Comparison

Drawing Grid vs Grid Painter

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

Head to head
About

Drawing Grid

This app assists artists in maintaining accurate proportions for their drawings. It allows users to set canvas and grid dimensions, choose between square or custom-sized blocks, and transform images by adjusting position and size.

Highlights
  • Set canvas size
  • Set grid properties
  • Square or custom block sizes
  • Transform image position
  • Transform image size
  • Maintain drawing proportions
Features
Read full description

Drawing Grid helps artists transfer proportions from a reference image to paper or canvas. Choose a canvas preset or enter a custom physical size. Configure the grid by row and column count or by cell size, add diagonal overlays, and choose the line color, width, and opacity. Image Editing mode keeps image gestures separate from canvas navigation. Move, pinch, rotate, crop, center, fit, fill, reset, or adjust the reference opacity. Canvas Navigation mode is available whenever you want to pan or zoom the workspace. Your complete last-used workspace is saved on-device. Export produces a deliberate 2048-pixel PNG containing the reference and grid without menus, selection borders, indices, or other editor controls. Drawing Grid 3.4 requires iOS or iPadOS 17.0 and supports iPhone, iPad, rotation, Split View, resizable windows, VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, dark mode, Increase Contrast, Reduce Transparency, and Reduce Motion.

About

Grid Painter

Easily overlay a customizable grid onto your images to aid in accurate drawing and painting. Select photos from your library or camera, choose grid styles and sizes, and utilize various image filters for reference. Save, print, or share your projects.

Highlights
  • Overlay customizable grids on images
  • Select photos from library or camera
  • Choose grid styles and sizes
  • Image filters (grayscale, Notan, etc.)
  • Customizable canvas size
  • Save, print, and share projects
Read full description

GridPainter is the premium application to use compose your next masterpiece. It lets you quickly and easily place a grid onto an image for the purpose of using the grid technique of drawing and painting, the same method even Leonardo da Vinci used in his work. With the portability of our devices and access to thousands of images at our fingertips, more artists than ever are using them as a reference for drawings. With GridPainter, the process of drawing accurately from your device is easier than ever. Simply select the photo you wish from your photo library or using the "Open In" functionality in Messages or email, and the app will scale your image and place the "fourths" style grid over the top. From the toolbar on top you will find easy to use controls. -Select a standard canvas or customize your canvas size. -Customize your grid pattern from several different styles. -Crop We have also integrated some basic functions from our sister application NotanIzer so now you can -Look at you image in color, gray scale, Notan, 3 Level, 4 level, or Levels Everything is saved and you can work with your image in the app, or using the share menu, print, email, or export it to your photo library. To create a drawing from the photo, simply draw a grid of the same proportions on your drawing material as your selected final project size and grid size. From there you can easily transfer the image by drawing whats in each square, letting the grid take care of the proper scaling and framing within your picture. Great for when you need to draw a large drawing from a small reference photo, or for drawing complicated imagery. Features: -Select an image from your camera roll , import, or take a photo directly from the app -Choose final image size -Place a grid over the image using different grid types -Change the grid size -Change the grid color for best visibility over the image -Select any canvas size or automatically choose the aspect ratio or use the Golden Ratio -Scale and move your image to fit exactly where you want -Save the project for later revisions -Print or share your project with others

Screenshots

Drawing Grid4 screens
Grid Painter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Grid Painter at 81% against Drawing Grid's 22%. Grid Painter also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Drawing Grid's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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

Drawing Grid costs $1.99 and Grid Painter $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Grid Painter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grid Painter has 393 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Drawing Grid's written reviews are positive against 81% of Grid Painter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drawing Grid ships an update every 3 months, Grid Painter every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Drawing Grid versus Grid Painter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrawing GridGrid Painter
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating4.2 (16 ratings)4.8 (393 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.0% of reviews81.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16393 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#197#66 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaciej Chrzastekbigpantsgroup LLC

Customer experience

Drawing Grid

All ratings16 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive22.0%
Neutral19.0%
Negative59.0%

Grid Painter

All ratings393 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive81.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative13.0%

