. "the closest thing I had to real pen and paper" Lance Ulanoff, Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Features: • 100% free custom designed drawing tools: Crayon, Ballpoint, Highlighter, Pencil, Resizable Eraser, Chisel Tip Marker and Fine Point Marker in an array of colors. • Sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Text, Email and AirDrop • Unlimited undos and redos • Interact with friends by sharing likes and following one another • Keep up to 180 canvases in progress at one time (iPad)

About

Plurk

Connect with friends, family, and others to share thoughts, moments, videos, and artworks. Express yourself freely while ensuring your privacy is protected. Enjoy custom emoticons and private messaging options.

Highlights
  • Share thoughts, moments, videos, and artworks
  • Custom emoticons with any image type
  • Private messaging for limited visibility
  • Connect with friends and family
  • Privacy protection for messages
Features
Read full description

Discover, connect, and share interesting stuffs with your friends, family, and like-minded folks at Plurk! Grant yourself unlimited ways to express yourself like sharing your thoughts, moments, videos, artworks or simply everyday life tidbits, be they bizarre or serious. And we take it seriously at protecting your privacy -- Never will you worry about your emotional secrets being read by the annoying colleague around the corner, or the nagging aunt in the neighboring state. Highlights of Plurk: - Custom Emoticons: Use emoticons created with any types of images to paint thousand words in your messages -- animated or still, cheerful or sorrow! - Private messages: Limit who can see and reply each of your messages, and turn them into private discussions!

Screenshots

Doodle.ly4 screens
Plurk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Plurk at 4.7 against Doodle.ly's 3.9. Plurk also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (62% vs 50%). Doodle.ly's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume and device support 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. Plurk sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Doodle.ly asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plurk holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 228 and 542 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Doodle.ly's written reviews are positive against 62% of Plurk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Doodle.ly ships an update every 6 weeks, Plurk every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Doodle.ly versus Plurk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDoodle.lyPlurk
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (228 ratings)4.7 (542 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.4% of reviews62.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings228542 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB138 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDoodle.ly, Inc.Plurk Inc.

Customer experience

Doodle.ly

All ratings228 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral14.0%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral16.5%
Negative33.1%

Plurk

All ratings542 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews234 reviews
Positive62.4%
Neutral9.4%
Negative28.2%

User reviews

Doodle.ly

From 228 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for quick sketching
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 💡 Sharing drawings with others
  • 🎨 Variety of drawing tools

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💾 Inability to save/resume drawings
  • 🎨 Limited color and tool options
  • 🔒 Requirement to use social media accounts

Plurk

From 542 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Stable and convenient personal feed
  • 👥 Easy to follow or view other accounts
  • 🕰️ Nostalgic for long-time users
  • 🎨 Great for artists, writers, and creators
  • 🔍 Allows focused browsing without algorithms

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Issues with anonymous discussions and moderation
  • 🖼️ Difficulty uploading photos/images on mobile
  • 🔄 Frequent crashes and loading issues
  • 📢 Intrusive and excessive advertising
  • 🔌 Drains device battery quickly

Bugs and requests

Doodle.ly

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Drawings disappearing after exiting app
  • Undo button causing crashes
  • Login issues with Twitter/Facebook
  • App freezing and force closing

Requested features

5 requests
  • More color options
  • Adjustable brush/tool sizes
  • Ability to save/resume drawings
  • In-app account creation
  • Commenting/feedback system

Plurk

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to edit personal profile
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between accounts
  • Scrolling issues and UI layout problems on tablets
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Difficulty posting new content after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add video upload capability
  • Improve photo/image layout and display
  • Provide option to delete account permanently
  • Implement app lock feature for privacy
  • Add ability to filter/mute content by keywords

In-app purchases

None

Doodle.ly

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Plurk

One-time4
  • 1 Plurk Coin (30 Days)$2.99
  • 6 Plurk Coins (180 Days)$12.99
  • 12 Plurk Coins (360 Days)$24.99
Show 1 more
  • 24 Plurk Coins (720 Days)$49.99

Questions

Is Doodle.ly free?
Doodle.ly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plurk free?
Plurk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Doodle.ly or Plurk?
Plurk is rated higher. Doodle.ly averages 3.9 out of 5 from 228 ratings, while Plurk averages 4.7 from 542 ratings.
Do Doodle.ly or Plurk have ads?
Plurk shows ads; Doodle.ly does not.
Which is updated more often, Doodle.ly or Plurk?
Doodle.ly ships an update every 6 weeks, and Plurk every 9 days. Most recently, Doodle.ly was updated on October 13, 2026 and Plurk on October 18, 2026.

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