Comparison

KaleidoPaint vs String Art DIY

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

Head to head
About

KaleidoPaint

Create intricate, repeating designs by mirroring your brushstrokes in real-time. Offers extensive editing tools for precise control over every element of your artwork. Export your creations as tileable images or standard graphics.

Highlights
  • Real-time mirrored brushstrokes
  • 17 symmetry patterns
  • Vector graphics editing
  • Curve smoothing and area fill
  • Undo/Redo functionality
  • Export tileable rectangles
Read full description

As you draw, KaleidoPaint mirrors your brushstrokes to create a beautiful infinitely repeating design. Image Gallery: http://www.geometrygames.org/KaleidoPaint/Gallery Features: - vector graphics - 17 symmetry patterns - scroll, rotate, zoom - curve smoothing - area fill - Edit Mode: reshape and recolor any dot, line or area - unlimited Undo/Redo - export your favorite paintings - export tileable rectangles Screenshots by Amber van Hoek.

About

String Art DIY

Create unique string art designs with this DIY generator. Weave your own patterns or let the app generate them for you. Enjoy a free experience with optional premium features.

Highlights
  • String art generator
  • DIY weaving tool
  • Free to use
  • Premium club functionalities
  • Pattern creation
Features
Read full description

This is the fastest string art/thread art generator app you may ever try. The app is designed as a DIY (Do it yourself) kit which you can use to generate and/or weave the threads yourself. Usage of the app is all free but you may decide to join the Zigzag club to have access to some other cool functionalities. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://myzigzagart.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

KaleidoPaint4 screens
String Art DIY4 screens

Verdict

The call

KaleidoPaint and String Art DIY both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of KaleidoPaint's written reviews are positive against 20% of String Art DIY's. KaleidoPaint also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (77 vs 21). String Art DIY's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.1). On price, rating, ads 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. String Art DIY sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. KaleidoPaint asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KaleidoPaint holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of KaleidoPaint's written reviews are positive against 20% of String Art DIY's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KaleidoPaint ships an update every 5 months, String Art DIY every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
KaleidoPaint versus String Art DIY: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKaleidoPaintString Art DIY
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (77 ratings) — better4.4 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings77 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.115.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB81 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJeff WeeksMyZigzagArt AB

Customer experience

KaleidoPaint

All ratings76 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative16.2%

String Art DIY

All ratings21 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

Bugs and requests

KaleidoPaint

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App opens files app and no files are selectable
  • App opens an empty page without any controls
  • App immediately opens files without allowing creation
  • App doesn't work, opens files app and doesn't allow creation
  • Old drawings ruined by updates
Show 5 more
  • Fill color not changing with line color
  • Color and background tabs no longer work
  • Sharing button not working
  • Tileable rectangle export not working
  • Saving as JPG only

Requested features

28 requests
  • Ability to break a line from a selected point
  • Eraser tool
  • Export as SVG option
  • More features like different brushes, blending colors, more symmetrical choices, and better stroke control
  • Ability to export in a square format
Show 23 more
  • Transparent background option
  • Export function for tilable squares
  • Layers
  • RGB color value sliders
  • Opacity, blending modes
  • Selection tool
  • Ability to switch mirroring on and off
  • Ability to export layers to Photoshop
  • More control over drawing strokes
  • Adjustable stroke smoothing
  • More precise color selection (e.g., RGB or HLS)
  • Ability to change grid line color
  • Designs that save evenly in any size for multiple tiling
  • Export and import patterns within the app
  • Basic block repeat option
  • Zoom in color selector
  • More patterns to choose from and purchase
  • Ability to set custom image size
  • Export .png files with a transparent background
  • More symmetry options
  • Line and shape tools
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Option to minimize tool windows

String Art DIY

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

KaleidoPaint

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

String Art DIY

Subscriptions3
  • Bronze membership$2.991 Month
  • Silver membership$6.991 Month
  • Gold membership$9.991 Month
One-time5
  • X Small credit sack$1.99
  • Pattern pack$4.99
  • Small credit sack$11.99
Show 2 more
  • Medium credit sack$39.99
  • Large credit sack$119.99

Questions

Is KaleidoPaint free?
KaleidoPaint is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is String Art DIY free?
String Art DIY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, KaleidoPaint or String Art DIY?
KaleidoPaint is rated higher. KaleidoPaint averages 4.6 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while String Art DIY averages 4.4 from 21 ratings.
Do KaleidoPaint or String Art DIY have ads?
Neither KaleidoPaint nor String Art DIY shows ads.
Which is updated more often, KaleidoPaint or String Art DIY?
KaleidoPaint ships an update every 5 months, and String Art DIY every 9 days. Most recently, KaleidoPaint was updated on October 22, 2026 and String Art DIY on October 27, 2026.

Other comparisons