User reviews

Drawing Grid

From 16 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✅ Effective grid overlay for drawing proportions
  • 🎨 Customizable grid size, color, and thickness
  • 👍 Useful for artists and mural projects
  • 🔧 Adjustable opacity and visual controls
  • 💰 Free version available

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently when saving images
  • 😕 Poor user interface and confusing controls
  • 🔲 Grid moves unexpectedly when adjusting image
  • ❌ Difficult to delete or reset images
  • ⚠️ Slider controls are unresponsive and hard to use

Grid Painter

From 393 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🎨 Great for drawing and painting accuracy
  • 📐 Helpful for grids and composition
  • 💡 Useful for value study and grayscale conversion
  • ⏱️ Saves time for artists

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Grid lines too thick
  • 🔄 Rotation issues with square photos
  • 🗂️ Cropping feature uses absolute values, not ratios
  • 🚫 Inability to print with grid
  • ⚠️ Cropping feature can freeze

Bugs and requests

Drawing Grid

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes when attempting to save images
  • Grid becomes uneven or creates rectangles instead of squares
  • Grid moves when zooming or adjusting image
  • Unable to load new images after first use
  • Tutorial overlay cannot be dismissed
Show 8 more
  • Slider controls scroll entire section instead of adjusting values
  • Double-tap on buttons closes menu unexpectedly
  • Grid appears in corner at incorrect size
  • App freezes during grid adjustment
  • Image reverts to portrait orientation during grid editing
  • Grid proportions misaligned despite identical settings
  • Cannot adjust grid independent of picture movement
  • Ads banner blocks interface at bottom of screen

Requested features

17 requests
  • Proper save-to-camera-roll functionality
  • Delete/reset button for starting over
  • Lock grid to image during zoom operations
  • Ability to input exact grid dimensions numerically
  • Proportional enlargement capability
Show 12 more
  • Square grid enforcement (1:1 ratio guarantee)
  • Independent grid and image adjustment
  • Center line indicators (horizontal and vertical)
  • Ability to move grid independently of image
  • Screenshot-free saving method
  • Settings page to reduce interface clutter
  • Saved user settings persistence
  • Thinner grid line options
  • Support for landscape orientation consistency
  • Better instructions and help documentation
  • Ability to add diagonal and cross lines
  • Grid layering options for different divisions

Grid Painter

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Cannot upload photos from desktop
  • Grid width too thick even at lowest setting
  • Photo library update message with no update available
  • Grid would not reset
  • App crashes when changing canvas to Landscape
Show 9 more
  • Resizing won't maintain aspect ratio and image disappears
  • Stop work after last update
  • Annoying bug: rotates square format photos with Notan/grayscale
  • Cropping feature only allows absolute values (inches), not ratios
  • Cropping feature freezes the page
  • Cannot get saved images back
  • Inability to print image with grid
  • Email developers function freezes
  • Crop feature does not work

Requested features

10 requests
  • Allow uploading photos from desktop directly
  • Lock canvas size and adapt photo to fit
  • Approximate color in levels section for palette preview
  • Sort projects
  • Different grid styles (isometric, diagonal)
Show 5 more
  • Select grid opacity
  • User-selectable number of rows and columns for grids
  • Add movable lines for grid customization
  • Combine multiple grids without screenshots
  • Geometrically sound grid drawing method (X through corners, etc.)

In-app purchases

None

Drawing Grid

No in-app purchases

None

Grid Painter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drawing Grid free?
Drawing Grid costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grid Painter free?
Grid Painter costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Drawing Grid or Grid Painter?
Grid Painter is rated higher. Drawing Grid averages 4.2 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Grid Painter averages 4.8 from 393 ratings.
Do Drawing Grid or Grid Painter have ads?
Neither Drawing Grid nor Grid Painter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drawing Grid or Grid Painter?
Drawing Grid ships an update every 3 months, and Grid Painter every 3 weeks. Most recently, Drawing Grid was updated on September 26, 2026 and Grid Painter on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Drawing Grid or Grid Painter?
Drawing Grid currently peaks at #197 in the App Store charts, and Grid Painter at #66. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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