# Pencil Camera HD vs Artcam

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pencil Camera HD at none against Artcam's 2. Pencil Camera HD also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). Artcam's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On rating, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pencil Camera HD against 5.0 for Artcam. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pencil Camera HD has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Pencil Camera HD's written reviews are positive against 100% of Artcam's.

Pencil Camera HD ships an update every 5 months, Artcam every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Camera HD | Artcam |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | — | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-camera-hd/id557198534/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artcam-art-effect-camera/id6743309999/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 79.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 48 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ljezny](https://appshunter.io/developer/557198537) | [kota tada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1658942612) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil Camera HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-camera-hd/id557198534)

Transform your photos and videos into artistic creations with real-time cartoon and sketch effects. Explore a variety of unique filters and adjust image parameters for endless creative possibilities. This app offers an intuitive interface and HD output for fun, artistic media creation.

**Highlights:** Real-time cartoon and sketch effects, 15 unique artistic filters, Adjust brightness, contrast, and contour, HD quality photos and videos, Slideshow with random effects, Supports iPhone and iPad

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Unique and creative photo effects
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 💡 Interesting real-time video filters
- 🎨 Artistic and sketch-like results
- 🎨 Wide variety of filter options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🚫 Unable to save or export photos
- 🚫 Incompatible with portrait orientation
- 🚫 Limited editing capabilities beyond filters
- 🐢 Slow performance and lag

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to record video
- Unable to access camera roll to import photos
- Filters not working as expected on some devices

**Requested features**

- More advanced editing tools
- Ability to rotate and resize photos
- Option to save photos at higher resolutions
- Improved video recording quality and stability


### Artcam

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/artcam-art-effect-camera/id6743309999)

Transform your photos into artistic masterpieces with various effects like oil painting and watercolor. Apply filters to new or existing images in real-time or from your gallery. Adjust intensity for a personalized artistic touch.

**Highlights:** Oil painting effect, Watercolor effect, Posterization effect, Monochrome effect, Sepia effect, Real-time camera preview, Adjustable filter intensity

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-free for 1 month | $4.99 | per month |
| Ad-free for 1 year | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Camera HD free?

Pricing for Pencil Camera HD is not currently listed on the App Store.

### Is Artcam free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pencil Camera HD or Artcam?

Pencil Camera HD and Artcam are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Pencil Camera HD or Artcam have ads?

Artcam shows ads; Pencil Camera HD does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil Camera HD or Artcam?

Pencil Camera HD ships an update every 5 months, and Artcam every 10 months. Most recently, Pencil Camera HD was updated on October 26, 2026 and Artcam on October 17, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*