Drawing Grid vs NotanIzer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Set canvas size
- Set grid properties
- Square or custom block sizes
- Transform image position
- Transform image size
- Maintain drawing proportions
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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.
NotanIzer
This app helps artists analyze the light and dark elements in their images. It offers various tools to convert images to black and white, grayscale, or multi-level palettes, allowing for detailed structural analysis and design enhancement. Users can also invert filter displays and share their processed images.
- Black and white conversion with adjustable threshold
- Grayscale and color display modes
- Multi-level color palette generation (3, 4, 10 levels)
- Adjustable level sliders
- Slice function to highlight value ranges
- Invert filter display option
- Image sharing capabilities
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Nōtan is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark elements next to the other in the composition of art and imagery. The Yin Yang symbol is an example of this design philosophy. The use of Nōtan in art composition is a powerful tool to help the artist identify the structure of the light and dark portions of the image they want to incorporate into their project. The first function simply divides the image into black and white with colors above the set value being white and those below being black. You can then use the slider to move that line to enhance detail that may otherwise be obscured. The second and third functions displays the image in either a grayscale or color so the artist can focus on the structure and design of the image. The next 3 functions are Levels. They set either 3, 4, or up to 10 levels of color spread over black, gray and white pallets. The 3 and 4 levels have sliders to adjust where those levels are while the Levels function just evenly divides the image by the number of levels. Finally the last function is Slice. It allows you to select a small range of values and highlight those in black and everything else white. And as of version 3.1 you can now invert the display of each of the filters. Lighter values have been displayed in white, but now you can invert them to see those in black which can really help bring out detail. And of course, share your image in many ways. Any artist will benefit from seeing their work in a different light. NotanIzer is that light.
Screenshots
Verdict
Drawing Grid and NotanIzer both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of NotanIzer's written reviews are positive against 22% of Drawing Grid's. NotanIzer also leads on chart position (#40 vs unranked) and ratings volume (105 vs 18). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Drawing Grid costs $1.99 and NotanIzer $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Drawing Grid against 4.3 for NotanIzer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotanIzer has 105 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 22% of Drawing Grid's written reviews are positive against 82% of NotanIzer's.
Drawing Grid ships an update every 3 months, NotanIzer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drawing Grid | NotanIzer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (18 ratings) | 4.3 (105 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.0% of reviews | 81.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 105 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #40 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maciej Chrzastek | bigpantsgroup LLC |
Customer experience
Drawing Grid
NotanIzer
User reviews
Drawing Grid
From 18 App Store ratingsWhat 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
NotanIzer
From 105 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Great for analyzing values/lighting
- 🎨 Useful for artists/painting
- 🚀 Quick and straightforward
- ✨ Creates interesting images
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sidebar overlays controls on macOS
- 🐛 Images come out white on Mac
- 🐛 Cannot save named files to chosen folder
- 🐛 Watermark on prints after paying
- 🐛 Monthly fee and no way to remove app
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
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- 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
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- 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
NotanIzer
Reported bugs
6 issues- Sidebar overlays slider controls and prevents their use on macOS
- Images come out white on Mac
- Watermark on prints after paying
- App won't open after 30 days
- Export images crashes app on iPad
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- Export to photos option doesn't appear on iPhone
Requested features
6 requests- Allow saving named files to chosen folder
- Disable sound effect for level limits
- Improve photo access to retain position
- Fix macOS sidebar overlay issue
- Fix Mac image export issue (white images)
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- Fix update issues with export/crashing on iPad/iPhone
In-app purchases
Drawing Grid
No in-app purchases
NotanIzer
No in-app purchases








